As it often my way, I looked at an assortment of recipes and combined them into something I thought would work.  The “ricotta” is mostly a cross between two different recipes in Veganomicon.  My original plan was to mix in spinach, but since I had the chard, used that.  Good thing, too, because without it, I would have been pretty short on stuffing, so definitely pick a green, or if you can’t stand the idea of vegetables mixed in, make extra ricotta.  You could also modify this recipe slightly for lasagna, which would maybe be a little less fancy but also save the stuffing time, though you’d have a higher pasta ratio.

The end result was quite delicious and I would definitely like to make this again.  Leftovers have been fantastic.  Even with the work of stuffing the shells, it was still pretty fast, and the most time-consuming part was our friend M. (who is a wonderful person, but a little slow in the kitchen) tearing and washing the chard.  But if you use frozen greens, this is *really* fast.

Fresh out of the oven!

Stuffed Shells

for the stuffing

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 lb extra firm tofu, excess liquid pressed out
• handful basil leaves, chopped
• cooked, chopped, drained chard (or thawed, chopped, and drained package of frozen spinach)

for the chard

• 2 bunches chard or spinach or similar leafy green, rinsed and chopped/torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• olive oil

and

• 1 box giant pasta shells
• 1 quart tomato sauce (perhaps I will someday post my recipe, but you can use store-bought, too)

Do this

1. Cook the shells according to package directions in well-salted water.  Drain and rinse in cool water.
2. Cook the chard: Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then add chard, sprinkle with a little salt, and cover.  Stir as needed and when chard is darkened and cooked through, uncover to cook off excess liquid and/or squeeze it out.
3. Blend the first six stuffing ingredients thoroughly and transfer to bowl.  Crumble in tofu and mix well to ricotta-like texture.  Stir in the basil and chard and keep mixing until the greens are all through.
4. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with ~1/3 of the sauce, then fill the shells (I used a regular spoon) and line them up in the pan.  This recipe was just right to stuff enough shells to fill the pan, though I had a bunch of empty shells left over.  Maybe they give you extra to account for breakage?  I dunno.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the top.
5. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

All stuffed and ready to be sauced

]]> http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2011/06/20/stuffed-shells/feed/ 0 http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/08/27/mac-and-notcheese/ http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/08/27/mac-and-notcheese/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:18:25 +0000 jude http://frogfood.peace.net/index.php/2007/08/27/mac-and-notcheese/ Okay, and it’s not actually macaroni, either, but I love the way radiatorre holds the sauce. The principle is still there, and it tastes damn fine. One of the first things I cooked for myself as a young’un was Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and it was one of those comfort foods that I really missed as a vegan. This stuff has the same feeling for me, but tastes so much better! And, though I often forget, it’s not even unhealthy. It might even be good for me.

I found the re-posted recipe that I based this on in the VeganCooking LiveJournal Community, but I don’t know who the original author is. It is certainly similar to some recipes I’ve seen in books, so it could be anyone. If you’re out there, thank you!

Mac and (Not)Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soymilk (or other nondairy milk of choice) (water will do in a pinch)
• 4 oz. pimentos ( 1 small jar)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 heaping tbsp yeast flakes
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp cornstarch or flour
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• A few shots of hot sauce (I like Melinda’s XXXtra Hot)
• 1 lb pasta of your choice
• 1 head broccoli, chopped and steamed until crisp-tender
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas

Blend the first ten items (that’s everything but the pasta and greens) in a blender until smooth. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened, whisking or stirring frequently. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and broccoli.

Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and mix well, then stir in the broccoli and peas. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and eat. Then have seconds.

This dish also works well with spinach, but if the greens are too much for you, you can just leave them all out. There is no guilt with this stuff, so do what you like.