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Sunday, April 15, 2012

[Vegetarian "Cream Cheese" Pasta]

The other night, I stared into my refrigerator, trying to figure out how to put together something filling, nourishing, capable of stretching across several meals, and different from my usual go-to skillet hodgepodges. In the end, I pulled out:

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Herb and Chives
1 lb of tofu (firm or extra firm, cubed)
1 half (up to a whole) carton of cherry/grape tomatoes
1/2 to 1 white onion chopped
1 bell pepper
1/2 or a whole box of whole wheat/grain pasta (shells, rotini, etc.)
Garlic power, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste


It turned out pretty awesome. I actually repeated this meal, but because I had different veggies and only plain "cream cheese" on hand, I used the following ingredients in the same approximate order. To my surprise, I liked this one even better!  Use:

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Plain

1 lb of tofu (firm or extra firm, cubed)
1 half (up to a whole) carton of cherry/grape tomatoes
1/2 to 1 white onion chopped
1 can black olives
1/2 or a whole box of whole wheat/grain pasta (shells, rotini, etc.)
1 lb fresh asparagus, chopped
A handful of fresh cilantro

Garlic power, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste




Dry fry tofu in large skillet, then add onions and seasonings. Stir fry for two minutes, then add the rest of the veggies.


Cover and stir often. While the skillet steams/stir-fries, boil pasta in separate container, removing and draining about one minute before it reaches al dente or your preferred doneness.


Combine with skillet ingredients, then add the "cream cheese" and stir until mixed in.


Simmer for five minutes or until the grape/cherry tomatoes break (trust me--they retain heat worse than the rest of the food, and it's rather unpleasant to bite into a still-scalding-hot tomato and burn your mouth!). Serve.



Behold, the deliciousness: