blogworthy

~ Any fool can have a trophy wife.  It takes a real man to have a trophy marriage. ~

-Diane Sollee

 
Last Friday, Carnivore promised me a home cooked meal that would be "blogworthy."  He fulfilled his promise... it was wonderful!  By creating the same base in the roasted red pepper sauce, and by using the correct pasta, the changes only came with cream and proteins. Yummy!!! The recipes are below, as well as a shot of the vegan version.

Ingredients:

Pasta of choice
2 large red bell peppers or 24 oz. jar roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups half-and-half or 2 cups silken tofu
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese or Follow Your Heart mozzarella
4 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance vegan butter
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: small chili pepper or other spicy pepper of choice (adds a great kick!)
Protein of choice


Directions:

If you want to roast your own peppers: Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.

Grill protein of choice to desired temperature. Tofu can be grilled or baked. Grilled portabello mushrooms are wonderful in the dish, too.

In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and red peppers (and spicy pepper) in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.

Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return carnivore puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil.  (Vegan recipe remains in blender in order to add tofu, puree)

**At this point, you'll need to split the sauce in half and finish the remainder according to vegan or carnivore--therefore, cut the ingredients in half to complete the next steps**

Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over pasta.