Monthly Meal: September 2007

September is always a tough month for us, at least in terms of our time management. For whatever reason, both Ted’s and my work load significantly increase during the autumn months of each year. As a result, I find myself making dinners that require less preparation and cooking time, and I like to make dishes that create enough leftovers to get us through lunch on the following day.

This month, I experimented a little with different pasta dishes, and the result is the following recipe. It keeps well for a lunch of leftovers, and the Italian Field Roast Sausage in the sauce makes this dish as filling as it is delicious. The first time I made this, Ted thought the sauce had meat in it. Afterwards, he asked me what kind of sausage I had used, and when I told him it was Field Roast he was surprised. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, this meal is fabulous.

As an additional benefit to those of you who are similarly time-deprived, the recipe calls for two packaged products, the Field Roast and the jar of pasta sauce. While I typically encourage the use of whole foods in cooking, these two items aren’t really worth the effort of trying to make them yourselves. Sure, you could attempt to re-create Field Roast in your kitchen, but why try when the real deal is so delicious? And I have made many pasta sauces from scratch in my days, but when you’re in a hurry, a really nice pre-made version is just as good. I love Amy’s Kitchen Marinara Sauce, it’s a great base for other flavors in a dish, and it doesn’t have the sugar that’s in some other pasta sauces. I like a marinara that’s full of flavor but isn’t too sweet, and the Amy’s sauce is perfect.

This dish serves four, or serves two with leftovers.

MAIN DISH

Fusilli with Field Roast and Zucchini

INGREDIENTS
-1/4 cup Organic Red Palm Oil
-Half of a large yellow onion, chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
-1/2 tsp. sea salt
-1/2 cup red wine
-6 to 8 crimini mushrooms, sliced
-1 jar marinara sauce
-1/2 tsp. dried basil
-2 small(ish) zucchini, sliced widthwise into quarters
-1 package Italian Field Roast sausage (4 links), crumbled into small pieces
-5 large tomatoes, chopped
-1 package organic fusilli
-Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat palm oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until nearly translucent. Add garlic, sea salt, and thyme, and sauté a few minutes more.

Add mushrooms to pan, allowing them to heat for a minute. Add red wine, reduce the mixture for a few minutes, then add the jar of marinara sauce. Once jar is empty, add several drops of water into it, tighten lid, and shake the jar a few times. Pour the remaining sauce into the pan, and sprinkle with dried basil.

While the flavors in the sauce are combining, begin heating a pot of water over high heat. At this point, add the sliced zucchini and crumbled Field Roast to the sauce. When the water is boiling, add pasta and a dash of salt. Follow cooking directions on the bag. A few minutes before the pasta is done, add the chopped tomatoes to the sauce. This allows them to heat while retaining their moisture.

Drain the cooked pasta, and serve it in a low bowl or pasta dish. Spoon sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with red wine and French bread, if desired.

SIDE DISH

Romaine Salad with Simple Salad Dressing

Make sure you choose a really fresh and crisp head of Romaine lettuce for the salad. Wash the greens and remove the bottom ends. Tear or chop the leaves into manageably-sized pieces. Add some organic grape tomatoes to the salad.

In a bowl, combine 2 parts Original Paradise Oil with 1 part apple cider vinegar. Add dijon mustard, dried Italian herbs, and sea salt to taste. Make enough salad dressing to coat your salad thoroughly; the amount of dressing should vary by the size of the salad and by how much dressing you like on a salad.

DESSERT

Vanilla Ice Cream

As always, you can make your own ice cream if you have the time. However, when time is tight, I find that Strauss Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream fits the bill perfectly.

MUSIC

Album: Boxer, The National

One of my favorite months of the year deserves one of my favorite albums. Boxer is perfect for early fall, I listen to it while cooking in the kitchen as well as while I work in my office. My only regret from September is that my crazy schedule caused me to miss a show by the band in San Francisco, which is sad. I’m hoping to catch a Beirut show in October, so hopefully that will make up for it. Until then, I’ll keep this album in rotation in my iTunes, and dream of the show that just wasn’t meant to be.