Wicked.
Last night I went to the Fabulous Fox Theatre to see Wicked with my mom. It was wicked good!
The Wizard of Oz was filled with political undertones (ex: the yellow brick road refers to the gold standard), and this “rest of the story” play delivers on that level as well. It was actually a pretty dark play!
I’m always impressed when playwrights that are able to parallel what’s going on in society in such creative ways. For instance, at one point the Wizard says to Elphaba:
When I came here, there was discord and discontent. And what better way to bring people together than to give them a common enemy?
Sound familiar?
But this isn’t a political blog. Let’s talk about food, baby.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Yesterday I posted a dinner pic for WIAW. You are probably sick of hearing about how I’m only using what I have this week BUT… but I am always amazed when these garbage hodge podge recipes deliver. Everything But the Kitchen Sink Stew, for instance.
This bake was a winner. Like whoa.
Doesn't everyone take their pans outside to photograph... errrr... cool..?
For those of you who have been turned off by shirataki noodles in the past, believe me when I say NONE of the sea-like smell remains after this dish bakes.
My “lazy” tomato sauce turned out well too – it’s amazing what sauteing some onions and garlic can do for the jarred stuff. Capers and artichokes were a great add with the lemon-y “ricotta.”
Yes, “ricotta.” I would not have believed it if I hadn’t tried it for myself, but this vegan tofu variation of the creamy Italian cheese is actually good.
To summarize: Vegan (that is, until I grated what was left of my French sheep’s milk cheese on top). Gluten-free. Low carb. Delicious. The secret’s in the sauce.
It also tastes good leftover… eaten straight out of the pyrex.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Vegan Ricotta Pasta Bake
Tofu Ricotta
- 1/2 tofu block, extra firm
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 T nutritional yeast
- 1 T fresh thyme
Tomato Sauce
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 C jarred artichoke hearts, rough chopped
- 1 C marinara sauce (I used tomato-basil)
- 2 tsp capers, drained
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- S+P, to taste
- 1 package Shirataki tofu noodles (or regular noodles)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Press tofu for ~20 mins (I do this by placing a stack of cookbooks on it). Crumble into a bowl and combine with remaining ricotta ingredients. Using your hands, break up mixture until it reaches a “ricotta-like” consistency.
Meanwhile, saute shallot with a bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan until just turning translucent (~5 mins). Add garlic and artichokes, sauteing 4-5 mins long until garlic is beginning to brown.
Add pasta sauce to saucepan with the capers and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Bring to simmer, tasting and adjusting flavors as needed.
While sauce warms, prepare noodles according to package instructions. Mix noodles and tofu ricotta.
Place noodle mixture in 9 x 11 pyrex dish. Top evenly with tomato sauce.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 mins, or until heated through.
***
Leftovers for lunch. Perfection.
Have you tried any of the homemade vegan “cheese” variations?
Do you like to go to the theatre? What is your favorite play?
You should read the book if you enjoyed the political undertones of the play. It goes much more into it.
I heard Wicked was awesome! I want to see it … and FELA! which just came to DC. And this bake looks amazing. It has one of my fav ingredients… nutritional yeast!
This looks incredible … okay, I definitely have to make this. I’ve been obsessed with ricotta lately, and this tofu variation is just too interesting to not make.
My fave show is a tie between “Rent” and “Hairspray” … I’m dying to see “The Book of Mormon,” too!
I loved Rent! Can’t wait for Book of Mormon to tour down south.
As soon as I saw this recipe yesterday, I added “vegan ricotta???” to my list of blog ideas. I LOVE this…and although I’m not a fan of shiritaki, I might try to incorporate my true love: spaghetti squash.
And you know…there’s something to be said for jarred spaghetti sauce….
And capers. Love them.
Yessss… this was GOING To be spag squash but when I opened mine it had dried out. Lame.
I LOVE Wicked!! And I also love delicious pasta bakes like this one– looks great! 🙂
I just found your blog from Averie’s!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!! 🙂
Real noodles for me please 🙂
This looks great. I have never seen a vegan pasta bake, but it sure does look good. Thank you so much for sharing
I just can’t wait to try this!! Especially the vegan ricotta cheese!! I just love the idea =)
Dang, that looks so good! I miss tofu. I wish I could have it back in my life. I can live without dairy, but tofu was such a great sub for me. Oh well, I will live through you on this one! I love cleaning out the fridge when it turns out to look like that!
I am a huge fan of making different variations of cashew cheese, I’ve used it in lasagna rolls, pizza, to thicken soups, and a few other dishes. There are so many different recipes out there, it’s crazy!
I have NEVER made cashew cheese. That’s next up when I get back. 🙂
Most of the time it had a ricotta-like texture, but I have seen hard cheese recipes using cashews that I’d like to try.
Ohhhh… let me know if you do. That sounds incredible.
I want to see Wicked so bad and plan on getting tickets but keep forgetting. I’ve heard is super good.
Check to see if they have the last min ticket deals! It’s soooo worth it. 🙂
I’ve never seen Wicked but we saw Jersey Boys this year in Vegas and it was AMAZING! I highly recommend it – so much fun!
xoxo from Houston 🙂
Yum yum! And I’m not even vegan, lol. It is so true, garlic and onion do wonderful things for sauce! I would probably eat this right out of the container too!
I loved Wicked!! It is still in Chicago and I totally want to go again. I didn’t think I would like it but turned out to be wonderful.
Those all but the kitchen sink recipes are often the best. My pantry is always stocked with canned veg, pasta, rice, lentils, tuna and peas. That in itself would make a pretty good dish. They are my last minute life savers if I get stuck working late… Like the addition of ricotta to your pasta bake!
Congrats on Foodbuzz top 9!