Hey guys! I know I’ve been MIBA (missing in blog action), but it was crunch time last week as I finished up a final project. Thankfully, it’s all down hill now! The only thorn in my cranky side is trying to accumulate more freelance work since a couple of my gigs go on hiatus over the summer. Ya’ll know how it goes — there are many sides, positive and less-so, to the freelancer-coin!

Anyway! When my sister-in-law Erin asked me to come up with a dish for the vegetarians attending my niece’s second birthday party, which occurred yesterday, I was stoked! I queried my pals on Facebook to see what their fave veg dishes were and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of Indian food! So what did I make? A pasta bake! Lol. Sorry, I *love* Indian food, but the thought of spicy curry sitting out in the sun at a back-yard party full of children in 85-degree weather just didn’t feel right!   So, I turned to this month’s issue of Vegetarian Times (have they ever let me down?!) and found a pasta casserole that sounded perfectly delicious, easy to make and, well, vegan (The Cranky One likes to munch, too, ya know?). VT excerpted this recipe from Supermarket Vegan: 225 Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes for Real People in the Real World along with a few others that sounded just as delicious.  I’ll list the recipe below as it appeared in VT, however, I’ll note the changes I made below it.

Baked Ziti with Zucchini, Chickpeas, and Olives
Serves 6 / 30-minutes or fewer

Ingredients

• 8oz. ziti, rigatoni, or penne pasta
• 1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic & oregano, juices included
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives, divided
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 Tbsp. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 11×7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cook ziti according to package directions for al dente in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Return ziti to pot, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine zucchini, chickpeas, tomatoes and juices, tomato puree, 2 Tbsp. olives, tomato paste, and garlic in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. Stir zucchini mixture into ziti, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
• Transfer ziti mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining 2 tbsp. olives. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until pasta is heated through and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
• Nutritional info. per 1-cup serving: 299 calories, 5g fat, 742mg sodium, 53g carbs,  6g fiber, 11g sugars, 11g protein

I absolutely loved this recipe for both its taste and ease in making! It’s going on my top 10 list. The changes I made: Used full 13-oz box of whole-wheat penne pasta; used plain diced tomatoes and added oregano and onion powder to pan; omitted tomato puree; added 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes; used Trader Joe’s brand Panko bread crumbs instead of seasoned-bread crumbs; and topped with 1/2 cup Daiya Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds and raw tomato slices. Try it. Love it.

So, how did my niece’s birthday party turn out?







She had a blast! Her mom, dad and extended family (friends, inc.) did an amazing job pulling everything together!

I’ll close with sending out the Happy Mother’s Day love to all the wonderful mommas out there, especially my own hot-tamale-of-a-mom whose warm presence and hearty laugh I treasure every day.

How are you guys spending mother’s day? What’s your go-to dish that you bring to social gatherings?

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: casseroles, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian times