May 19th

I love long weekends. Especially the May 2-4 weekend! It’s always the perfect weekend to spend in the garden, even if it’s raining. To mark the beginning of the long weekend, Dom and I went for a long walk outside when the rain stopped for a bit. After all the fresh air, it was time to make a nice spring dish that was equal parts delicious, vegan and comforting. We decided on pasta and peanut butter cups. Dom and I used to make this pasta dish from Canadian Living before with chicken and chicken stock and goat’s cheese. Instead we changed it around and it tasted just as good. Obviously vegetable stock is an easy substitution and I can do without the goat’s cheese. (Probably the only thing I really miss). Instead of the chicken we got creative and added artichoke hearts. I love artichokes – I first tried them in Italy and eating them reminds me of my time there. I tend to stick to the jarred artichoke hearts packed in water. I haven’t made the leap and tried cooking my own yet - it looks a little complicated, but it’s on my list of things to try!



Sundried Tomato-Artichoke Pasta
1 cup jarred artichoke hearts, drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion
½ cup thinly sliced, drained, oil-packed sundried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/3 cup vegetable broth
½ cup white wine
2 tbsp earth Balance butter
12 oz wheat wheat spaghettini
5 cups arugula (The original recipe calls for spinach, but if you’ve read my previous post, you already know where I stand with that green stuff. Plus I much prefer the peppery flavour of the arugula, but feel free to try it with whichever green you love)

Boil water for pasta. Cook until al dente. Meanwhile, heat a skillet with oil. Cook onion over medium heat till cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in sundried tomatoes, artichokes and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth and wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in butter. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Toss and partially wilt in the arugula. Serve warm.

I really enjoyed the addition of the artichokes. Dom and I made a huge batch so we could have leftovers, but it didn’t even last 30 minutes! As everyone came in and saw it sitting on the stove, the pasta disappeared quickly. Then we brought out dessert and it was a huge hit. I’ve made these chocolate peanut butter cups from The Kind Diet many times before – they are one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made. I once brought them to a girly sleepover party and they were gobbled up so quickly – and I never even told them they were vegan! So delicious. I actually like them more than Reese’s peanut butter cups, I think because it’s less sweet and the chocolate has such a yummy mellow flavour (I always use a mixture of half vegan chocolate chips, half carob chips.) Here’s the link to the recipe from thekindlife.com:

http://www.thekindlife.com/user/recipe/chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

Everyone should try these. I even made them once with Speculoos spread direct from a trip to Belgium instead of peanut butter. Not sure if it’s vegan but they still tasted sooo great. I bet they'd taste great with hazelnut or almond butter too. I also make mine in mini muffin tins instead of the regular sized one like the recipe suggests. Instead of 12 big ones, it makes about 24-36 bite sized cups.