This was one of the recipes I snatched off Ellen’s new vegan site here recently and it’s a winner!

This is a simple and light meal, but at the same time the smokey flavor gives it just enough extra oomph to make it memorable.

If you’re wondering where the hell you’re going to find smoked salt (as I did!), Trader Joe’s has it available in a handy grinder for a very reasonable price. TJ’s was fresh out when I was looking for it though, so I ended up getting mine at Whole Foods. It’s sort of tucked away there in a section of the store I never traipse through, on the other side of the cheese counter near the deli. If you can’t find it, just ask!

Vegan Orzo with Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis via Going Vegan with Ellen

Ingredients

1 lb orzo pasta
1 lb (2 dry pints) cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs smoked salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

• Place tomatoes in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes are tender and the skins are charred in spots, about 15 min. Set aside to cool
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 min. Drain and place in a large serving bowl or back in empty pot
• Place tomatoes, basil, vinegar, olive oil, agave and smoked salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta and toss until well coated
• Season with smoked salt and pepper, to taste

Yield: Serves 4-6

Here’s another stellar example of an easily veganized Italian classic that doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to taste. I got to thinking that since it is so easy to make a delicious vegan substitute for ricotta cheese, I needed to be making better use of it! Manicotti was an obvious choice.

I perused the web for recipes for a good long time before settling on this one from VegWeb. I originally intended to steam fresh spinach instead of using frozen, as instructed, but it turned out the spinach I had on hand had been in the fridge just a smidge too long. I didn’t have any in the freezer and I wasn’t about to go get some, so I left it out. You spinach-haters out there will be happy to know that it was still perfectly delicious without the green.

Best of all, this is completely do-able on a weekday night. Let me know what you think!

Vegan Manicotti
Recipe courtesy of VegWeb

Ingredients

1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
3 or 4 tbs olive oil, divided
1 (8 oz) package manicotti noodles
1 (24 oz) jar tomato sauce
Shredded vegan mozzarella, to taste (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Put tofu, spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, yeast flakes and 2 tbs oil in a food processor and pulse until well mixed and smooth
• Pour tomato sauce into a large bowl. Fill jar with 3/4 cup water, put lid back on jar and shake well to further remove any remaining sauce. Add to sauce in bowl, mix well, adding in some olive oil. Ladle 1/2 sauce into a large rectangular baking pan
• Fill large zip lock bag with mixture. Snip about a dime sized hole in bottom corner and pipe mixture into (uncooked) manicotti shells, filling compactly
• Place stuffed manicotti into sauce. Top with remaining sauce and bake, covered 25 min.
• Remove cover and top with vegan mozzarella, if using. Bake another 15 min, until bubbly
• Let stand for a few minutes before serving

Yield: Serves 4