Quick meals and some sauce ideas

I have to confess something: I watch Jamie Oliver 30 Minute Meals TV show. I hate when he cooks meat (and this happens like always) but he has some good vegetarian (and even vegan) dishes and excellent tips for those who want to cook at home and don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Because I cook everyday (well, not everyday cause me and Matteo divide the "shifts" in the kitchen) I'm not always in the mood to spend too much time in the kitchen too. And some people wouldn't believe but there are a lot of meals that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes. One tip by Jamie Oliver that I totally agree is that people should learn to use and keep using their kitchen appliances. I think I use my mixer and blender everyday and there's nothing wrong with that!

This week we got another vegetables and fruit bag from Home Organics and we're making a great use of everything. Besides carrots, beets, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, we got fungi and butternut squash. Matteo made an amazing soup with one butternut squash and potatoes. Today I used half of the other one to make the sauce for our "pasta al forno" and saved the other half to a dish from Veganize This!, by Jenn Shagrin, that I'm excited to try.

Back to the quick meals, one important thing to make them great is to vary with the sauces. Sauce is an amazing element cause it can change your meal completely sometimes just with one small variation.

Broccoli & fungi sauce
(served with spaghetti)

2 big fungi (or 4 small ones)
1 big broccoli (or 4 small ones)
2 full hands of spinach leaves
1 small onion
1 or 2 garlic clove
1/2 cup soy cream
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Put the fungi, broccoli, garlic cloves and onion in the food processor and mix it until have everything cut in very small pieces. Add the spinach leaves and mix it a little bit more. Heat the oil in a cook pan, add the vegetable mix and start adding the soy cream while stirring. Let it cook in a low temperature for 1 or 2 minutes. Add a little bit of water if you think it's necessary.

Carrot, butternut squash & soy mince sauce
(used in this amazing "pasta al forno" made
with a gluten-free penne)

1 big carrot (or 2 small ones)
1/2 butternut squash
1 onion
1 or 2 garlic clove
1 1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Put the TVP in a boll with hot water (it's important to leave the TVP in the hot water before cooking it) and stock cube. Set it aside and leave it for 10/15 minutes. Use your fine shred/slice disc of your food processor to cut the carrot and butternut squash. Chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a cook pan. Add the chopped garlic and onion and let it fry for 1 minute or until the onion turn golden. Add the TVP and let if fry for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring it. Add the carrot and butternut squash and keep stirring for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and let everything cook for other 3 or 4 minutes. Add a little bit of water if you think it's necessary.

This sauce is also great to fill crepes.