Creamy Spaghetti of Lobster and Breaded Veal Scallopini

My family flipping loves shellfish, especially lobsters and since the lobsters were on sale for 7.99/lb, I went and bought two for merely 50 bucks. Instead of boiling the dears alive (ahaha, gotta love my vegetarianism!), I gave them a quick death by piercing a knife swiftly into their head and between their eyes. I placed the lobsters in a pot with minimal boiling, salted water and steamed them for around 15 minutes. When cool enough to touch, I cracked them open, took out all the succulent meat, cut them into to chunks and set aside for the sauce. For extra lobster richness and flavor, I also scooped out the brains and reserved them for the sauce (sounds gross, I know, but it is soooo worth it!).
I made a simple béchamel sauce (that is actually vegan so that I could later use in my own pasta dish) and reserved it.While I boiled my spaghetti noodles (which were basil and tomato flavored), I sauteed some garlic with olive oil and the brains in a frying pan until aromatic and added in a splash of white wine, cooking it down as I added in the lobster meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper before spooning in the bechamel sauce, letting all the flavors mingle and simmer on low heat. As soon as the pasta was al dente, I scooped the pasta into the sauce and mixed it together with a ladle of the pasta water, which helps the sauce adhere to the noodles. Stir in some freshly chopped flat-head parsley (aka Italian parsley) and serve hot.
I served the spaghetti of lobster alongside breaded veal scallopini, topped with brussel sprouts that were cooked in a balsamic vinegar reduction. It's a very low-in-fat meal since the sauce is made with low-fat soy milk and olive oil rather than whole milk and butter. The breaded veal were fried lightly in grapeseed oil, so the fat content there is also low. Nutritious and delicious!!

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Vegan Béchamel Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1 cup low-fat unsweetened soy milk/unsweetened almond milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes to create a roux. Stir in half the cup of milk and whisk until smooth; whisk in the remainder. Leave to simmer until thickens, then season to taste.

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For my own veggie dinner, I had breaded eggplant rounds (I LOVE EGGPLANT) and a baked tofu and eggplant spaghetti with the vegan béchamel sauce. The baked tofu is a recipe that I tried out by The Vegan Zombie, and he has got me hooked. I've always disliked cooking with tofu but this baked tofu recipe is absolutely something I will make again.

EGGPLANT!!

To wash it all down, my brother made us a refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage that is to DIE for! It's called Targa 911 and it is soooo goood!

1 1/2 oz. orange juice
1 1/2 oz. passion-fruit juice
3/4 oz. pineapple juice
3/4 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. non-alcoholic grenadine
1/2 cup ice

Stir all ingredients together in a cup or use a shaker. SO GOOD.

Spaghetti Squash, Anyone?

Earlier oday I wanted to have a light dish for supper but with an Italian twist. Whilst accompanying my mom in her grocery shopping, I came across...the spaghetti squash. Hallelujah, I found my craving solution! I've seen on countless cooking shows and read several recipes on how to prepare this type of stringy noodle squash and so I decided to go ahead and try it out; there is always a first for everything.
It was fairly simple, preheat oven to 375 F; slice squash in half and remove pits and seeds; brush with olive oil on skin side and flesh side (I also did some pre-seasoning with salt and pepper); place squash halves skin side up and bake for 45-60 minutes until tender. After cooking, leave to cool down a bit and using a fork, gently pull the strands of squash away to form "spaghetti noodles". And what better way to eat spaghetti than with some creamy tomato sauce, spiked with a little brandy and studded with juicy button mushroom chunks-YUM!
I topped everything up with shredded Gruyere cheese, which is very strong and savory, giving the dish that extra "kick" in flavor. I can definitely go on a spaghetti squash diet if I want to, it's simply delicious!

Classic Spagehtti and Meatballs

What is a more romantic dish than the classical Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs. However, these "meatballs" have been "vegetarianized" thus there is no meat present but it tastes just as good! Baked and served on whole wheat spaghettini and smoldered with pasta sauce made from fresh tomatoes. Garnished with a sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan and black pepper.

Meatless Meatballs

1 cup Yves Veggie Beef ground or protien crumbles
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 egg

1/3 cup breadcrumbs
 2 tbsp flour
 1/3 cup milk
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degees Celsius.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix first portion of ingredients together. After thoroughly combined, add in remaining ingredients and mix.
3. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and roll balls up to the size of a golf ball. Place on sheets and before baking, spray each meatless meatball with the cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until meatless meatballs are browned.
4. Remove from oven, and prepare half a can of tomato paste and mix with water, lightly season and spoon over each meatless meatball to keep them moist.

Voila!