Green spaghetti

Remember those sad, unripe green tomatoes salvaged from the garden? I roasted and pureed them for later use, which was great last night when I wanted a quick dinner.

I was going to make a more traditional spaghetti and meatballs, but with no meatball material in sight, I settled for little faux chicken balls. They went really well with the simple, tangy, but mellow-roasted sauce and Daiya melted over the top-- the perfect rainy night meal with an offbeat twist.

The moral of this story? Keep it simple and use what you've got!

Spaghetti with green tomato sauce and faux chicken meatballs

vegan, gluten-free

serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 box gluten free spaghetti (I use Ancient Harvest Quinoa spaghetti)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced or run through a press
• 2 C pureed roasted green tomatoes (tomatillos or red tomatoes will work, too)
• 1 tbsp chopped basil (dry or fresh. Fresh tastes better, but it's November, sheesh!)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (okay, I might have added 2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• faux chicken product, rolled into balls and pan-fried until golden on two sides. I buy a frozen block of faux chicken paste at the Asian mega-mart, which is gluten-free and perfect for this
• Daiya or other vegan cheeze for garnish
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

• Prepare the pasta according to box directions. Prepare the meatballs, too.
• In a medium sauce pan, saute onions for about 5-7 minutes, until just turning golden. Add garlic and saute another minute or two.
• Add tomato puree and stir occasionally til it starts to heat up and bubble, maybe 10 minutes.
• Add the basil, vinegar, and salt. Stir and adjust seasoning. If you want to go Mexican-ish you can add oregano, cumin and coriander here.
• Top spaghetti with sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with cheeze and place under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until the cheeze just melts. Grind black pepper over top to your personal heart's delight. Simple &l yum!