Bomb Diggity

What started as 3 laps in the pool back in June, has turned into a swimming workout.  Yesterday I swam 30 laps after finishing my work day.  Felt great and it’s very comical to have Blaze with me running from one end of the pool to the other, with almost every lap I swim.  Actually, yesterday was the first time he laid down after a few laps and just watched.  He definitely feels a protective need to stay by me while I swim.  The only problem is he is PETRIFIED of the pool!  That’s the loyalty of a dog for you.  They will clearly muddle through their own fears in order to protect their best buddies.  Now I am wondering how long into the fall I will be able to keep swimming.  I don’t think a heater is on the home shopping list this year, but it sure would be nice.

Well here it is Vegan Feast Thursday again and I am going to try a new pasta recipe that I saw on thekindlife.com a couple of weeks ago.  The recipe belongs to a woman who worked on a film recently with Alicia and I would like to give her the credit, so I am going to re-post what Alicia posted on her site.

olivia wilde’s bomb diggity bolognese

Posted by Alicia Silverstone on Jul 30, 2010

Olivia Wilde, who I just shot the film Butter with, has a really groovy website, WildeThings.org where she posted this good looking recipe for a vegan Bolognese sauce.

Here’s Olivia’s note about the picture above: “Full disclosure: This photo is not of my vegan bolognese. This is because my cruelty-free creation was eaten, enthusiastically, before the evidence could be captured in a photo. So trust me on this one, and give it a whirl next time you’re watching The Godfather, Goodfellas, Big Night, or any other pasta porn.”

Bomb Diggity Bolognese

INGREDIENTS

• A few splashes of olive oil
• 1 tsp Earth Balance
• 1/2 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Big bunch of mushrooms – any and all kinds (well, not all)
• 1/2 package tempeh (Olivia recommends this one)
• 1/2 zucchini squash
• 1 eggplant
• A carrot
• Tomatoes – 2, boiled, skinned and pureed (or 1/2 of your favorite jar of tomato sauce if you’re pressed for time)
• Bunch of basil
• Bunch of Italian parsley
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Red wine

STEPS

1. Chop and sauté onions and garlic in olive oil.
2. Toss the mushrooms in the food processor (or chop them) and stir into the pan.
3. Do the same with the tempeh (these two ingredients make up the “ground meat” of this “bolognese” so keep that in mind when chopping, and make the pieces small).
4. Splash in some red wine (just a sip or two) and a tsp of Earth Balance, and some salt, pepper, and stir.
5. Chop up or food process your zucchini squash, eggplant,  fresh basil, parsley, carrot, and whatever else looks good, and toss into the pan and stir.
6. Add the tomatoes (or tomato sauce) and stir. Sprinkle in some oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes.
7. Add a little more wine, salt, pepper, and let it it simmer for a while.
8. When you’re ready to serve, throw some fresh chopped basil and parsley on top.

It looks easy and yummy and tomorrow I will let you know how it turned out.  If you haven’t checked out Alicia’s site you are missing a lot.  I’ll be at Bally today at 12:30 for yoga stretch then it’s off to grocery shop and cook.  A big salad and some Pillsbury breadsticks topped with “tornado dust” should easily round out the above meal.  With honeydews at their season’s peak, I am hoping to find a ripe one to go with dessert.  Definitely taking advantage of all the wonderful summer fruits while they are still abundant.  They are not only healthy and sweet but when you start putting them together on the table, the color combinations are so incredibly beautiful.

As always, I thank you for stopping in and hope you have a fantastic day filled.