Penne alla Vodka

...from Cook's Illustrated p 10. This was heaven! I've made vodka sauce recipes from Everyday Italian, Emeril, and Rachel Ray. I love Emeril's- before becoming vegan This one is fantastic and I feel the best of the bunch. I even licked my plate ;) I used Rain vodka- my fave. (I first tried it at Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort KY- it's an organic vodka made by bourbon people but oh my good!) I substituted a can of chunky crushed tomatoes for the can of whole tomatoes- my personal perference. I added the full amount (1/2 t) of red pepper and a little extra garlic. Unfortunately the store didn't have fresh basil so I subbed some rehydrated Penzeys. What a dinner on a work night- YUM!!!

I used just a bit of rice milk for the creaminess and it worked.

I think I need to try this again with pepper vodka as rec by CI and maybe adding peas like a dish from my local Italian restaurant and maybe...

Soup Club!

I have the recipe for the Red Pepper Soup! A friend made this for the soup club but I have no source for the recipe. She claims it is the easiest soup to make. I loved the flavor :)

Red Pepper Soup

2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 T butter- vegan of course!
6 cups veggie broth
2 10-oz cans roasted sweet red peppers, drained and cut into pieces
1 t salt, if desired
1/4 t ground whiter pepper
2 T chive snippets, to garnish

Place onions and butter in a 3 qt suace pan; cook over medium heat for 8 minutes or until tender. Add broth and peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Puree with a hand blender. Garnish with chives.

*Soup may be prepared in advance and reheated over moderate heat. Freezes well.


This soup is good but I've made a version where I roast my own red peppers and it's really really good. This is a great example for using whole foods that are minimally processed.