Warm Pasta Salad – THIS SITE HAS MOVED
THIS SITE HAS MOVED TO WWW.ISLANDLOVEGOURMET.COM
When I first moved in with my husband two things he could not understand about me was my distaste for tofu and eating absolute dislike for cold lunches. Even if I grew up in the Caribbean it does not mean that we eat cold meals to beat the heat. It is the contrary. We drink hot soups for lunch and mainly dine on hot dishes. If I eat a cold meal I usually get sick or feel bad later in the day as I never conditioned myself to eat cold meals. The only cold lunch I can afford is a pickle and I still cross my fingers. Here is what I call the meeting in the middle pasta dish with Bajan seasoning marinated tofu which was baked on a pasta salad served warm.
Here is how you make it.
Tofu
6 oz tofu chopped, 1/6 cup of braggs, sprinkle of yeast flakes and 1 heaping tbs bajan seasoning.Marinate for 20mins and throw the entire contents of your marinade into a baking pan and bake until brown turning once or twice in the process.
Vegetables
Add carrots and sweet pepper.Cook in a pan without oil.Add enough water to steam. Add spinach and reduce heat.Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 4 mins.
Pasta
Cook Penne pasta according to the instructions on the box with salt
Sauce
Chop 3 large cloves of garlic and set aside. Heat very gently 3 tbsp olive oil.Add garlic and cook mildly. Add tbsp finely chopped parsley and salt to the oil.I added some mini dried hot peppers to the oil, if you do not have this add pepper flakes.
The Salad
Add pasta and vegetables to the oil mixture and toss. Spinkle pasta with onion powder and topped with grated Vegan Mozerrella. The brand I found was blah but I am sure some of you have access to better tasting brands.
The Result
I really loved this dish even if it was a tofu dish. The tofu had a great texture being baked for a while so I was able to enjoy it.
Have a great weekend.
The old Vegan In The Sun 
That looks beautiful. I am drooling. I must make this soon.
Uggh cold food. I could do room temperature but I am the exception. Most West Indians I know must have it piping hot. I draw the line at cold soups! I have never developed a taste for those. Tofu gets a bad rap and I am not a fan unless of course it’s cooked by a friend of mine who cooked for a Japanese diplomat. She set out to cook tofu in various ways to convince me it wasn’t evil.
I have been a vegan for a long time and it still has not won me over so much maybe I want it to have a texture like meat or something and the taste reminds me of egg white boiled or a very plain piece of cheese.I love to freeze it and squeeze it and then it is my friend:).I cannot stand cold dishes I do not care how hot it is I want a sauna in my face when I get my food!
I eat a lot of cold foods these days. I’m often too lazy too warm up my lunch. But a warm pasta salad sounds like something I could totally throw together! I have a block of tofu lying around, maybe this will be tomorrow’s lunch.
Yum!! That looks excellent! I’m with you on cold food–very rarely will I eat anything cold. I like most everything pretty hot 😉
wow incredible
Looks like a great salad – especially the tofu with Bajan seasoning. I checked out the link, and can’t wait to try it. It sounds delicious. Baked tofu usually has a nice taste and texture – I’m a tofu fan, but I remember it took a while to develop a taste for it.
I’m the same with hot food…even in summer, I always feel more satisfied with something that’s at least warm. Just think it’s more comforting, and the biggest reason I have trouble working more raw food into my routine.
Your blog is great. I am glad I found it. All your food looks amazing.
I like this meeting in the middle idea. The salad looks delicious!
Taymer, I love this, as well as the other dishes you have spotlighted on your blog. I have subscribed.
I must make some of these dishes, especially the carby, chickpea-ey, and spicy ones. I love my West Indian food sooooo much. Thanks for implementing vegan twists to the lot of them.