CampusIntel

Alright, so it’s time for another addition of how to be vegetarian! So this week was Valentines and this year I celebrated it with my boyfriend by cooking together, more specifically, by making a HUGE friggin delicious meal of salad, bruschetta, garlic bread, tofu manicotti and wine! It was so good in fact that I wanted to share it with you all (how lucky do you feel?). So, here it is:

Ingredients for manicotti:

-1/3 package of tofu
-Manicotti noodles
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 table spoons of lemon juice
-1 table spoon of sugar
-frozen chopped spinach
-1 container of ricotta cheese
-a pinch of garlic salt, black pepper, and parsley
-pasta sauce

Directions:

-Heat your oven to about 350 degrees.

-Butter a deep dish to place the manicotti in and then spread a layer of pasta sauce on the bottom to lay them on.

-Bring a pot of water with some salt to a light boil and place about 6-8 manicotti (you do not have to cook them all at once as they may crack or stick together in smaller pots. Cook them until tender (do not overcook as this may make them too soft and difficult to stuff) or as the box directs.

-Mash up 1/3 of tofu, place in a large bowl, add minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, sugar and ricotta cheese. Thaw out your spinach and then add this along with the above mentioned spices. Mix this together well.

-Once cooked and cooled for a few minutes, begin to stuff your manicotti noodles with the tofu mixture.

-As you finish stuffing each noodle, place it on top of the layer of pasta sauce in your pan.

-Once all of your noodles are stuffed, cover noodles with more pasta sauce (and sprinkle with grated cheese and parsley if you’d like).

-Place manicotti in oven for about 30 minutes.

 **A great complement with this meal was the garlic bread and bruschetta.

For bruschetta you will need:

-1 baguette
-1 small tomato
-balsamic vinaigrette
-olive oil
-basil
-paprika
-grated cheese

Directions:

-Cut the baguette into slices and place on a cooking sheet.

-Dice tomato and place in a small bowl

-Add equal parts balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. Sprinkle in some basil and paprika and mix this together.

-Spoon out a small amount on each slice of baguette.

-Sprinkle some grated cheese on top of each piece.

-Place in oven with manicotti for the last 5 or so minutes (keep an eye on it, if it browns or the cheese starts to bubble, remove from oven).

 For garlic bread you will need:

-1 baguette
-butter
-garlic salt
-parmesan cheese
-paprika
-basil
-grated cheese

Directions:

-Cut baguette in half (cutting the top part off of the bottom half).

-Butter each half and then sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

-Sprinkle a pinch of paprika and basil on top

-load with grated cheese (as much as you desire!)

-Place this in with the manicotti and bruschetta for the last 5 or so minutes as well, keeping an eye on it.