My version: (Vegan) Sundried Tomato, Olive, and Basil Bowties with Vodka Sauce, Mango Avocado Crostini, and a Vanilla Martini with Lime
Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
- One box bowtie pasta
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup vegan creamer
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesean cheese
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- One small can sliced black olives
- One package sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
For the Crostini:
- One loaf baguette bread
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- One mango
- One avocado
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 one yellow onion
- One jalapeño pepper
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Martini:
(which my boyfriend and I drank out of whiskey glasses because we're classy like that)
(which my boyfriend and I drank out of whiskey glasses because we're classy like that)
- Absolut Vanilla Vodka
- Extra Dry Vermouth
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- Martini Olives
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Begin to boil water for your pasta, and cook to your preference. We love al dente.
- Simmer the vodka and tomato sauce in a saucepan over low heat. Allow it to reduce for about 20 minutes.
- While your sauce reduces (stir constantly!), make the mango avocado spread. Toss the mango, avocado, garlic, onion, pepper, and cilantro in a food processor. When it's almost as smooth as you'd like, add the lime juice, salt, and pepper, and continue to process to finished.
- Slice the baguette into very thin slices, and line on a baking sheet. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and toss into the oven. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden.
- Back to the sauce. Stir in the creamer, cornstarch, and parmesean cheese, and continue to stir over medium heat.
- Once your pasta is cooked to your liking, add the olives, sundried tomatoes, and chopped basil. Toss with the vodka sauce!
- Your crostini should just be finishing up in the oven. Take it out, allow to sit for a moment, and top with the mango avocado spread.
- Oh, I didn't forget about the martini. Add 2 ounces vodka and 1 ounce vermouth with a squeeze of lime juice per martini. Toss in an olive and you're all done!
Chelsea's version: (Vegan) Bowtie Pasta Salad with Fresh Peppers, Green Beans, and Capers tossed with Balsamic Vinegar, Kalamata Crostini, and a Lemon Raspberry Martini
Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
- One box bowtie pasta
- One yellow, one red, and one orange pepper
- One red onion
- 1/4 cup green beans
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Crostini:
- One loaf olive baguette
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives (smoked if you're able to do so!)
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Martini:
- Gin
- Chambord
- Limoncello
- Lemon juice
- Raspberry club soda
- Lemon rind twist
Method:
- I'm not going to bore you through this again. Just read the directions for my stuff, and do the same things with Chelsea's ingredients with a few changes:
- Chelsea's dressing is wonderfully simple. Just wisk the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together, and viola!
- For her tapenade, just toss everything in a food processor. Pretty much the same as mine, but without the second step.
- Chelsea isn't all about measuring (and honestly, I only do when I'm posting my stuff..). We're going to suggest using 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce chambord, 1/2 an ounce limoncello, juice from 1/4 a lemon, and about 2-3 ounces raspberry soda.
That's it! Hurry up and grab your dinner, your dogs, your best friend on iChat, and get ready for another amazing episode! Xoxo, Gossip Amandah.
* You know, bows. They're girly. Duh.
* You know, bows. They're girly. Duh.
