Man alive. I just had a really nice chat with some of my favorite bloggers, and my head is spinning. Facebook fans, Instagram, Snapchat, engagement metrics, cookbooks, employees, video. I can’t do it all. Can we just hang out here, on this website I’ve built for you all? Can we just sip some wine and make a couple dinners together each week, and correspond about them in the comments? That sounds marvelous.
Now seems like a good time to check in with you. I’ve been trying to keep my head above water with the cookbook and blog combined, but soon, I will be back to blogging full-time. I can’t wait! So, what would you like to see here? More recipes? If so, what kinds of recipes? Would you like cooking videos? My little brother could help me with those. Maybe some more non-food links that have inspired me lately? What would you like to see on Instagram stories (we’re cookieandkate)? Behind the scenes blogging/cookbook work, Cookie pics, me falling out of yoga poses, something else? I am all ears. Your support lets me do what I love for a living, so I always want to hear from you!
Today, I’m sharing a recipe that I tweaked just a little from a new cookbook called Fresh Italian Cooking for the New Generation by Alexandra of Delish Knowledge. Alexandra is a registered dietitian of Italian descent who came up with over 100 healthier, vegetarian Italian recipes for the book (70 of the recipes are vegan/easily vegan). I dog-eared a lot of pages, many of which will be perfect for cooler weather. This spaghetti alla puttanesca recipe popped out to me because it’s a lighter pasta dish that calls for mostly basic pantry ingredients. We can all use a few more of those recipes, right? I hadn’t heard of pasta alla puttanesca before. Rumor has it, “ladies of the night” created this recipe as a quick meal to eat on busy nights, if you get my drift. Wikipedia has a few more naming theories. This dish relies on some very briny ingredients for flavor, so if you aren’t a fan of olives and capers, this one is probably not for you (more pasta recipes over here, though). I love Kalamata olives and have mixed feelings about capers, but loved them both in this recipe. Spaghettia alla puttanesca traditionally includes anchovies, but this vegan version goes without anchovies and it’s still loaded with complex flavor. I made just a few adjustments to Alexandra’s recipe—added a little olive oil and black pepper, used chunky tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes (I like my pasta on the saucy side), and threw in some zucchini noodles to lighten it up. Ever since Ali sent me her Inspiralizer, I can’t resist adding zucchini noodles every time I make pasta. Cookie loves them, too.
