linguinie with vegan chorizo and spinach

as previously stated, one of my resolutions in 2011 is to eat less meat. as it happens that resolution helps to assure my success in one of my other resolutions: to spend less money. meat is expensive. especially if you're trying to buy organic, locally raised or lean meat. then it's very expensive. and if you're going to purchase meat from the beloved let's meat? well, then you've sped right past home cooking and you might as well rent a prom-style limo and head to rays hell burger because it's very possible you could royally screw up let's meat's kobe hamburgers.

now, that is a lot of pressure.

now that i've relieved some of that pressure from my life, i have added a new one.

surprise, surprise, i am being dramatic!

goal: cook delicious, affordable, healthy and meatless meals that please nelson and i on the regular.

like i said.

pressure.

since we're sort of new (although we've been eating some meatless products for years) to going semi-vegetarian i wanted to keep with products that sort of taste like meat even though they're not meat.
my aunt recommended this vegan soy chorizo from trader joes.

first off, i was very skeptical. not only was this fake meat, it also was only $2 for the whole package. hmmmm went my head and blah blah bleck went my tummy, but still the soy vegan chorizo found its way into my cart.

last night, after a relatively busy day i started to get hungry for dinner and shockingly didn't want to wait 2 hours to eat.
instead of digging into the bag of pita chips and tub of hummus to ruin my appetite, i set my sights on making dinner in less than 30 minutes.
 with the vegan soy chorizo.
i even told nelzo first so it wasn't a shock.
or so he could pick up a burger on the way home.

i started off with some old standbys that almost always add something to linguinie:

yes and yes please, to spinach and garlic.
along with half the aforementioned soy vegan chorizo.
plus a handful of spices of course.

cooking together for a few minutes.
with some tomato sauce.

and tossed with some al dente linguinie.

um can i get a wow?
this vegan soy chorizo had quite the spicy kick! but also had a surprisingly meaty and rich texture to it, but had about half the fat and calories than a traditional chorizo.
don't believe me? read about the product on the trader joes fan club website.
no, i did not start this website, but i wish i did.

the spinach was a great way to get some greens into our meal in a subtle way and melded well into the garlic-ladden tomato sauce.
this meal is definitely going to a regular in our household.
give it a try!

Recipe: Linguine With Vegan Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 servings linguini

1.5 cups frozen spinach

1.5 cups tomato sauce

3 servings vegan chorizo

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried basil and parsley

1/8 tsp red pepper flake

salt and pepper

Method:

-add olive oil to a pan with a little cooking spray, you know just as a back up

-grate garlic into the oil using a microplane

-cook low and slow as not to burn garlic, about 2 minutes (burnt garlic smells and tastes horrid)

-add spinach and break up with wooden spoon, raise heat to medium, let cook another 5 minutes

-remove vegan chorizo from casing and add to pan, break up with spoon and stir to combine, cook 5 minutes

-add tomato sauce and spices to skillet, combine and let simmer while you cook the linguine

-cook linguine according to directions

-add cooked linguine and 1/2 cup of pasta water to skillet, stir all together, coating strands of linguine evenly in sauce.

-enjoy with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and crisp glass of pinot grigio.