Tuesday 1 April 2014

Pumpkin and tofu ricotta cannelloni and weekend craft

After our roast dinner last week I had roast pumpkin and slow cooked leek leftover.  It was calling out for pasta.  I initially thought to use up some of the packets of pasta shapes but then I remembered Little Vegan Bear's canneloni and a packet of cannelloni shells in the back of the cupboard.  Sorted!

With most of the vegies prepared, it was an easy meal.  Not too much fuss on a weekend of low energy.  We didn't get out to the local festival with pedal powered cinema but we did get into the spirit of Earth Hour by recycling a lot of toilet rolls in a craft project!

It was a weekend to stay around the house.  Time to clean and shop and read the paper.  Time for some craft.  Sylvia was given a sock puppet kit for her birthday.  It provided a few socks, pictures and craft bits.  Sylvia chose the Easter bunny with green and red whiskers.  Then we made a Dolly and B2 sock puppet.

Her dolly's latest best friend is a B2 toy from the Bananas in Pyjamas tv show.  She has had the toy since we were given it free with a purchase when she was a baby.  But this is the first time she has shown it any interest.  I glued white ribbon on the blue felt to give the puppet that B2 look.

Our next project was inspired by another favourite children's program, Play School.  I loved it as a kid and now Sylvia does too.  They always seem to do such great craft activities.  They recently made a table and chairs out of toilet rolls and masking tape.  It seemed easy enough.  (And don't the toilet rolls look like canneloni tubes?  I am sure there is a fun craft project in that!)

The table and chairs were pretty easy.  The table was more successful than the chairs but they were a bit of fun.  Dolly and B2 liked them.  The most amazing part of the activity was finding that I had 28 toilet paper rolls in the house!  Sylvia got into the craft mode and made herself a camera and mobile phone out of felt and sticky tape.

If you don't have toilet paper rolls I am sure it was be fun to make a cannelloni table and chairs.  But I was boring and just cooked them in a roasting dish.  I loved Caeli's idea of adding walnuts and mushrooms to her spinach and tofu ricotta canneloni.  It gave the substance that I sometimes feel is missing in a spinach and cheese combination.  I didn't have many mushrooms and I feel the walnuts could have been chopped more finely.

It is a mystery as to why I bought those dried cannelloni shells.  They are a pain to stuff.  I would much prefer rolling fresh lasagne sheets around the filling.  At least the cannelloni was really tasty so I felt good about having them.  It wasn't too heavy.  On the first night I thought it a bit overseasoned.  By the second night the flavours had melded nicely and I enjoyed it even more.  Next time I need to take Caeli's lead and add some fresh basil.

I am sending this dish to Ness at JibberJabberUK for the No Waste Food Challenge that is coordinated by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.  Catherine at Cates Cates for her Anyone can Cook Fabulous Vegetarian Food challenge - which I am sneaking into the March theme of Non-Terrifying Tofu, with her blessing.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Google Reader is closing... and I am not sure I am upset
Two years ago: Spinach crackers and hummus for a potluck
Three years ago: Nut roast renovation: raw and rescued
Four years ago: Apocalyptic Dreams, Hot Cross Buns and Banana Nutella Cake
Five years ago: Marvellous Mars Bar Slice
Six years ago: Exploring Quinoa Country

Pumpkin and tofu ricotta cannelloni
Adapted from Little Vegan Bear
Serves 6

Tomato and leek sauce:
drizzle of olive oil
I large leek, sliced
1 celery stalk, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
dash of smoked paprika and salt
2 x 400g tins diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cherry toms halved
1 tsp each seeded mustard, smoked paprika, salt, promite, maple syrup

Tofu ricotta and pumpkin filling:
300g medium tofu
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Salt and pepper (I used about 1 tsp salt which might be a tad too much)
3 cups finely chopped roasted pumpkin (with skins on is fine)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Handful mushrooms (I only had two), finely chopped
Handful of basil (I didn't have this but it would be good)

To assemble:
200g dried cannelloni shells (or use fresh lasagne sheets)
Handful grated cheddar cheese (use vegan cheese or omit for vegan canneloni)
Sesame seeds and poppy seeds to sprinkle

To make tomato sauce, heat oil in a very large frypan and saute leek, celery and celery with smoked paprika and salt for about 10 minutes.  Cover and gently cook for 30 to 40 minutes until leeks are soft and sweet.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.

Make tofu ricotta and pumpkin filling while the tomato sauce cooks.  Mash tofu in a bowl with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients.  Check seasoning (go easy on the salt at first).

Preheat oven to 200 C (or you could do 180 C if you know your oven is a powerful one unlike mine).

To assemble, scoop a little tomato sauce and spread on the bottom of a roasting dish.  Fill each cannelloni shell with filling - I used the back of a teaspoon to shove it in until just overflowing.  (Usually I would use fresh lasagna sheets, spread on some filling and roll up.)  Once each cannelloni shell is filled, arrange on tomato sauce on roasting dish.

When finished filling, cover cannelloni shells with remaining tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and seeds.  Bake for 45 minutes.  (Cover with foil if it is getting too crispy on top.)  Best to let rest before serving.  (I didn't so I can't say how long.)

On the stereo:
American Roots: a history of American folk music: Various Artists

28 comments:

  1. Brilliant - it's a weekend of making things with tubes! The cannelloni looks great - I'm a sucker for any pasta bake. Interesting addition of pumpkin - and handy given I've got half of one in the fridge in need of using up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joey - I'm a sucker for a pasta bake too - yummy and they seem to last a few nights - enjoy your pumpkin - I have a half butternut pumpkin in my fridge too so more pumpkin will be on the menu

      Delete
  2. Looks yummy! Thank you so much for sharing it with my challenge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Catherine - glad to squeeze it in at the 11th hour

      Delete
  3. I know what you mean about canneloni tubes as I've got a packet in my kitchen which I have been avoiding for the same reasons! A great way to use up left over vegetables. I usually just make bubble and squeak with mine. Thanks for linking up with this month's No Waste Food Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jibber Jabber - I love leftover roast vegies - all the flavour without having to fuss about cooking them - haven't made bubble and squeak for ages - will have to remember that next time I have leftovers

      Delete
  4. It looks delicious - I also have some of those dried canneloni tubes and find them a real pain to fill. I won't be buying more either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Corina - I always think I will never buy another box of them and every now and again my resolve weakens

      Delete
  5. Haha. Love all the tubes! Pasta and loo roll ones :) I've made canneloni before and though they were delicious it was such a pain to prepare. Snazzy that you found a creative way to use your leftovers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Emma - I find cannelloni easier with fresh lasagna sheets so there is not all the palaver of stuffing but whichever way you do it it tastes delicious - I was thinking you could do the filling in lasagne but I think is better in cannelloni

      Delete
  6. You have thee best crafy weekends Johanna. Can I come to play:) Canneloni are a bit cumbetsome to work with but it seems like you got them stuffed and ready to go. The filling sounds oh so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing, Johanna...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Louise - yes please come over and play - the more the merrier - and the filling was delicious - would work well in ravioli too I think - another cumbersome way to serve pasta :-)

      Delete
  7. Hehe I remember we used to always save the toilet roll insides for craft but now that we don't have kids, we throw them away. But every time I do it, I stop to think "Should I save this for something?" :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lorraine - I've found toilet rolls quite useful for a few craft sessions with my nieces and nephews which is one reason I have had so many about - there are some amazing crafts with toilet rolls on pinterest (what can't you find there!)

      Delete
  8. What a great toilet roll outcome! I liked using them in craft as a child but never got as far as furniture - and I don't think we ever had 28 rolls! Your edible canneloni looks great too, and I love the sound of your weekend generally.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kari - I was surprised at how many toilet rolls we had - I almost wish I had more and could build a whole house of toilet roll furniture - now that would be a challenge - toilet roll toilet, anyone :-)

      Delete
  9. I think of you often when I'm building/writing crafts-for-kids galleries at work for our website :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Hannah - that sounds like fun to be making kids craft galleries

      Delete
  10. You're very crafty! It's amazing what can be made from toilet rolls. I love the look of your canneloni but I agree that dried canneloni shells are a bugger to stuff - they always crack and split xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Charlie - toilet rolls are very versatile when it comes to craft - and yes cannelloni shells are a pain - next time maybe I should do stuffed jumbo shells

      Delete
  11. we're collecting toilet rolls too, yet to decide what they'll become! Your pasta looks just how I like it - crunchy and chewy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nic - yep I love a crunchy edge on my pasta bakes - enjoy your toilet rolls - they are such fun and so available

      Delete
  12. Yummo - the cannelloni looks and sounds delish. I am a huge fan of pumpkin and look forward to winter when it goes so well in almost anything. Cute craft projects!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cakelaw - I am looking forward to winter for lots of roast veg and oven bakes - including lots of pumpkin

      Delete
  13. Yum, I've got to try it with pumpkin - sounds great! I've actually never ever used fresh sheets rolled up as cannelloni. I guess they probably have egg in them anyway. But yeah, it can be a slow process...it's good to enlist help for the stuffing if anybody is available!

    ReplyDelete
  14. So I'm not the only mum who collected toilet roll for their kids to do craft with then ;-) Nice to know!!!!

    Love the addition of leek to the tomato sauce. I'm going to try this as a lasagne later this week - thanks for the inspiration :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SO I made this as lasange - just using the pumpkin tofu mixture & the leek sauce (with a few tweaks, no oil, no cheese) and it was DELICIOUS! honestly it was the best vego lasange I've ever had! Thanks :-)

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the feedback Sandy - so glad it worked for you - I had wondered if it would work as lasagne - would be much easier than stuffing the cannelloni tubes (and also meant to say earlier, I love that you also collect toilet rolls - we weren't allowed to take them into child care without other cardboard boxes last year!!!! but they are so much fun)

      Delete

Thanks for dropping by. I love hearing from you. Please share your thoughts and questions. Annoyingly the spammers are bombarding me so I have turned on the pesky captcha code (refresh to find an easy one if you don't like the first one)