November 30, 2019

Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce

Fire up the skillet, and get your pasta water boiling, because it’s time to make vegan scampi! This lemon and wine filled sauce coats your pasta in garlicky goodness, accompanied by delicately brined hearts of palm “scallops”, and bits of fresh parsley. A fun and dynamic dinner, this vegan scampi and pasta dish is the perfect way to make a plain old Monday feel a little more exciting. This feast of flavors comes to you from The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook: Kid-Friendly, Plant-Based Recipes by Jenn Sebestyen of the website Veggie Inspired.

About The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook

If you’re trying to find ways to reduce your environmental impact, or get your family to eat a little healthier, or save a few dollars, but aren’t ready to make the commitment to being vegan yet, this cookbook might be for you. The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook is a great way to get your family moving in a meatless direction! It’s written by Jenn Sebestyen, who was inspired to take up a plant-based diet after having her first son. Now a mom of three, Jenn wrote the Meatless Monday Family Cookbook with the idea that everyone can take steps to make their families a little healthier, even if you start with just one day a week. At the center, this book is written with families in mind- the recipes are family sized, most don’t take more than 30 or 40 minutes to make, and many recipes include helpful tips on how to bring your kids into the kitchen with you. Many recipes are also gluten-free, or can be made gluten free, and are written in an approachable and accessible way.

The Chapters

The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook is separated into 11 different chapters to help inspire a large range of different plant-based meals. The author also goes through why you should practice meatless Mondays, and different pantry essentials and tools, and how she uses them to make meatless Mondays a breeze! Another aspect that Jenn spends some time on is cooking with your kids, and tips to get them cooking and eating delicious, veggie-filled foods with you. Here’s a quick overview on the chapters in this book-

Getting Started with Meatless Monday: This chapter includes some of the items listed above- why you should start a meatless Monday, pantry favorites, and how to get the kiddos involved!
Hearty Soups like Creamy Tomato Soup with Orzo and Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup.
Satisfying Salads Going beyond a bowl of lettuce with some ranch, this chapter highlights colorful and delicious options like Very Berry Quinoa Salad.
Loaded Handhelds Because sometimes eating with your hands is the way to go, try options like Sloppy Lentil Sandwiches and Rice and Bean Pan-Grilled Burritos with Avocado Green Chile Sauce.
Bountiful Bowls If you want to pick and choose the componets of your meal, bowls can be a good choice! Get inspired by options like BBQ Chickpeas and Veggie Bowls!
Perfect Pasta This is my chapter- I’m sharing the Vegan Scampi recipe with you all below, plus other options like Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and Rigatone with Zucchini and Corn.
One Pot Wonders Since there isn’t a soul out there that likes doing dishes, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook shares low mess dishes like Skillet Chickpea Chilaquiles and Quick Peanut Noodles.
Comforting Casseroles Casseroles are those warm, cosy dishes straight from the oven, that really feel like home- dishes like Black Bean and Zuccihini Enchiladas!
Center Stage Vegetables Just let the vegetables be the star of the show with Meaty Mushroom Stew over Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Thai Sweet Potato Curry.
Breakfast for Dinner Just because it’s dinner doesn’t mean you need to eat like it’s dinner- why not shake things up with some Banana Walnut Baked Oatmeal?
Sauces and Staples Ranch Dressing, Guacamole, Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce and Maple Vinegarette are a few of the staples and extras that find their way into the final chapter.

What are you waiting for? Go grab your copy of The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook now!

About this Vegan Scampi

What is scampi? It’s actually a type of lobster, but that’s not how we use it in the United States. In the US we usually use the term to refer to any sort of seafood dish served in a thickened lemon, white wine, and butter sauce. This version has all that delicious lemony garlicky sauce of the original, but instead of using shrimp or lobster, this version uses the somewhat briny hearts of palm instead. Which are delicious, but really I’m here for the garlic and white wine sauce. And I can assure you that I wasn’t at all disappointed- and neither will you be! Jenn has really done a great job creating a simple, delicious, everyone-friendly recipe.

Looking for Pasta Dishes? Try one of these!

Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce

Yield: 4 Servings

Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce

This is a really simple dish that tastes elegant. Hearts of palm are the perfect stand-in for scallops. They have a similar look when sliced and a briny quality reminiscent of seafood—great for those with a shellfish allergy.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
1 jar (14.8 ounces, or 420 g) hearts of palm
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided
8 ounces (225 g) linguine or pasta of choice (gluten-free, if desired) *Note: I actually doubled the pasta accidentally, and it was still perfectly sauced!
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup (235 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons (6 g) panko bread crumbs (gluten-free, if desired)
1 tablespoon (4 g) nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, carefully slice the hearts of palm crosswise into ½-inch (1 cm) slices.
Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the hearts of palm. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Sear until gold brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip each slice over. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Sear for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid reduces by about half. Add the lemon juice and vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and glossy.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add the seared hearts of palm to the skillet along with the parsley and crushed red pepper flakes.
Stir together the panko bread crumbs and the nutritional yeast, if using. Sprinkle over the pasta and toss everything to combine.

Notes

Swap It! Are you avoiding alcohol? Use the same amount of vegetable broth with 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of white wine vinegar.

Kids in the Kitchen Have your kids stir the bread crumbs and nutritional yeast together and sprinkle it over the pasta.

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