I get a lot of questions about what I eat in a day. I tease and say that all I eat is salad but in an effort to indulge in seriousness, I thought I would show off some of the stuff I eat every week.

Now, this isn't going to be me, trying to impress you with what I cook (I call myself a lazy vegan for a reason). Rather I'll be simply showing you the kinds of meals that I typically eat.

If any of you know who Sandra Lee is or if you've watched an older program on Food Network called Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, then you understand my method of cooking. If not, it goes like this: I add some store-bought stuff to some fresh stuff and I call it food. Some of it will be processed. Some of it will be junkfood-like. All of it will be delicious.

So if you've ever asked yourself, "What does she even eat?", here's a chance for you to see. Disclaimer: I'm not a chef, nor a photographer. Photo credits go to my iPhone.

THIS WEEK I ATE:

That's correct. I eat more pasta than I probably should. I don't eat the most nutrient-dense, high fiber, high protein, high whatever pasta... because I'm not a psychopath. Pasta is pasta, not a superfood. Sorry not sorry.

Pasta is the definition of indulgence to me. It's almost all of my favorite things: a little fatty, a little salty, savory, starchy, and simply amazing. This particular type of pasta is kind of like my take on vodka sauce. Creamy, slightly spicy, incredibly sexy...

Let's make it. I'm starving.

Firstly, let's meet our vegetables.

*not pictured: cherub cherry tomatoes. whoops.

Pretty much anything that you think would be good, add that in. If you're one of those people who hates mushrooms, take them out. It's not complicated. I didn't put any measurements because a lot of this is just what you feel like tastes good to you, and I tend to cook with my eyes/tongue instead of measurements. Also I realize that most people cook for more than one person, so why waste my time. Here I have:

• Penne pasta
• Olive oil (you could also use coconut or vegetable oil but olive oil is delicious so…)
• Mushrooms
• Onion(s)
• Cherry tomatoes (in spirit because I forgot them in the picture)
• Tofurkey Italian sausage
• Basil
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Store-bought marinara
• Veganaise
• Sriracha (<3)
• Salt and pepper

Step One: Make pasta like you normally do, making sure to salt the water. Rachel Ray once told me/everyone else watching her show that your pasta water should taste like seawater. I wouldn't go that far, but salt it to your liking. Salting the water is really the only way to actually flavor the pasta - if you put salt on it after it's been cooked, it just sits on the top and isn't truly absorbed. Blech.

Step Two: Saucepan with olive oil on medium heat. Keep in mind that the sausage that we're using is vegan i.e. it doesn't have much, if any, fat. If you find yourself using a little more olive oil than you would for regular sausage/meat, don't be too surprised. Again, this is guilty pleasure food.

Step Three: Prep veggies and the sausage. This should go without saying, but all of your veggies should be thoroughly cleaned before you start to dice them up. Ina Garten once taught me that the best way to clean a mushroom was to take a damp paper towel and carefully wipe off the dirt. It takes a little bit of extra time, but to simply douse them with water will leave you with mushrooms that are rubbery. Blech, again.

The important thing to keep in mind when dicing your vegetables and protein is to keep the pieces all around the same size. This not only makes for an aesthetically pleasing bite, but it helps to ensure that everything is being cooked evenly. If you were to have giant chunks of mushrooms but tiny slivers of onions, your onions would shrivel up and burn way before your mushrooms became tender.

For the garlic, just finely mince. In the case of the basil, I roughly chiffonade but don't you worry about it being in a beauty competition any time soon. For the spinach, I just tear it apart with my hands, remembering that it will wilt. I'm lazy, remember? I tell people that it's charmingly rustic.

Step Four: Once the oil is shimmery and beautiful and all of your veggies have been prepared, add your mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and sausage to the pan. Don't crowd the mushrooms (thank you, Julia Child) and don't salt them prematurely (again, Julia Child).

*my pan looks a little small and yeah, some of the mushrooms might be too close but they cook down a little and also close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades. does that apply here?

Somewhere between here and the spinach was when my pasta finished boiling, so I strained that and put it off to the side. Double points if you time it out perfectly so that your pasta is al dente as your sauce nears to completion; then you can add your pasta straight to the sauce and it'll soak it up and finish cooking. If that's too much for you to handle most nights, then you're in my little lazy club. No shame. I am the President of this club. We never have meetings.

Step Five: Pour some wine. I didn't put that in the ingredients, but I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even use it in the food. (That joke? More Julia Child. She is something else.)

Step Five and a half: Once your veggies have started to get beautifully sautéed (I always use the mushrooms as a good indicator for this) then I like to add my garlic, shortly followed by the spinach and basil. You want to add the garlic towards the end of the so it doesn't burn, the spinach just so it can wilt prior to the sauce, and your basil last so it doesn't get overly cooked and bitter. Oh, it's a science, people. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step Six: Create the sauce. This is when your pasta truly comes to fruition and realizes its greatest potential which is sexy pasta elegance. Remove pan from heat. Add your store-bought (vegan, duh) pasta sauce of choice into your pan.

Then, add your Veganaise. How much depends on your taste. I like for mine to really look like a classic vodka sauce, and depending on the other portions you've used for this recipe, it could be half a spoonful to two spoonfuls. Don't go crazy, though: you can always add, but you can't subtract. (Words of wisdom from my mother. Some of us learn the hard way that mom's right.)

After you've added your Veganaise, it's time for my special secret ingredient...

Okay, again, go easy with this stuff -- but also keep in mind that the Veganaise is going to cut down the spice a considerable amount. What I really add this for is flavor, not heat. That being said, I add just enough for it to be a little spicy. Tonight I squirted it into the shape of a happy face. Why? Just something about how the Sauv Blanc made me feel.

That's pretty much it! I toss mine together in a much larger bowl (to keep my serving plate clean) and plate it in a white bowl (because that's what I have clean) and I garnish it with basil (to give the allusion that I have my shit together).

This pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc or a Sangiovese or something else that's bright and fruity to break up the sexy creaminess. I can't think of a nice cocktail that wouldn't compete with it, though something with rum or whiskey is usually my go-to so do what you want. If you don't drink alcohol, just get more pasta. Pasta goes really well with pasta. OTP.

Y'all, that about wraps up my first Lazy Vegan post. The best part about this pasta is that, while it is indulgent and wonderful, it's vegan. You can lie to yourself and say that yes, it is pasta, but it's healthy because it's vegan pasta... It's like you're doing the environment and your body a favor by eating the whole bowl, honestly. So, um, you're welcome, Mother Earth. Now leave me alone while I lick the fork.

Let me know if you try this recipe out! If you try it and you love it, share your pictures with me! If you don't love it, throw it away and know that at least no animals were harmed in the creation of this awful dinner. I don't think that's going to happen though; this recipe was approved by my dog who is sometimes quite the picky eater.

Until next time, I'm going to go enjoy the rest of this pasta, as well as the rest of my wine. I made enough of this to last me several days. It keeps fairly well so it looks like I'll be having this for many more dinners. Oh, the sacrifices I make...

Yours truly,

The Lazy Vegan

*I encourage you to make this recipe your own but if you do edit this recipe, do the planet and me a favor by not adding any non-vegan products to it. This was diligently converted, tested, and culminated by yours truly as well as several roommates and friends. Do it right by respecting the original intention. Mother Earth and I will thank you for it, and your body will too. LV <3