Summer Spaghetti

Fresh ingredients. Vegetarian & Light. Summer spaghetti. Yum!

This is how it all began:
About a month ago, my students and I harvested these beautiful tomatoes from our school garden. (No, these tomatoes aren't a month old... it just took me this long to finally post about it)

 

A variety of tomatoes...Basil, peas and carrots too!  

We harvested so many that I think each child took home at least 15 tomatoes and I ended up with the extras. I was happy to take them home and see what I could come up with.

Think, think, think. Basil in my garden.  Fresh picked tomatoes. Pasta in pantry. Easy peasy, a summer spaghetti was on its way.  

I still wanted to add something to it... so I searched my fridge. I found a container of unopened non-fat cottage cheese. I bought it thinking that I might convince myself to try it finally, but I hadn't touched it. I decided to turn it into a "ricotta" for my spaghetti.

Here's how to make this easy, vegetarian meal!

Summer Spaghetti 
(serves 2)
1/2 box of your favorite spaghetti noodle, I used brown rice spaghetti
10 grape tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
3-4 leaves of fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil

"Ricotta"
4 oz. non-fat cottage cheese
1 tsp oregano
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt & Pepper

First things first, get your pasta going. Next, take the cottage cheese and oregano and blend together. Add in juice from lemon until you've reached desired consistency. Season with salt & pepper and set "ricotta" aside.

Once the pasta is cooking and cheese is ready, slice your tomatoes lengthwise. Heat 2 Tbsp evoo in a pan and toss in garlic. Saute on low for 1 minute. Toss in sliced tomatoes and saute until tomatoes begin to soften.  Roll basil leaves into a cigar like shape and slice basil into thin strips, set aside.

When tomatoes are softened to desired consistency (I like mine on the crunchier side), add pasta to pan with tomatoes & garlic. Saute all together for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in basil.  Serve in bowls and top with a dollop of cheese mixture!   Enjoy!

Cheers,
Belle

Portabello and Spinach Pasta

       Last week I was out of town on vacation, so my blog took a little vacation too.  When I returned and was reconnecting with my computer, I saw this on Recipe.com & Pinterest. Spinach, meaty mushrooms and pasta?? Sold!

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach
6  ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1  tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped or sliced, depending on your preference
1  cup sliced portobello or other fresh mushrooms
2  cloves garlic, minced
4  cups thinly sliced fresh spinach
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves pulled off
1/8  teaspoon pepper
2  tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

It was perfect for a Friday night, carb-heavy, easy meal.  I needed carbs for my 13 mile run the next morning! 

 I added grilled steak into the Friday night meal, but forgot the thyme. It was still tasty but needed a little more flavor... so Saturday I made the same meal with the thyme, a few cut up patty-pan squash and kept it vegetarian. The thyme seemed to be the missing ingredient on Friday. 

Turned out super delish!

   Patty-pan squash... tender and so flavorful!

 Olympics, porch dinner and a warm summer night...Doesn't get much better than this.

P.S. The photo on the left is from recipe.com and mine is on the right... pretty close, eh??

I LOVE SPINACH & MUSHROOMS!

Cheers, 

Belle 

Cumin-Lime Pasta Salad

      Whipped this little bad boy up today for lunch. Pasta salad is a favorite of mine on a hot day. I gave it a little mexican flair and ta-da, new flavors and reinvented salad.  Perfect for a picnic, a warm summer evening or heck...whenever you want to eat it!

Cumin-Lime Pasta Salad

Salad
1 package Corn Penne Pasta (you can use any pasta, I was giving the gluten-free, corn pasta a try)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tomato, chopped or sliced
6-8 mini bell peppers, sliced
1 avocado, half cubed and half sliced
1 ear of corn, grilled and kernels cut off (this was my vision, I didn't make it to the store for corn)
Crumbled cotija cheese 

Cumin-Lime Dressing
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
2 limes, zested & juiced
1 tbsp agave/honey
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt & Pepper

  

While the pasta is cooking, chop, drain and prep salad ingredients

 

Then work on the dressing - add oil & cumin in a bowl

 

Zest & juice your limes,  add 1 Tbsp agave

 

Whisk ingredients together and add chili powder, salt & pepper to taste

Toss it all together. Serve with sliced avocado and crumbled cotija on top. yummo!

Super easy and light for a summer meal.

Cheers, 

Belle