Tag: zucchini
Pasta Primavera Topped With Arugula Pesto
This recipe is a combination of two things I had in Italy. The second night there we went to a local wine bar. It had fabulous wines and light fare. We ordered a couple platters of bruschetta which were delicious. Each platter had a 4 pieces of bread with different toppings- none of them had diced tomatoes- which is what I think of when someone mentions bruschetta. Each of the toppings were yummy but one stood out clearly. It was a arugula and almond pesto- I know this because I asked the owner for the ingredients. I wrote them down and made a mental note to make this as soon as I got back to NJ.
The last day of our trip was spent in Rome. We ate dinner at a small trattoria and my husband ordered pasta primavera. Here, when he orders that dish, he is used to getting a plate of pasta with lots of veggies in a tomato sauce. In Rome he got a plate of fresh pasta in a chunky tomato sauce topped with a mound of fresh arugula and mozzarella cheese. It was delicious!
This creation is a combination of the arugula pesto and the pasta dish. I made a typical pasta primavera- which my husband loves; but I topped it with fresh arugula and mozzarella cheese mixed with the arugula pesto. It was really really good- if I do say so myself! The arugula pesto is absolutely out of this world. The slight bitterness comes through but is contrasted really well with the creaminess of the almonds and the olive oil.
Even if you don’t try the pasta, definitely try the pesto. Speaking of pasta- you can definitely use the pesto for a pasta dish- I bet it will be delicious! In fact I will try it and let you know!
- 2 small zucchinis cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- Salt
- 1 pound fresh pasta, cooked al dente
- Pinch of sugar
In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Saute on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes or till the vegetables are soft and golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, sugar and salt.
Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the fresh pasta and mix well and check for seasonings.
- 2 cups fresh baby arugula
- 1 cup fresh ciliegine mozzarella (small balls)
Arugula Pesto with Almonds
- 3 cups fresh baby arugula
- 1 cup sliced blanched almonds
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons slat
In a food processor, add the almonds and process till fine. Add the arugula and start the processing. While the arugula is processing, slowly drizzle the olive oil. Take out in a bowl and add the salt. Check for seasonings.
Take a cup of mozzarella and mix ½ cup of arugula pesto and the fresh arugula and keep aside.
Serve the pasta with ½ a cup of the arugula mozzarella mixture on top.
Grilled Chicken with Couscous Salad and Vegetables
Grilling days are coming to an end. Although last year I continued to grill outside regardless of the weather. The ingredients change- all the peppers, zucchinis and tomatoes don’t taste as good in the fall and winter.
I felt like making something healthy yet substantial. I had chicken breast in the fridge which I pounded thin and put them away in a marinade.
I love making couscous and always buy the whole wheat one from Trader Joes. I decided to make it a little different this time and sauteed some pancetta- a little goes a long way. I then cooked the grain in chicken broth- both ingredients impart tons of flavor. Once the couscous was cooled I tossed tomatoes, basil, garlic and balsamic vinegar and tossed it like a salad. My plan was to serve it on top of the grilled chicken.
I used similar ingredients to marinate the vegetables and grilled them till they were golden brown and sweet. It was a delicious meal. It was light, healthy yet quite filling. We enjoyed it with a bottle of Malbec Rose.
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Grilled Vegetables with Peanut Sauce
My daughter loves going to Thai restaurants. Her favorite thing to eat are the gyozas and chicken satay. She can really pack away a number of skewers- if I let her. What she doesn’t like is the peanut sauce- very strange! For me it’s the peanut sauce that is the interesting part- like the rest of Thai cuisine- it really assaults your palette. Sweet, salty, sour and spice happening at the same time. I think that is why I love the cuisine so much. I love anything that has the peanut sauce. I usually make a whole lot and keep in my fridge. It is very versatile- it is a great dipping sauce; it goes really well in cold noodles with shrimp and vegetables; it makes a delicious salad dressing- the sky is the limit! One of my favorite things to eat in the summer months is grilled vegetables. I like to grill all sorts of different veggies and serve them with different marinades. This particular one is my favorite way to eat them. The creamy peanut sauce goes really well with the smoky grilled vegetables. In this case I used red peppers, zucchini and a japanese eggplant. I loved the combination of all the veggies- the peppers bring a subtle sweetness; the zucchini is creamy and the eggplant is like a sponge- absorbing all the peanut goodness! I made this with the shrimp fried rice but the dish goes really well with burgers, hot dogs and steaks.
If your kids like peanut sauce, this dish is a great way to give them vegetables- especially if they are grilled- I feel grilling and roasting brings out the natural sweetness of everything. In our case, I gave Sia the vegetables without the peanut sauce- I think she is a bit strange- but then I can’t really complain, she is a very good eater and loves food!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
I continue with my quest for healthy kid friendly desserts and snacks. A friend makes my banana bread which her daughter loves- she asked if I could possibly come up with a similar recipe but with a vegetable- like a carrot cake. I remembered a zucchini bread I used to eat many moons ago from Starbucks. From work I would usually venture out to get a mid-afternoon snack which would be a tall Caffe Mocha usually with a slice of zucchini bread. The bread was absolutely delicious- I still remember the color and taste really well- this was about 10 years ago when I ate whatever I felt like and weight and nutrition were furthest from my mind. So when my friend reminded me of the zucchini bread, I immediately started looking for a recipe to adapt to my taste. I decided to include chocolate in the bread as anything with chocolate is good and I thought kids would be more likely to eat it and ignore the green stuff running through the cake! I tested a few recipes and finally liked this one- the texture was firm but moist and most of all, it was delicious! I baked it through the day, so neither my daughter nor my husband witnessed it. I gave a slice to my husband the next morning before he went to work- asked him how it was and once he told me it was really good, I informed him it was made out of zucchini. He was shocked! My daughter really enjoyed it as well, I decided not to enlighten her with all the ingredients. My husband, however, went ahead and divulged within minutes of eating it- Sia had a disgusted look on her face. I explained to her that if she likes the taste how does it matter what is inside the bread.. she thought about it for a few seconds and decided to have another slice. So my advice to parents out there would be that maybe you shouldn’t tell your kids what is in the bread- it may not go so well!!
Baked Vegetable Pasta with Pesto
This is my go to pasta recipe for when someone is coming over. It’s perfect for a make ahead dish and is absolutely delicious. A friend was coming over for a meal and so I decided to make this dish. I bought some zucchinis and red peppers and decided to roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper. I had already cooked fresh marinara sauce that morning- I added that with pesto. I love using pesto in a variety of dishes. It gives everything an instant boost of flavor. I bought fresh mozzarella- actually it was buffalo mozzarella – which is a lot creamier and flavorful than the regular fresh mozzarella. I had fontina cheese-again, has a great flavor, melts beautifully and is great to use in a baked pasta. All the flavors married beautifully with the vegetables and the pasta in the oven. We had the pasta with garlic bread and some delicious red wine.
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 large or 2 medium red peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
In a large lined baking sheet, mix the cut vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 10-15 minutes, or till they are golden brown and soft.
Keep aside.
- 1 cup basic marinara sauce
- ½ pound penne, cooked
- ½ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup fontina cheese, grated
- 1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, cut into 1inch squares
- Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a medium ovenproof dish, add the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, penne, pesto, fontina and the mozzarella cheeses. Mix well, check for seasonings and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes and serve.
Roasted Pasta Primavera
This is the third dish I made with the marinara sauce I cooked a few days ago. It’s a great way to stretch the buck. I have already made chicken parm, mushroom pizza and now roasted pasta primavera. Pasta primavera is typically a dish where the vegetables are the focus.
Years ago my husband worked as a consultant and traveled all over. While he was on a project in Los Angeles, I would go visit him on the weekends and we would go out for meals all over LA. His favorite place was a local Italian restaurant close to the hotel that served pasta primavera with angel hair. He loved it- and still talks about it. Since then I have made it many different ways- this time I decided to roast the vegetables. I think this is my favorite version of the dish! Roasting the vegetables gives the pasta dish a very sweet and nutty flavor. It is my favorite way of preparing vegetables for any dish now- it is easy and fast and it transforms the veggies into a soft gooey sweet concoction! Adding the fresh basil and parmigiano cheese took the pasta to a whole new level. I purchased fresh baked kalamata olive bread. I sliced and toasted it with a drizzle of olive oil- it was fabulous with the pasta!
My daughter watched me cook the dish and was not happy seeing all the veggies going into the pan. I reminded her not to have a closed mind asked her to try it and what do you know- she loved it!
- 1-2 zucchini, diced small
- 1 yellow pepper, diced small
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the vegetables mixed with the olive oil and salt on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or till they are soft and golden brown. Keep aside.
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ½ pound angel hair pasta, cooked
- ½ cup fresh basil, torn
- ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- Salt to taste
In a wide frying pan, heat the marinara sauce on medium heat. Add the roasted vegetables and mix well. Next, add the cooked pasta, basil and cheese. Mix well and add salt if necessary.
Tomato and Roasted Vegetable Salad
- 1 orange, red and yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into squares
- 2 zucchini, cut into one inch diagonal pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 pound different varieties of grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 tablespoons homemade or store bought pesto
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the peppers and zucchini on a cookie sheet.
Add the olive oil with the salt and pepper. Mix well and bake for 30 minutes. In the meantime in a serving bowl, add the tomatoes and the pesto. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper.