Will Run For Mom's Easy Pasta Primavera

2013 was a pretty amazing year.  I had a lofty list of events that I wanted to complete and I completed each and every one of them.  The highlights of my year were shaving 5 minutes of my marathon time and completing my first (yes, there will be more) 1/2 ironman.

  The year was amazing.  Then it wasn't.  One of my worst nightmares came true.  I lost my mother.  She passed away suddenly at the beginning of December after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm.

I was lucky in that I always appreciated how wonderful my mom was and told her so often.  She regularly told me that she was proud of me and that she was so lucky to have me.  I am so grateful for the relationship that I had with her.

Now sometimes I pull out my mom's cookbook when I'm missing her (which is always) and laugh as I read recipe titles like hot crap (crab) dip or ingredients like 900 kg (g) of pasta.  I hope that you enjoy her recipes as much as I do.

  

Mom's Easy Pasta Primavera

(Serves 4-6)

ingredients

450 g of wholewheat linguine 

3-4 C broccoli chopped small

3 carrots cut into small strips

1 C frozen shelled edamame

1 small red pepper cut into small strips

2 cloves garlic pressed

10 oz vegetable broth ( I used 10 oz of water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes)

1 small red onion cut into small strips

2 tsp dried basil leaves (I used Heritage Line Herbs Zippy Garden Vegetable Dip Mix)

In a large pot cook pasta.  When there are 4 minutes remaining add broccoli, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms & edamame.  Vegetables will still be crisp.

In a wok or large skillet add olive oil and saute garlic for 1 minute.  Add red onion and saute until onion is translucent approximately 5 minutes.  Add dried basil and vegetable broth.  Simmer for 2-3 until liquid is reduced.

Drain vegetables and pasta.  Add vegetables and pasta to the wok or large skillet.  

Mix thoroughly until pasta and vegetables are coated with olive oil.  Enjoy!

Photo Booth.  A great way to trick your mom into taking her photo

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Team Spartan took our training to the next level today.  We battled bogs (maybe it was a really large puddle), a vicious dog (a Chihuahua?), bees and the dreaded burpee (stand, plank, wheeze, moan, jump...you get the idea).  We survived without any chafing, leeches, and only a minimal amount of ego bruising.  It was a pretty good run.

How we looked/felt after the run

After seeing the delicious looking pasta salad that Farmer brought to a bbq yesterday and stealing dill from PB's garden I thought I would try my own take on pasta salad.  This salad is really more of a vegetable salad with a few pieces of gratuitous wholewheat pasta added in for good measure but it was pretty delicious none the less.

Pasta Salad

(4 servings)

12 Cups mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, peas)

1 cup shelled steamed edamame 
1 1/2 C cooked wholewheat pasta (3/4 C uncooked)


Dressing

3T olive oil

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1T fresh basil minced

1T fresh dill minced

1 large pinch dried oregano

1/2 - 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1T diced red onion

Salad Topper

1/4 C nutritional yeast(or parmesan cheese)

1-2 T hulled hemp seed

Instructions


Choose a large pot (big enough for vegetables & pasta).
While waiting impatiently for your pasta to cook prepare vegetables cutting them into bite sized pieces.
 Set mushrooms, peas, and peppers aside.  
When pasta is 1-2 minutes away from being cooked add vegetables to pasta water.
Prepare dressing by whisking all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Drain pasta & vegetables. 
 Add mushrooms, peas, and peppers.

Add dressing.

Top with salad topper if desired.

Will Run For I Can't Believe It's Not Ricotta

pasta with vegetables and tofu ricotta

I am not sure what makes someone think "oh, a tofu ricotta recipe that looks delicious.  I should make that" or what makes someone think "I should make this for J.  I know that she said that she would love barbecued ribs or sausage but why not make tofu ricotta instead".


When I initially saw the recipe for tofu ricotta in the April/May issue of Clean Eating Magazine I thought it looked kind of interesting.  Making it for company meant that I wouldn't have to eat it for days (so it could have been horrible but there was always dessert).  After some tweaking here is the recipe:

Tofu Ricotta 

(2 cups)

Ingredients

12 oz firm silken tofu (I used MORI-NU Extra Firm for grilling, stir frying & sauteing)

2 garlic cloves pressed (local is best!)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 TBSP olive oil 

1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Pass tofu through a potato ricer (you could try to grate it or crumble it but no promises about the texture).

Pass garlic through garlic press or finely chop.

Add lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and mix until combined.

The penne with ricotta is a really flexible recipe.  Add more vegetables, less pasta, more ricotta.  You also use leftover ricotta to make stuffed pasta shells (maybe when it's not so hot outside).

Penne with Ricotta

(serves 4)

Ingredients

2 Cups cooked pasta (penne)

4 Cups of broccoli flowerets, asparagus, carrots, green beans, now peas (or your favourite seasonal vegetables) 

1 large ripe tomato (chopped)

1/2 C tofu ricotta (or light dairy ricotta)

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar 

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

3 Tablespoon Fresh Basil (torn into bits)

salt & pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  During the last 3 minutes of cooking add seasonal vegetables (e.g. broccoli, asparagus, etc.)

In a medium bowl combine tomato, tofu ricotta, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper.  Let sit.  If you are using pepper I would add them to this mixture.

Drain vegetables and pasta.  Combine.  You can serve this dish hot or cold although I prefer hot.

I failed to tell my dinner guest that her ricotta wasn't actually ricotta and she didn't run screaming from the table looking for a chicken leg in the bathroom so I would say that dinner was a success!

peppers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar

add tofu ricotta

add pasta and enjoy