recipes, vegetarian

Balsamic Roasted Veggie, White Bean, Pesto Pasta

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This is my favorite way to use up all those veggies in the fridge that need to be eaten before its too late. Because stir fry gets old. And just like stir fry, this recipe is so flexible. Add whatever veggies you have. Use whatever beans you have. Use whatever kind of pasta you have.

I have been trying to increase our family’s rotation of meat-free meals, as JR is still a vegetarian (on most days–he cannot say no to bacon). So I have been making more an effort to buy more variety of vegetables. And I really want the kids to have more than just one veggie a week. So I find myself leaving the store with about 5 different kinds of veggies, if not more. But, the boys and Eloise only eat so much. When you have a head of broccoli and cauliflower, it can be tough to eat everything before it starts to turn.

This is a great recipe to get all those vegetables into the mix. The pesto balsamic mix really elevates the dish and is a unique way to change up spaghetti and sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup broccoli, cut
  • 1 cup cauliflower, cut
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, cubed
  • 1 zucchini, cut into coins
  • 1yellow squash,  cut into coins
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red onion, large slices
  • 1 package pasta, rotini is my fave for this
  • 1/2-1/3 cup pesto
  • 1 can cannelloni beans, drained (15 oz can)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat over to 425 degrees
  2. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, salt, and olive oil into a small bowl.
  • Place all veggies into a large bowl and mix sauce over veggies until it is well-mixed. Spread veggies over baking pan and roast for 30 minutes (or until soft).
  • While veggies roast, cook pasta.
  • Once veggies are cooled, combine pasta, veggies, beans, and cheese. Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar on top.
  • Enjoy!

Source: Skinny Taste

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main dishes, pasta, pork, recipes

Pizza Pasta Bake

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This weekend my in-laws came to visit.  It’s a 6 hour drive from their place to ours so they usually do not get in until around 9 or 10.  The visit always starts out with my father-in-law suggesting we get pizza.  But because it’s around 9, all the places around us only do delivery and Matt and him debate whether delivery will take too long.  And after discussing it for 20 minutes, a delivered pizza would likely already be on its way.  So this time I decided to skip the whole first act and make something.  This pizza bake was a huge hit.  My father-in-law got his pizza fix, and Matt got his bake fix.

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chicken, main dishes, recipes, slow cooker

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

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The dreaded bar exam is lurking around the corner.  In 16 days, I’ll be sitting down in a crowded, stuffy classroom, surrounded by over-stressed, nerve-ridden students waiting to take a two day-12 hour exam that will decide whether or not we are fit to practice law in Minnesota.  Sounds great huh?  Bring on the fun!

While I wait in anticipation of this joyous event, I have been cramming every single piece of law I can into my over-sized head.  It’s gotten to the point that when I have conversations, they consist of me telling someone about a certain area of law.  “Hey! So you’re never gonna believe this crazy piece of information! You can use prior inconsistent statements to impeach a witness. AND it can come in as substantive evidence.” Yeah, I know. Crazy. But it’s true!!

So since I can only speak in legal jargon, I’ve decided to stick to crock pot recipes for the next two weeks.  Anything that takes more than 20 minutes to cook makes me feel guilty for reading something that isn’t cluttered with italic, Latin phrases. My poor summer fun reading list has been set aside (sorry Jessi Witkins!) And this recipe only calls for ingredients that most people have on hand at all times.  No need for a grocery run.

The heat index in Minneapolis has started to decline (we live in house without air conditioning. the last couple days were less than pleasant) so using the crock pot isn’t completely unreasonable.   Plus, after a full day of studying, a warm meal sure feels great! And hell, who doesn’t love chicky catch with some long ass rice (much love to my boy Tom Haverford).

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main dishes, pasta, recipes, vegetarian

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta.

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Now that it’s Lent, I have been trying to find recipes without meat for Matt and me to eat on Fridays.  As much as I enjoy a good fish fry, Matt and I gave up going out to eat for Lent, so we are stuck cooking our own sans-meat meals.  I have been resisting the temptation to toss some frozen fish sticks into the oven.  Instead, I made this fun pasta dish that doesn’t need sauce.

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