Pesto Tomato Pasta

1 package (16 oz) thin spaghetti (preferably whole wheat)
1 large bunch fresh basil (can be replaced with arugula or spinach)
1 Small garlic clove, peeled (I personally used chopped garlic)
5 tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin for the pesto part)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used shredded)
1 1/2 pints red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

Prepare pasta as directed
Researve 12 small basil leaves for garnish (I never do this but feel free to). From remaining basil remove enough leaves for 2 firmly packed cups. Wash basil and pat dry with a paper towel. In food processor blend basil, garlic 4 tbsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. Add parmesean cheese and pulse to combine. (If you use shredded add it at the same time as the other ingredients)

In medium bowl, toss tomatoes with vinegar, pepper, and remaining 1 tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Gently stir in mozzarella.

Drain spaghetti and researve 1/2 cup of cooking water. Return pasta and reserved cooking water to the pot. Stir in pesto and toss to coat pasta. Place pasta in large bowl and top with tomato-mozzarella mixture. Garnish with reserved basil leaves.

The picture is shown with homemade garlic bread and dipping sauces. Simply get a baguette from the store (the more adventurous can make your own), top with crushed garlic (I buy a big jar and keep it for easy adding) and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 350 until browned and crispy. Serve with a bowl of the red wine vinegar and a bowl of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for dipping. Or you can skip the dipping and top your bread with a little butter, garlic, and shredded cheese and cook as mentioned. Experiment with different types of herbs to find your favorite and add variety to your meals.

*Alternations: Add nuts to your pesto many people like pine nuts but I prefer pistacchios or walnuts. Add your nuts and blend well.

You can change up the pesto by using the argula or spinach for a great flavor. The spinach is milder and the argula gives you a bit of a bite. You can do any combination of the three for your favorite flavor.

You can also add chicken to your pesto instead of the tomato-mozzarella salad to appease your non-vegetarians eaters. Change up the noodles and play with what you add to your pesto for great, quick main dishes.

Don't be afraid to add your pesto to other things as well! Put it on pizza instead of marinara or on a sandwich instead of mayo! It is great with fresh veggies in a pita as well. YUMMY!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

This one takes a bit longer to make but it is soooooooooo worth it! It is light, healthy, and filling.

3 large red peppers, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil (you can cut this in half and use only 1/2 tbsp on each pan)
1/2 tsp salt
1 large head cauliflower, chopped
12 oz of any small pasta you like (I used whole wheat spiral pasta. I encourage whole-wheat!! But you can pick the noodle type ex. cavatelli or bow tie etc)
1 tbsp conrstarch
14 1/2 oz of your favorite vegetable broth (preferably organic. I used my homemade chicken broth and it turned out yummy.)
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup loosely pack fresh parsley leaves, chopped
3 tbsp grated Parmesan (calls for fresh but I bought mine already grated)
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/8 tsp dried thyme
4 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (I couldn't find any of this so I used crumbled feta for the same result. I also shaved on some Asiago since I had some in my fridge. The kids loved the feta)

Preheat oven to 450. In baking pan, toss 1 tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt with red peppers and garlic. In another pan toss cauliflower with remaining oil and salt.

Place pans on 2 oven racks. Roast vegetables until browned aprx 30 minutes. Rotate pans and stir halfway through (15 mins). Remove vegetables and set oven to 400.

Meanwhile, in large saucepot, cook pasta as directed.

In 2-qt saucepan, with wire whisk, mix cornstarch with broth and water until blended; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Boil 1 minute.

Combine vegetables, parsley, Parmesean, ground red pepper and thyme with broth mixture. Drain noodles and add to mixture.

Transfer mixture to deep 2 1/2-quart baking pan or casserole dish. Bake 15 mins.

Remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake until hot, about 5 min longer.

Spinach Brownies

By popular request, I will start posting some of my favorite recipes for all the enjoy.

These brownies sound weird but they taste really good so don't diss until you try it.

3 cups raw baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no syrup or sugar added)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Rinse spinach. If you're using frozen blueberries, rinse them in cold water and draw to thaw them just a little. Combine all the ingredients in the food processor until it turns to a smooth puree (add spinach first and pulse to reduce size). You can add more water to make it smooth. (I personally didn't use the lemon juice so feel free to try it)
This will make 1 cup so you will have 1/4 cup left over to add to a smoothie while you're waiting for your brownies to bake.

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup of spinach/blueberry pure
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp instant coffee powder (I omitted this from my brownies and it turned out great)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used baking cocoa as this was all I had)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Whole-grain pastry flour*
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350
Butter or spray, then lightly flour, the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan. (I don't have a 9in pan so i used foil in my 9x13 to make the square and they turned out good so don't go but a pan or discount this recipe because you don't have a 9in square pan)
Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a metal bowl (or any pot will do) over simmering water. (You can also do this in the microwave just be sure to check it every 15 seconds) Remove from heat and allow it to cool a bit.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, vanilla, sugar, and spinach/blueberry puree. Combine this with the cooled chocolate mixture.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together cinnamon, coffee (if you use it), cocoa, salt, flour, oat bran, and baking powder. Add the chocolate mix to the mixing bowl and blend thoroughly. Pour into the baking pan.

Bake in oven for 36-40 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. (Mine was in for 40 ish minutes and the toothpick didn't come out clean so I took it out anyway.) Allow to cool before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

This can keep in the fridge for a week if covered tightly.

Makes about 30 brownies with 53 calories per brownie! YUM!

*I replaced the whole-wheat pastry flour with the following using only half a cup of the mixture and storing the rest in the fridge for future use.
1 cup all-purpose, unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ, unsweetened

For more recipes with secret veggies hidden in them, check out the wonderful book "The Sneaky chef to the rescue" by Missy Chase Lapine. You will not be disappointed!