My love affair with pasta began a long long time ago [sorry husband], and I don’t anticipate it disappearing anytime soon! Especially now that I’m in my final week of taper for my upcoming marathon, I’m carbo-loading up a storm this week!
[side note: I’ll be automatically tweeting my progress at the race on Sunday, via live runner tracking. You can follow me here if you don’t already.]
Last night was homemade fried rice, and you can bet that pasta, rice, and bread will be filling my lunchbox and plate many times this week. Yum! Even though heavy, cheesy, rich pastas are my thing, I also love light, veggie-filled delights like my new creation, Springtime Linguine. These sort of light dishes are great for carbo-loading and ensure that you don’t [gasp] get sick of pasta before your big event. Oh, the horror! Anyways. This dish is pretty simple and easily customizable. Each bite held a hint of creamy and cheesy goodness [the good stuff] as well as the tangy freshness of lemon and parsley and the nutritious stuff of veggies and protein [the good for you stuff]. I just love a meal with a wide variety of tastes and textures, don’t you? Enjoy!
Springtime Linguine
Ingredients:
1/2 pound whole wheat linguine, uncooked [or any other type of pasta]
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped
1/2 cup peas [I used frozen]
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fat free half and half
5 tablespoons lemon zest [from 1 large lemon]
handful fresh parsley, minced [about 1/4 cup]
about 1/4 cup asiago cheese, grated
olive oil
Directions:
Cook linguine to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Mix in chopped ham and peas. Set aside.
When pasta is ready, drain and return to pan. Toss with a little olive oil [maybe 1-2 tablespoons] and stir in lemon juice and half and half. Toss in onion, garlic, ham, lemon zest, and parsley until well combined. Top with asiago cheese and stir until cheese melts. Serve immediately.
salsa on the porch... peeking behind, see my new herby babies?! so excited it's spring!
It’s no secret based on my meal plans that Mexican is my absolute favorite cuisine. There’s just something so refreshing and inviting about the flavors. I just love the ooey gooey cheese, fresh tomatoes, spice, cilantro, tortillas, and more! In fact, for my birthday lunch last week Ben took me to my favorite Mexican place in town. It was absolutely divine.
Since today is Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d jump on the blogger bandwagon and share two of my favorite salsas. I love salsa because it is so versatile. It’s great for dipping or topping Mexican food [nachos, anyone?] but also is very complementary to other dishes, like sandwiches, burgers, and fries. Seriously. I am salsa obsessed and I do not discriminate! All my foods are equal acceess for salsa. 🙂
Okay, enough of that. I’m weird. I’m sorry.
There are two salsa recipes to share with you today, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. The first is Simple Tomato Salsa. With just a little bit of kick and some distinct, pure tomato taste, this salsa is fabulous for any authentic Mexican fiesta. [well…. authentic… not sure I’m qualified for that but any fiesta will do!]. The second is Pineapple Salsa. This stuff is awesome! I experimented around with this recipe the first summer we were married and I’ve made it several times since then. Sometimes I add some mango into the mix, but other times I keep it simple. This time, I kept it simple by choice as my Indiana grocery store was fresh outta mangoes. Sad day. But what I love about this salsa is the contrast between sweet pineapple, cool corn, crunchy peppers, and just the right amount of spice from my friend Mr. Serrano Pepper. Fabulous. I could go on and on all day about these babies but I gotta run… going shopping today! The semester is over and I’m taking a break today before my summer schedule begins next week. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
2 14-ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 7-ounce cans green chiles, drained
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Pour the whole tomatoes into a large non-reactive mixing bowl. Break them up into small, bite-size pieces with a fork and sharp knife or your fingers. Mix in fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles.
In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. Pour over tomato mixture and fold in gently. Add cilantro and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make 4-6 cups.
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple [or 1 cup pineapple and 1 cup finely chopped mango]
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped [control the spice by adding/discarding seeds and membranes]
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-4 tablespoons lime juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Stir together pineapple, bell peppers, corn, black beans, onions, and chili peppers. Add in cilantro and cumin. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Makes 3-4 cups. Delicious with lime tortilla chips. 🙂
Wednesday: Happy Birthday to me! last 🙂 night class 😦 = birthday lunch at my fave Mexican place and dinner with a birthday freebie after class! and cake. Lots of cake!
Thursday: chicken sausage with roasted vegetables and rice
The Pajama Chef 