Sugar Snap Pea & Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

Unfortunately I didn't get a very good photo of this - I had to take this at work, on my desk! Sad face. Had to post this though, because it's totally delicious. I'll try to get a better photo next time. This is another pick from the Eating Well in Season cookbook.


1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (or sour milk - add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2.5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or however much you like!)
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 oz whole-wheat bowtie pasta
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I used orange), halved
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (I left these out)

I did all of these steps at about the same time, so start wherever!

Puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Toss pasta and peas with tomatoes and scallions, and toss with dressing just before serving.

Eastern European "Minestrone"

 

I just noticed that I only had one post in the month of November - how time flies! I have a few recipes on the to-do list, but I am shocked that I only posted one recipe last month. At least it involved pumpkin beer, I guess.

Thankfully, it's now Christmas cookie season, so I'll be getting on that as soon as I can. I have a work trip to DC next week (two days of meetings, then visiting a friend for the weekend), so I might have another lag. But then cookie season will be in full force.

Back to the recipe for this post. This soup is really interesting and delicious - and it makes a lot. And it's super easy! I had this for lunch every day for one week, and it was tasty, but a bit much. I suggest sharing! This is another recipe from the Moosewood cookbook.

1.5 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (I left this out, since I wasn't able to buy 1 piece of celery)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds (I left this out since we didn't have them)
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I definitely used more than this)
1/2 cup diced peeled beets, turnips, or parsnips (I used parsnips, 'cause I love 'em!)
3/4 cup diced red or yellow bell peppers (I just used one full pepper)
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 quart (4 cups) water or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ounces whole grain linguine or spaghetti, broken into 1 inch long pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions, garlic, and celery in the olive oil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the paprika, bay leaves, and caraway and stir for a minute. Add the carrots, green beans, beets, and bell peppers, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white beans, tomatoes, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta pieces, cover, and simmer on medium heat until the pasta is al dente, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the dill. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Chilled Avocado and Cumber Soup

Here's another Tastespotting find - I promise I'm going to branch out soon! I have Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian," and I'm going to start making some recipes from there.

Anyway, I made this chilled soup in honor of springtime, specifically the fact that I can turn off the heat and start to open windows! It was very refreshing and cool, not at all like a winter soup. I didn't think it tasted great before it chilled, but once complete with the diced cucumbers and onion, it was delicious.


Ingredients needed for 8 servings (each about 2/3 cup):

• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated lowfat 2% milk
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 large or 3 small ripe avocados, peeled and dice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sliced unpeeled cucumber
• 1/3 cup snipped fresh dill
• Diced cucumbers, finely chopped red onion and chopped fresh dill for garnish (essential!)

Combine evaporated milk and vinegar in small bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Place avocados, water, evaporated milk mixture, 1 cup cucumber and 1/3 cup dill in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Season with coarse salt and ground black pepper. Cover; refrigerate for 1 hour (can be made up to 4 hours in advance).

Pour soup into eight small bowls or glasses; garnish with cucumber, red onion and dill.

NOTE: eat this soup within a day or two after making it, since the avocado will cause the soup to turn brown (just like having cut avocado in the fridge)

Original recipe here