Zucchini Pasta Primavera with Creamy Basil Pesto

Yesterday it was 80 degrees in Colorado.

Tomorrow it'll be in the low 30's and snowing.  Again.

See if I care! I'm making summer meals- fresh and light- snow or not. 

Take that.

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is make zucchini pasta.  In fact, I posted a Zucchini Spaghetti recipe last year that's pretty darn close to this one.  

But this one is tossed in a creamy basil pesto.  

Yum!

This is a 15 minute quick and easy recipe, no fuss required.

This just so happens to be a vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, paleo recipe. 

It's so good, and so good for you.  You get some protein from the pine nuts in the pesto. I used what veggies I had on hand, though you could add pretty much anything.  I would've liked to add some spinach or kale, but it was quite filling as is.

If you want a more traditional primavera (aside from using actual pasta, lol) add parmigiana to the pesto- about 1/4 cup) and top the primavera with added parmigiana.  

I'll be honest, I didn't miss the cheese, and I thought I was going to.  

The basil pesto gives it tons of flavor.  I had extra pesto leftover- froze it in ice cube trays, and then removed to a ziploc bag in the freezer.  Now I can add basil pesto to pasta dishes in the future, or top some grilled fish or chicken with it. 

You will need a julienne peeler to make the zucchini spaghetti.  If you don't have one, they can be found at any kitchen store, or even Walmart and Target.  They're great to have, I peel carrots and other vegetables with them for a pretty look.

Zucchini Pasta Primavera with Creamy Basil Pesto

Serves 2

4 Zucchini

5 ounces grape tomatoes (about 1/2 of a 10 ounce container)

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk

For the pesto:

3 cups packed fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Prepare the veggies.  Peel and julienne the zucchini. Place in a colander, sprinkle with a tsp of salt, and toss.  Let sit in sink (this draws the moisture out so zucchini spaghetti stays crisp and doesn't get all soggy). 

2. Heat a few swirls of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Saute until the onion is beginning to soften, turn translucent. Add the peppers. Saute until peppers are almost done and soft (about 10 minutes).  Add the grape tomatoes. Cook for a minute or so, and add the zucchini. Toss to incorporate, and cook until zucchini is just barely softening, about 5 minutes. 

2. While cooking the onion and peppers, prepare the pesto. Simply add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and about half of the oil to a food processor. Pulse to combine.  With the food processor running, drizzle in the remaining oil until the desired consistency is achieved. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Add a cup of the pesto to the cooking zucchini and vegetables.  Toss to combine.  Cook about 2 minutes to get the zucchini to soak up the pesto, and add the coconut milk.  Stir, and cook another 2 or 3 minutes.  

Plate and enjoy!

A couple more posts to enjoy:
Sweet Summer Squash Pudding
Molasses Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pineapple-Papaya Salsa
Gorgonzola Sage Popovers

Quick Fish Provencal

I bought frozen cod that I was not impressed with. 

Originally I simply broiled it, a little salt and pepper and lemon.
Yuck. 

Since I'm pretty new to the fish game, 
I thought maybe I just don't like cod. 
But then I made this. 

Fish Provencal.

Browned fish fillets stewed in tomato sauce and fresh herbs.

Yum.

So fast, so easy, and pretty darn good!

This is a rustic version- I like to keep the onions and tomato chunks pretty visible.  For a more elegant version for entertaining, I'd suggest finely chopping the onion and pureeing the tomato before cooking.  

This is also a pretty basic version. It can literally be whipped up in a half hour. Add black pitted olives if you desire for a little authenticity (The Boyfriend hates olives, so I skipped it). 

Serve with crusty French bread, of course! (Unless you're gluten free!)

Quick Fish Provencal

4 6oz Cod fillets (or other white flaky fish)

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 thyme sprig, leaves only

1 tbsp fresh basil leaves (about 6 basil leaves, chopped)

1 clove garlic, minced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Flour (for dredging the fish- substitute almond flour if making gluten free)

In a large skillet, heat a few drizzles of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion.  Saute about 5 minutes, until onion begins to look translucent.  Add the garlic. Cook one minute.  Add the tomatoes and all the herbs. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and let sauce simmer while you prepare the fish. 

Add 2 tbsp oil to a skillet and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Season flour with a bit of salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge the fish fillets in the flour until both sides are coated. Add to the hot skillet, and saute until fish is browned on both sides.  Remove fish, and add to the simmering tomato sauce. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until fish is flaky and cooked through.  

Garnish with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan if desired. 

A few other favorite recipes:
Sage Chicken Chili with Lentils and Garden Vegetables

Butternut Squash Gnocchi in Saffron Cream Sauce, Crispy Pancetta & Crumbled Pecans

Spaghetti Carbonara

This is not an every day dinner.

I made it for my birthday.  

(In case you're worried, don't be- The Boyfriend took me out for a proper birthday dinner as well!)

This is a really rich pasta dish made with an egg yolk sauce and some form of pork (traditionally it's made with guanciale- cured pork jowl, but that can be kind of hard to find!)  In this recipe I use cubed pancetta with excellent results.  You can also use thick sliced bacon.

I tried to make this as traditional as possible (even made my own spaghetti!)  Apparently it's some form of sin to add cream and/or peas to this dish, so you won't see them in this recipe. 

For such a rich, special dinner, it is absurdly easy to make.  

There's only one way to ruin it- when adding the eggs.  Pay close attention, stir constantly, and don't look away.  :)  The last thing you want is scramble egg carbonara, am I right?! 

Serve with a big green salad, and some crusty bread if desired.

Pasta Carbonara 

Serves 3

1 lb spaghetti (boxed or homemade)

1/2 lb pre-cubed pancetta (about 8 oz) or thick sliced quality bacon

6 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated parmigiana, plus extra for serving

extra virgin olive oil

fresh pepper

parsley (for garnish) 

In a bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, parmigiana, and about 1 tsp black pepper.  Whisk together until completely combined. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti al dente and set aside.  In a saute pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium  heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crispy.  Once crispy, add the al dente spaghetti and stir to distribute the pancetta thouroughly (and to coat the spaghetti with pancetta fat).  Turn off the heat.  With pan still on hot stovetop, add the egg mixture and quickly begin vigorously mixing.  This is your crucial step.  Continue mixing, not allowing the egg to sit on the bottom of the pan untouched for too long.  Cook about 2 minutes, the eggs will thicken a bit and it will look like a cream sauce.  

Serve immediately, with a bit of parsley sprinkled on top and extra parmegiana cheese. 

Quick Kielbasa Sautee

Here's a quick weeknight dinner for you.

I prepared this on a night when my fridge and cupboards were almost bare, and there was nothing to eat in the house.  Except for kielbasa, zucchini, frozen corn, and rice.

So there you have it.  How this dinner was created.

I really liked the corn/red onion/ zucchini combination, but you could easily substitute whatever you have on hand.  Peppers and/or peas would work. You could add tomatoes if you like.  I've even added pineapple in similar dishes. 

You could also substitute whatever sausage you have on hand, though I do love the kielbasa flavor for a change. 

This is one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners. Limited ingredients, limited time. 

But pretty delicious!

Quick Kielbasa Sautee

13 oz beef polish kielbasa, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups frozen corn
3 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup beef stock (preferably homemade of course, or low-sodium)
Jasmine rice

Heat a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Once hot, add the kielbasa and cook undisturbed for about 5-8 minutes or until kielbasa starts to blacken slightly.  Give a stir, and let cook another few minutes undisturbed.  Continue cooking until kielbasa has a nice blackened exterior- this gives it a really nice sweet, slightly crispy flavor.

Remove kielbasa and set aside.  In same skillet over med high heat, add red onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to look soft and golden.  Add the zucchini, corn, and garlic.  Sautee another 5 minutes.  Zucchini will start to soften.  Add the beef stock and kielbasa and cook another couple minutes until most of stock is absorbed and zucchini is softened. 

Spoon over jasmine rice.  

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Gluten-free mama?

No problem.  Whip her up these sugar cookies quick.  You can't even tell they're gluten-free!  

They are light sugar cookies that melt in your mouth.

I don't usually use boxed cake mixes, but these are really great for a quick gluten free treat, and you don't have to buy 16 gluten free flours to make it!

I wish I had a fun cookie cutter, or bright sprinkles to use.

But I didn't.

The beauty of these cookies is you need so few ingredients.  I'll be keeping a box of this mix in my house for a quick gluten-free dessert anytime.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

1 box gluten-free Betty Crocker yellow cake mix 

    (found with other cake mixes, NOT in gluten-free aisle)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  
3. Add the egg and water, mixing just until incorporated.
4. Gradually beat in the boxed flour mix.
5. Roll dough into small balls and place on ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart (give them room, they will expand!)
6. Gently flatten the dough balls a bit with the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake 9-11 minutes. or until just beginning to turn a golden color.  Underbake, don't overbake!
8. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. These cookies are delicate due to being gluten-free.
9. Carefully remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.