Pesto Pasta & Spinach

Another yummy meal from the fresh basil in our yard. The plant, thanks to my pop-in-law, is humongous. This is easy, quick & most importantly, a cool meal that can be served hot, at room temperature or cool/cold in the summer!
<3 Lishie

Pesto Pasta & Spinach

• 1/3 c  pine nuts
• 2 c  fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled 
• S & P
• 1/2 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2c  good, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lb pasta (favorite shape)
• 14 oz fresh, baby spinach, washed

Toss the first 5 ingredients into the food processor. Process! As the ingredients combine... drizzle in the olive oil. Sauce is done when it is the consistency you prefer!

Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente... The last 2 minutes of cooking, add the spinach into the boiling pot with the pasta. Drain all & combine with the pesto & serve. ENJOY!

Swap ~ Vegetarian

It's the middle of July!!! Half my birthday month flew by... how did that happen? Well I will move on & enjoy the rest of this glorious summer. This post is our bi-weekly Swap from my National Cooking Board, put together by Sarah from A Taste of Home Cooking (THANK you, Sarah!) I love, love, love these swaps & the subject was Vegetarian. I always am looking for a great veggie dinner for when my sister visits & I love my veggie meals too so I was ecstatic. I got this gem from Mary Ellen... & I saw quinoa. Now, I am really not a fan of quinoa (to the extent I pronounce it Quin-Noah purposefully- it's Keen-wah.) When I saw Mary Ellen had a recipe she wanted to share I became ecstatic again. Her blog is great! That, combined with my hubby's need to eat better/lower his cholesterol... And I made it. And it was yummy. Not "I cannot wait to eat quinoa again yummy" BUT it you love or like the grain, MAKE this. It came out moist & tasty. The only thing I will interject here is that this was a hard one for the summer for me- turning on the oven (to roast the garlic) in 100 degree weather like we've had (even with a/c) was awfully hot & tough. But the outcome was delish. Thank you, Mary Ellen!
<3 Lishie (btw- I gave my Round Pasta)

This is Mary Ellen's Italian version of quinoa:

Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Spinach from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

• 1/2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained (it is important to rinse quinoa to wash off any residue which can be bitter in taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, I like them for some kick)
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 c vegetable broth
• 1/2 bulb roasted garlic (about 6 cloves), chopped
• 1 small tomato, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a pot
Add shallots and red pepper flakes and saute for 1-2 minutes
Add quinoa and stir for 1-2 minutes
Add wine and stir until absorbed (wait until you see how the quinoa jumps around in the pot when liquid is added!!)
Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover. Let simmer until broth is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
Once the broth has absorbed, stir in the roasted garlic, tomatoes, spinach, and cheese.
Serve immediately.

Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce~ on Pasta

As I have stated before, we are a family that thrives on freshness... on homemade dinner cooked with ingredients fresh from the garden or the farm. Then there's something truly special about dinner. For me, it's not a sacrifice to cook from scratch; it's only one if I don't. So I meal plan on Sunday & shop but sometimes, not everything works exactly that way. This week was more impromptu & because of that, I have a beautiful package of fresh, baby spinach that was beginning to wither. The best thing to do? Use it.

Here's a from-scratch recipe that takes at most 10 minutes but is nutritious & absolutely delicious (& saved my baby spinach):

Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce

• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 7 oz, fresh, baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, peeled 
• Kosher Salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup good, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toss all of the ingredients sans the olive oil into the food processor. Process! As the ingredients combine... drizzle in the olive oil. Sauce is done when it is the consistency you prefer! 

*Lishie tips~ Get all of the ingredients together (& washed) first. Then begin. 

Bright green goodness!

While you are making the pesto, place a pot of water on to boil. Make your favorite pasta to go along with the pesto. YUM. 

The best thing about this recipe? Can't say because 1) It's easy 2) It's quick 3) It's relatively inexpensive 4) It's delicious 5) It's nutritious ~ Lots of green! 6) It can be eaten hot or cold & 7) It's great for BBQs & outside since there's no mayo! And the garlic keeps it fresh.  8) Oh, did I also mention it's fine to make ahead & it stays fresh refrigerated?

Roasted New Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon & Rosemary

So recently, I went to a Pampered Chef Party. I love some of their products & was set on ordering a couple of things but never thought I'd get dipping seasoning. It just LOOKED.so.delish. And it is! OMGoodness, I opened the lid of the Lemon & Rosemary Oil Dipping Seasoning & it just smelled so good. I can't wait to order more seasoning mixes from them. 

And the best part? The sauce at the bottom of the pan! Pure, warm dipping deliciousness with good, crusty bread! I actually sauteed some spinach in a pan then mixed it with the potatoes to soak up the sauce.

The roasted potatoes were the perfect accompaniment to mini turkey meatloaves (I halved the turkey mixture. 1/2 lb. of the mixture in each small bread tin. And lessened the cooking time to 40 minutes.)

Mini Turkey Loaves

Roasted New Potatoes

• 3 lbs.  of New Potatoes, washed & halved
• 6 whole cloves of Garlic, crushed
• 1 TBSp Lemon & Rosemary Oil Dipping Seasoning (or the equivalent lemon zest/dried rosemary/S & P)
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425 degree.


Place everything in a glass or ceramic baking tray & mix together well. Roast for 45-50 minutes, stirring the potatoes once or twice, until the potatoes are browned on the edges.

Mini Turkey Loaf + roasted new Potatoes with Spinach

*Lishie tip- everyone has their own roasted potato recipe but I usually change mine to pair well with whatever protein I am cooking. There are countless combinations. So I use this equation:
3 lbs. new Potatoes + 
1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil + 
fresh Garlic cloves + 
1 TBSp Dry Herbs OR 
2-3 TBSp Fresh Herbs = 
DeLish Roasted Potatoes!