Spring Break

It's spring break and I decided to actually cook good things for myself this week. I've been eating veggie burgers, pizza and beer since the semester started...time for something green. This was a killer salad that I threw together last night:

Warm Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto

1/2 box of Penne
1 cup roasted grape tomatoes [about 2ish cups raw]
2 Tablespoons of pesto [I used this vegan pesto from Oh She Glows]
4 cups salad mix

Cook the pasta. Save about 1/2 to 1 cup of the water.
Mix the pasta water [a little at a time - you just want it a little saucy], roasted tomatoes and pesto in a sauce pan [maybe even the same pan you used to cook the pasta in] – then throw the pasta in. You can either serve it over the greens or mix it up a little so they wilt. Your decision.

Super delicious.



Side note:
[In case you don't know how to roast those tomatoes, here's an easy way to do it:

Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour at 400F. Watch closely during the last 15 minutes of roasting.]

Bright Green Vegan Risotto

I love risotto - so easy to make - and this is definitely not the first one I've posted on this site. These days I skip the cheese partly because it's expensive, and partly because it ends up creamy enough that I don't miss it anyway.

Please note: I am not vegan...though, I have cut back on significantly on dairy in general. Anyway...here it is my new risotto recipe:

Bright Green Vegan Risotto

Some olive oil for the big-ish sauce pan
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2-4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup arborrio rice
½ to 1 cup white wine [or just use extra vegetable broth or water]
3-4 cups of vegetable broth [or you can just use water and add salt to taste]
1 cup frozen peas
1 whole bunch of cilantro, chopped
zest of 1 lime [or lemon]
black pepper

heat the pan up over medium heat.
Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the arborrio and fry it up for a minute with the onions and garlic
Add the white wine and stir pretty often til absorbed
Add the vegetable broth ½ cup at a time til the rice is soft, stirring frequently.
Once the rice is cooked add the peas and cook for just a couple of more minutes. Then take off the heat and add cilantro, lime zest, and a few turns of freshly ground pepper.

The taste of this risotto is clean and bright!