MUSHROOMS & SNOW PEAS WITH WHOLE GRAIN PASTA

After a long weekend of indulging in rich food I need a week of eating humble, simple, and comforting food.

I need to be comforted because the day after Thanksgiving it always dawns on me that it’s almost Christmas, and now I’m in panic mode because I haven’t even thought about decorating, I don’t know what gifts I’m getting for anyone, there is Christmas baking to be done, and recipes to be posted…Aaaargh! 

You’d think that I’d have learned by now to get ahead of the game!  Panic is the curse of the procrastinator!

Comfort food for me is chocolate or pasta, and since I only eat chocolate for dinner when Billy is on the road, it’s got to be pasta when he is home.

This pasta is both light and hearty.  Does that make sense to anyone else?  

Snow peas are sweet and crisp which keeps the dish feeling light, mushrooms are just the opposite and opposites do attract!  Whole grain pasta is denser than regular pasta, which makes the dish hearty.  Sesame oil and parmesan cheese give the pasta a nutty flavor and gives it balance.  I had leftover Homemade Spelt Pasta which I rolled and cut into fettuccini, but packaged pasta would work well too.

 

Now you’ll have to excuse me, cuz I stayed away from anything resembling a store this weekend, which means that I still haven’t done a thing for Christmas, to quote Scarlett “I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.”  Right now I’ll just curl up in a ball and be comforted by a giant bowl of Mushroom & Snow Peas with Whole Grain Pasta!

 MUSHROOMS & SNOW PEAS WITH WHOLE GRAIN PASTA

Serves 2

8              oz.         Mushrooms, sliced

1              Tbsp.      Grape seed or canola oil

2              cups       Snow peas, trimmed

1               large     Shallot, minced

                            Salt & pepper to taste

¼             tsp.       Toasted sesame oil

½             batch     Fresh Whole Grain Pasta, cut into fettuccini, or 1/3 of a 16 ounce box of whole grain fettuccini or linguini

½ to 2       cups       Reserved pasta water

1.  Cook the pasta according to either the recipe for fresh pasta or the package directions, remember to cook the pasta just under al dente, because it will finish cooking with the mushrooms and snow peas.  Drain the pasta reserving some of the pasta water for the sauce, about ½ cup for boxed pasta, or up to 2 cups for fresh pasta.

2.  Meanwhile; heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and grape seed or canola oil to the hot skillet, cook for about 3 minutes until the underside is golden brown, turn the mushrooms over and add the snow peas, shallots and salt & pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes longer, until the mushrooms have browned, and the snow peas are tender crisp.

3.  Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with about half of the pasta water to begin with, stir continuously; season with toasted sesame oil and more salt & pepper to taste, add more of the reserved pasta water if the pasta seems too dry.  Serve with parmesan shavings, or freshly grated parmesan.

Note:  Really you may use any pasta that you like; I just used whole grain in an effort to make the dish a little more nutritious.

You may also like:

Lighten-Up Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Rigatoni with Eggplant & Ricotta

Lemon Asparagus Linguini

Mushroom Lasagne

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PENNE WITH PISTACHIO PESTO

Here it is y’all, my first fall like recipe of the year, and it’s a doozy!  Of course it would have to be a pasta recipe; cuz pasta is the love of my life! 

Butternut Squash Penne with Pistachio Pesto is not only the yummiest thing on the planet, but it’s also gives you power to save the world!  Power in the form of nutrients I tell you! 

Pistachios are a tree nut, and tree nuts are packed with protein, healthy fats, and minerals.  A diet rich in nuts lowers cholesterol, and has a lower risk of coronary artery disease, and strokes.  They also provide anti-oxidant activity helping to fight off cancer and diseases.

Hemp seeds have a mild nutty flavor.  Hemp seeds, besides being protein packed, are a power house of omega-3 and omega-6.  These fatty acids promote heart health, lower triglycerides, work to reduce inflammation, promote brain health, and support the immune system.

Roasted butternut squash, perhaps my favorite of the squashes has high levels of vitamin A, which give you the power to see in the dark and through brick walls…or at least helps to protect your eye sight!

Here are a couple of tips for making Pistachio Pesto:

You can buy roasted and shelled pistachios, but my store only had a big container that costs $14, and I wasn't paying $14; so I shelled these roasted, unsalted pistachios.  To remove the skins, place them in a clean towel, close up the towel and rub the pistachios together.  The friction will remove most of the skin.

Toss all of the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and blitz until the pistachios are finely chopped, if it is over processed, it will become pistachio hemp butter instead of pistachio pesto.  This pesto is a little thick, which is just what you want.

Serve Butternut Squash Penne with Pistachio Pesto up with a salad of dark greens (such as spinach or kale), and you’ll not only have the power to save this world, but the entire universe!

 

BTW, stay tuned to see how I use Pistachio Pesto with chicken!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PENNE WITH PISTACHIO PESTO

FOR THE PISTACHIO PESTO

Makes about 1 cup

2/3         cup                         Roasted unsalted pistachios, shelled

1/3         cup                         Hulled hemp seeds

1/3         cup                         Grated parmesan cheese

½           small clove                Garlic, minced

¼           cup                         Extra Virgin olive oil

2            Tbsp.                       Grape seed, avocado or canola oil

1/8         tsp.                         Pepper

A            pinch                       Salt

1.  Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are very finely chopped, be sure to stop before it becomes a paste.

Notes: * You may omit the hemp seed and replace it with more pistachios (about ½ cup more).

       **For vegan pesto, omit the parmesan cheese.

FOR THE PASTA

Serves 4

6              cups                       Butternut squash, peeled and diced into about 1/2 inch cubes (1 small squash)

2              Tbsp.                      Olive oil

1              tsp.                        Fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage, finely chopped

½             tsp.                        Dried Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning

¼             tsp.                        Pepper

                                            Salt

¾             package                  Penne pasta, a package is 16 ounces

1              cup                        Reserved pasta cooking water

1              recipe                     Pistachio pesto

1.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Toss together the butternut squash, olive oil, fresh rosemary (thyme or sage), dried Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning), pepper and a sprinkle of salt.  Spread this in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender.

3.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Generously salt the water and add the pasta.  Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes less than the package directions state.  When the pasta has cooked remove 1 cup of the cooking water and put that to the side.  Drain the pasta.

4.  Add the pasta back to the pot along with the roasted butternut squash, the reserved cooking water and the Pistachio pasta.  Cook over medium-high heat stirring continually until the water is absorbed and the pasta is al dente.  Remove from the heat and season with more salt & pepper if needed.

Note:  *Roasting the squash gives it more depth of flavor, but if you want to skip that step, just add the squash to the water with the pasta.

You may also like:

Buttercup Squash & Chicken Enchildas Verde

Butternut Squash Farro with Tahini

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli