Pistachio and Green Bean Pasta Salad

This is a recipe I tried a while back. Verdict: It’s delicious!

Because it was a cold pasta salad, it was also really great to take in my lunches to work. If I’m being honest, though, it rarely made it all the way until lunch time…

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz box of gemelli pasta
• 3/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts
• 1 cup fresh green beans (cut)
• 1/2 onion, finely minced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 small lemon, squeezed over the top
• Garlic salt, black pepper, and thyme to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes (de-seeded, without juice) *Optional

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as directed on box, then set aside in a large bowl
2. Finely mince the onion and garlic.
3. Cut green beens into bite sized pieces
4. *Optional: de-seed, de-juice, and finely chop the tomato
5. In a small frying pan, saute 1 tbsp olive oil, the minced onion, and the minced garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent
6. Turn the heat up to medium high and add the pistachios and green beans until they are lightly seared. (*Optional: add the tomatoes at this point)
7. Combine the nuts and veggies with the pasta and add the remaining olive oil, vinegar, and the spices to taste.
8. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
9. Optional: sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Tips:

• I used salted, roasted pistachios. They were quite salty, so unless you really like really salty foods (as I do), I would recommend that you use unsalted pistachios.

Bella Pasta

This was a concoction I whipped up for lunch the other day. I had a quarter cup of heavy cream leftover from making chocolate mousse the day before, and mini bella mushrooms in the fridge. All in all, a very quick, easy dish. Normally I use wheat pasta, but for such a tasty dish, I went for local-made white bowties.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Mini Bella mushrooms, chopped into small chunks
• 2 cups raw, organic spinach
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add chopped mushrooms and garlic; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Once mushrooms are mostly cooked through, add spinach and cook through, stirring often.
4. (optional: Add a tablespoon of olive oil to help cook the spinach).
5. Add heavy cream and any desired spices and cook for an additional minute or two, stirring frequently.
6. Serve over pasta, al dente.

**Mushrooms are one of the best fresh produce sources of Vitamin B12 and protein. B vitamins can be especially hard to come by for vegetarians.

**Interesting Tip for cooking pasta:
Most tap water or hard water is alkaline and tends to break apart the protein-starch of pastas. This can cause pasta to cook more quickly and become sticky. To balance the pH for better texture of noodles – add a little acid (lemon juice or cream of tartar) to the water. (From: On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee)