Green Bean Salad With Almonds

1/2 cup whole roasted almonds
2 Tbs tamari
1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped roughly (optional)

1) Place almonds in a small nonstick saute pan. Lightly toast over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon tamari and stir until the almonds are coated evenly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cool. Chop almonds roughly.
2) Prepare a large bowl of ice water. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3) Drain the beans and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Remove green beans and drain well.
4) In a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and remaining 1 tablespoon of tamari. Add the drained green beans and toss to coat. Garnish with roasted almonds and fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately, while warm.

Review: This dish was doomed. I counted on Costco still having the 2 lb bags of haricots verts, but they did not. So, I used frozen green beans. I also didn’t read the directions thoroughly (I’m notorious for this) and thought I could save a few steps, and save the purchase of tamari, by purchasing tamari almonds from the bulk section of the store. Alas, as I make the salad, I read that I need tamari for the dressing. Crud. I also wasn’t in the mood for this disaster, as I had my first sign language class tonight. I didn’t have time to eat between leaving work and heading to the class. So, at the end of class (8pm), I was starving and irritable. I decided to make a dash to Pita Pit for dinner instead of cooking. However, I found the place to be deserted except for one family who appeared to be ordering. Instead, they were thinking. Which they continued to do for 10 minutes, without ever offering to let me go first, since they didn’t know what they wanted. So, I gave up and headed home, in an irritable, hungry huff. So, I think I made this and ate it begrudgingly, since I’d had my heart set on fast food. Oh, well. This was better for me. And, it was yummy, despite the lack of tamari in the dressing. :) I did leave the cilantro out, though, since it just didn’t sound like it fit in the salad.

Cavatelli Salad With Artichokes & Goat Cheese

1 lb cavatelli pasta or medium shell pasta
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
2 6oz jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
4 large green onions, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 Tbs chopped fresh basil
6oz soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)

1) Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl.
2) Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, artichokes, green onions, and basil; toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate pasta salad at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
3) Mix goat cheese into salad. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Review: Mike chose Roma tomatoes for this salad, because he thinks they taste the best. It worked great. This was pretty yummy, though I mixed the cheese in and then refrigerated the dish overnight. It then looked like it had a white slime, instead of cheese mixed in. However, it tasted great. I would reduce the amount of onion, though. It was just a bit too much for my liking.

Inside-Out Lasagna

8oz whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8oz sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
8 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2) Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.
3) Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper (if using). Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.
4) Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Dollop each serving with 3 tablespoons of ricotta.

Review: This was pretty easy to make. I'm not sure how this was decided to be an inside out lasagna, but it's cute in idea. It was also quite filling and yummy.

Rigatoni With Sweet Potato, Oregano & Parmesan

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 lb rigatoni
4 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
6 to 8 fresh oregano stems
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1) Preheat oven to 375° F.
2) Rinse the sweet potatoes and prick their skins several times with a fork. Place them directly on rack in oven. Bake 1 hour or until soft; set aside.
3) Cook the rigatoni according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
4) In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until just golden. Add the oregano and sauté about 1 minute, until fragrant and slightly crisp.
5) Place the rigatoni in a large bowl. Scoop the potato flesh into the bowl of pasta. Add the olive oil mixture and pasta water and toss. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and Parmesan.

Review: Once again, in Idaho, there’s a difference between sweet potatoes and yams. The picture online had great orange chunks of sweet potatoes. However, I used Idaho sweet potatoes and it just looks like my pasta began shredding! It was super yummy and really filling. Sweet potatoes are really becoming a favorite food of mine!

Linguine With Asparagus & Pine Nuts

12 oz linguine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup shaved Parmesan

1) Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
3) Add the asparagus mixture to the pasta along with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the Parmesan before serving.

Review: This was alright. It didn’t wow me, but was completely edible. I also became aware of the fact that I am in need of a second spaghetti server. Hm, and amazon.com finally got the pink ones in stock! Maybe Mike won’t notice the presence of another pink item in the kitchen . . .

Chickpea Pasta With Almonds & Parmesan

1 Tb olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt
1 lb angel hair pasta
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2) Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
3) Add the pasta and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.
4) Divide among individual bowls and top with the almonds and Parmesan.

Review: This was pretty tasty. I used slivered, blanched almonds and toasted those, which was yummy. I do believe 6 cups of broth is all that is needed, as I had quite a bit of a soup at the bottom of my pot. It had a nice savory flavor that isn’t typical of pasta.

Zucchini Patties With Feta

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from about 3 medium)
1 tsp salt, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (or more) all purpose flour
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 Tbs chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup (about) olive oil
1/2 cup (about) corn oil
Plain Greek yogurt

1) Toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to sieve. Press out excess liquid; place zucchini in dry bowl. Mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 cup flour, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in parsley, onions, and dill. If batter is very wet, add more flour by spoonfuls.
2) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons corn oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into skillet. Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side, adding more olive oil and corn oil as needed. Transfer to paper towels. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Place on baking sheet, cover, and chill. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven 12 minutes. Serve with yogurt.

Review: These were a pain to make, especially with the step of sweating the zucchini. To make it worse, they surprisingly had little flavor. I was super disappointed. The highlight was the greek yogurt, which is still my new favorite thing. And, I bought too much just so I could have some with honey. Yum.