Roasted Vegie Pasta Primivera with Fresh Pesto

Today as I was taking care of my little "garden" I was happy to see my basil flourishing and it put me in the mood for a nice pesto. So, I made up my own version of Pasta Primivera...This goes down as one of Dave's new all time favorites...

Pesto:
*2 cups of fresh basil (I didn't quite pick 2 cup of basil and to make up the difference I added some fresh parsley, lemon balm, oregano, and a few mint leaves)
*1/4 cup toasted pine nutes (to toast these, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes - watch them closely, as they will burn quickly)
*1/2 tsp salt
*few shakes of freshly ground pepper
*around 2/3 cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil in a food processor and combine until well chopped. Slowly add olive oil until a creamy pesto forms to desired consistency.

Pasta Primivera:
*1 - 1 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs
*1/2 pound pasta (Trader Joes has some great organic pasta at very reasonable prices)
*1 red bell pepper
*1 zucchini
*1 large onion
*1 large tomato
*1 cup cherry tomatoes
*2 large carrots
*1 lemon
*freshly grated parmesan cheese
*dried basil and oregano to taste
*salt and pepper to taste

Start by preparing the chicken. Cut the thighs into bite size pieces and place in a baking dish. Cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken and place the two halves in the baking dish. Lightly sprinkle salt and dried basil over chicken. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done at 350 degrees. Next chop your bell pepper, zucchini, large tomato and carrots into bite size pieces. Place on a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with pam. Salt and pepper vegies and sprinkle liberally with dried oregano. Place in oven with chicken. These should bake for 20-25 minutes so they still have a little cruntch to them. Prepare your pasta. Combine, chicken, vegies, pasta, and pesto in large serving bowl and mix well. Garnish each plate with the parmesan cheese (I use a zester to grate mine). Enjoy!

I have been working hard to switch to all organics. I have found that the food comes out tasting much fresher. Trader Joes has a ton of organic items now, as does Vons (our Safeway out here), and Whole Foods, though I tend to buy here as a last resort because they are often more expensive, with the exception of their organic bulk food section. By incorporting more whole grains and beans into our menu, it has made the shopping more afforable, as I am buying less meat. My goal is 2 bean meals a week. If any of you have any other ideas on organic shopping let me know. I am looking for a co-op out here or if anyone knows of any on-line stores that would be cheaper, I would be interested in that, too.