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.

Gingerbread

*One cup dried brown lentils, washed and picked through (make sure there are no little stones in them)

*3 1/2 cups water

*1/2 tsp salt

*3/4 cup vegetable oil

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1 cup molassas

*3 large eggs

*1/3 cup half and half (I used 2% milk)

*1 1/2 cups flour

*1/4 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp cloves (I didn't have these, so I use pumpkin pie spice)

*1 tablespoon ground ginger

*2 tsp cinnamon

*1 tsp baking powder

*1 tsp baking soda

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 inch baking dish. Place the lentils, water, salt, and butter ina saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occastionally. Drain and place the mixture in a food processor or blender. Process until the lentils are smooth.

In a large bowl, cream the oil and brown sugar. Add molasses, beating well. Add eggs and half and half, beating again. Combine the puree and sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat another 3 minutes.

Transfer batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!! If you like, add a little whip cream on top!

Blackbeans topped with Cornbread...

I've adapted this recipe from one of my bean cookbooks...when I try this recipe again, I will double the black bean mixture, as I thought it was a little much cornbread for the amount of beans the recipe called for.

*3 cups cooked black beans (I did mine from dry bean - I did about 2 cups dry beans, covered them in 2-3 inches water and brought them to a boil, then removed them from heat and let them sit for an hour, then drained them, added them to new water and brought them to a simmer for about 45 minutes. You want them to be soft but not mushy. It might sound like a lot of work, but it was really quite easy...)

*1 15 oz jar salsa (I used Peach salsa from Trader Joe's - absolutely delicious)

*4 scallions, chopped

*salt and pepper to taste

For the cornbread topping....

*1 1/4 cup cornmeal

*1 cup all-purpose flour

*1/4 cup sugar

*1 tablespoon baking powder

*1 teaspoon baking soda

*2 cups corn

*2 large eggs

*1 cup non-fat milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with PAM. Combine the beans, scallions, salsa, and salt and pepper, and pour into baking dish. For the cornbread, combine all the ingredients and stir until well mixed. The batter may be slightly lumpy. Spread the mixture evenly over the beans until they are completely covered. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cornbread topping is done. Top with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!!