2012

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions.  I think the pressure to actually follow through with a resolution is part of the reason that I don't make any.  However, after eating the crap (very, very delicious crap) that I've been eating for the past month, I decided that the new year is a great excuse for a new, healthy beginning.  My healthier life will come with three changes: eating foods that are as fresh as possible and not processed, doing some form of exercise every day, and changing my drinking habits (less alcohol, more water).

In my attempt to makeover my diet, I am planning on blogging about the meals that I make, including how you can make them and also my personal review of the recipe.  Tonight, I bought some zucchini and yellow squash at the store.  I knew I already had some penne pasta, so I went to AllRecipes.com (LOVE this website!) and clicked on the "Ingredients" link at the top of the main page above the search bar.  This feature allows you to list what ingredients you want to be in the recipes that you are searching for and also has another section for ingredients you don't want in the recipe.

After searching for a recipe with zucchini, yellow squash, penne pasta, and olive oil, I came across a recipe for No-Cream Pasta Primavera.  I changed the recipe slightly because I only had 9 of the 21 ingredients, so my version of this dish compared to the original is much simpler with fewer ingredients, but I think that's what makes it so delicious.  This is the recipe I ended up with:

No-Cream Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
2 yellow squashes, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese [not pictured]


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. [I just ran out of aluminum foil a couple days ago, so I used a cake pan sprayed with Pam and it worked just as well!]

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. In a bowl, toss squash and zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Arrange vegetables on baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.

4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet.

Stir in the cooked pasta and roasted vegetables.  Gently toss and cook until heated through.

Sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

Overall, I though this recipe turned out really well!  Of course there are changes I will make for the next time I make this, but for the first time making it, I really enjoyed it.  Other vegetables in the original recipe were carrots, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, fresh green beans, and asparagus, and it also called for some lemon juice and chopped fresh basil leaves and parsley.

I'll be back soon with another recipe!