Creamy Pesto Pasta

Blogging Marathon# 54: Week 1/ Day 3

Theme: Vegetarian Italian dishes

Dish: Creamy Pesto Pasta

Kids sure are very unpredictable. My son is the picky eater in the house and my daughter is an adventurous eater, but they are slowly reversing their likes. The little one is becoming too picky and doesn't want to try anything new.

I made this creamy pesto pasta for dinner one day and since I wasn't sure if the kids would like it, I made them something else too. But my son declared that pesto sauce is his second favorite pasta sauce right after marinara sauce. Then my little one tried a little bit and wanted to eat it for her dinner too. So the kids ate most of the pasta and the adults ended up eating what I made for the kids.

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Broccoli Basil Pesto

VeganMofo Day 30: Super storm Sandy has created quite a havoc in the tri-state area. Thankfully we were not affected too badly; few of our sidings flew away due to the wind but my husband was able to bring them back this morning; a ton of broken branches in the backyard, but no damage to the property. 

Even though Sandy did not affect us directly, we have been impacted by it indirectly. We are in the middle of changing our kitchen counter top and the guys ripped out our old counter and sink last week. We were expecting the new counter installed today, but thanks to Sandy the counter guys are not even picking up their phone. So now here we are with a kitchen with just a working stove and everything else gutted out, keeping our fingers crossed on when we can get the fully functional kitchen back. 

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Panaeng Curry with Tofu & Peppers

Panaeng Curry is one of my favorite Thai curries because it's creamy, mild and not as spicy as other Thai curries. Panaeng curry paste has peanuts and the usual Thai ingredients like lemon grass, galangal, garlic, coriander seeds etc. 

This curry usually is drier than most Thai curries. Its dryness is acieved by reduction, which, at the end, leaves the curry with an intense taste. 

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Linguine with Pesto & Artichokes

Last night’s meal was a breeze to make; Spinach Linguine with Pesto & Artichokes, from Isa’s Veganomicon. I used regular linguine instead of spinach flavored one and it was still delicious. Also the recipe calls for Cilantro-Basil pesto, I used regular basil pesto, and again we liked and enjoyed the dish.

Recipe adapted from Veganomicon
Ingredients:
Linguine – ½ lb
Red Onion – 1 medium, chopped into thin half moons
Garlic – 3 cloves

Pesto – about 2/3 cup (or more), I used 5 cubes of frozen pesto made from here

Artichokes – 1 16 oz. can, drained and rinsed, cut into quarters (not the marinated in oil kind, but the once in brine)

Method:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with generous amount of salt. Add linguine to water and bring to a boil and simmer for at least 10 minutes or until tender (al dente).
• In the meantime, heat 2tbsp oil in a large skillet; add the onions and sauté until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Pasta should be cooked by this time; using a slotted spoon carefully add the pasta into the onion mixture along with some of the pasta water.
• Mix in pesto and artichokes. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

My Container Garden & Eggplant Sandwich

My container garden is doing pretty good except for the two tomato plants and squash have practically overgrown the pot, but I'm going to risk it for this summer and leave them in there. Lesson for next season is to buy some bigger pots. Here are a few pictures.

Mint

Cherry Tomatoes

Cayenne Pepper

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich:

I had a roasted eggplant sandwich with sautéed spinach, roasted red peppers and provolone cheese called “Aunt Nina’s Sandwich” in a small Italian Café type place recently. Though the sandwich itself was very bland, I liked the combination of ingredients. So I tried to recreate it at home; I used Ciabatta bread and spread store-bought pesto on it and I have to say I liked my sandwich much better than the original.

Ingredients:
Eggplant – 1 medium, cut into ½” thick pieces
Spinach – 2 cups, chopped
Roasted red peppers, canned – 3 slices, cut into strips
Pesto – ¼ cup
Monterey Jack cheese – 4 slices thinly cut

Method:

• Heat a stove-top grill pan (or use outdoor grille) on medium high; Spray lightly with cooking spray and grill eggplants until grill marks are formed and the pieces are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes each side.
• Remove and keep aside.
• In the meantime sauté spinach with 1 clove garlic and season with salt & pepper. Keep aside.
• Drain and pat dry roasted red peppers; cut into thin strips.
• To assemble; spread about 1tbsp pesto on the bread halves. Arrange 3-4 eggplant pieces on the bottom half of the bread. Scatter spinach and red peppers; arrange 2 cheese slices. Cover with the top half of the bread. Press lightly and enjoy.

This sandwich is off to Priya (@ Easy n Tasty Recipes) for her AFAM-Bell Peppers Event. AFAM is the brainchild of Maheshwari. Thank you Priya for reminding me of AFAM.