Be a Vegetarian Tonight

This pasta dish has so much flavor that meat-eaters won't even miss the meat. Well, they might but what the heck. Having a meatless meal one or two nights a week is good nutritrition. Not to mention a savings for the wallet. I went to buy a flank steak yesterday - you know, the one I woke up thinking about  last week - and it was $17. Uh, no thanks. I can get a pound of huge Gulf shrimp for less than that.

Anyway, Cathy Martin, my counterpart at the MIami Herald, wrote about Robin MIller of the Food Network last week and included this recipe. It's good and quick, too, for busy weeknights.

Let's have a good week, no?

ROTELLE WITH BROILED FETA, SNOW PEAS, AND YELLOW BELL PEPPER

12 ounces rotelle or any spiral shaped pasta, preferably whole-grain
8 ounces feta cheese, cut crosswise into -½-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ red onion, sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups snow peas (fresh or frozen)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Arrange the feta slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, stirring, 1 minute. Add snow peas and bell pepper; cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Add to pasta.

Add remaining oil and the vinegar, tossing to combine. Stir in basil, sprinkle with pine nuts and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with feta and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Adapted from "Robin Miller Quick Fix Meals."

Per serving (with whole-grain pasta): 363 calories (32 percent from fat), 13.6 g fat (6.4 g saturated, 5.2 g monounsaturated), 33.6 mg cholesterol, 14.9 g protein, 49.8 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fiber, 431.7 mg sodium.

Comments

[Pat Pat]

Glad I found this page.