Tag Archives: quick

Spaghetti with Cilantro-Peanut Pesto

I’ve been on a bit of a Southwestern kick lately. Over the last year, I’ve made more and more dishes that involve the classic combination of cilantro, lime, corn, tomatoes, and beans. Part of it has to do with the fact that so many of the things you can make with a Southwestern bent are actually super healthy. Whole wheat quesadillas filled with cumin-scented black beans, onions, and cheese; stuffed peppers with corn and avocado, cheesy enchiladas with beans and tomatoes. These are all things that I’ve been making over and over again throughout the spring and into the summer. Even though it’s been crazy hot out lately, I managed to crank up my oven to 400-degrees for the sake of those enchiladas.

Part of the equation is that all of these dishes can be made with a few staple ingredients, cycling through the different recipes so you’re eating a different meal with slightly different flavors every night, yet nothing goes to waste because it’s languishing, unused, in your fridge.

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Filed under Healthy, Pasta, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian

Spring Garlic Carbonara

This dish has been a winter-long workhorse for me. I must have made it at least a half dozen times over our cold, though snow-less Boston winter. I even made it for my parents when I went home for Christmas. It’s the kind of dish that always sounds like a good idea: pasta studded with just the right amount of crispy, salty pancetta, coated with a rich, creamy (yet cream-less) sauce, and still loaded with a ton of vegetables. I knew I’d post it here in the next few months, but hadn’t found the right excuse. It’s the meal you make late at night, exhausted, after work, and you don’t bother to take photos of the food on the plate because it doesn’t stay there long anyway.

And then this month’s Recipe Redux topic was announced: the first shoots of spring. The theme highlights the first fresh produce of the season, and the recipes (check out more contributions to the Redux below) incorporate a wide range of veggies including ramps, Carolina sweet onions, and asparagus. And I though: what a perfect opportunity to introduce this fabulous carbonara.

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Filed under Eggs, Healthy, Pasta, Quick & Easy