My name is Mary. I love cooking healthy food for family & friends, making specialty coffee, wine tasting, finding great beauty products, traveling, and organizing everything. I document it all here! xo
All tagged pasta
This butternut squash mac and cheese recipe is cozy, comforting, rich, “cheesy” and healthy-ish?? Well, it is filled with tons of disguised veggies blended together into deliciousness. The breaded top adds a nice crunchy texture that is oh-so-yummy when combined with the creaminess of the mac n' cheese. I have been waiting for fall just so I could share this recipe with you, and am so excited for you to try it!
This simple creamy-miso lentil pasta is one of my go-to weeknight recipes that comes together with items you probably already have in your pantry, save maybe the miso…but don’t leave it out, it’s the star ingredient here, and gives the dish that nice umami flavor. The pasta is relatively bright for the fall, brought on by the citrus notes from the lemon and peppery arugula, not to mention packed with protein and healthy fats from the lentil pasta, olives and cashews. Californians will definitely want to add an avocado to the dish (I do, and you should!), but it’s not necessary.
'Tis the season for barbecues, pot lucks and social gatherings. I'm always racking my brain for dishes that can be made ahead of time and don't necessarily need to be heated or chilled upon serving. And on such occasions, particularity when it's hot, it's best to make a dish that's simple and requires no baking. This elbow pasta fits the bill and is oh so delicious with sweet summer tomatoes and a vibrant pesto sauce. If you find some amazing tomatoes at the market that you can't fathom cooking, just forgo that part of the recipe and slice them up, mix them with some good olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed garlic and add them to the pasta that way.
Bon appetit!
I've been meaning to put this recipe up on the blog, as it's always in my weekly rotation in some form, especially during spring and summer. It's crunchy, tangy, savory and all together one big sheet-pan of yum! Oh, and you'll want to serve this pasta right on the pan so everyone gets equal access to that crunchy top layer. You can prepare this dish in advance and then pop it in the oven just before serving. It can be enjoyed at room temp, making it a great companion for a pot luck or BBQ.
Last week my family and I rented a beautiful home in the Montecito neighborhood of Santa Barbara. The house was set high up in the hills and overlooked the Santa Barbara and Ventura County coastline. We had a pool, hot tub, BBQ, a breathtaking view (pictures to come!), so naturally we didn't want to leave our lavish digs.
Since there were usually between six and eight of us for dinner, we wanted to plan meals that were simple and could feed a large group of people. I scoured through some of my favorite cookbooks to find some tasty, family style recipes. This pasta dish was adapted from one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks, Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio. Jeanine's recipe uses roasted brussel sprouts which would be delicious, but brussel sprouts really make my IBS symptoms flair up. You can honestly throw in whatever vegetables you fancy and substitute ingredients depending on what's in season. We easily doubled this recipe and had leftovers to take on our picnic lunch in wine country the following day.
