Farmers' Market Pasta Salad with Spinach Pesto

As much as I love doing guest posts, I had recently sworn off doing any until I could get caught up on my own blog. Yet, just days after making this resolution, I received a guest post invitation from the folks at Bldg 25. I happen to be a follower of the blog, and a big fan of the clothing brand, Free People, which the site represents. If you're wondering what a clothing company's blog might have to do with food, hop on over, as you'll be pleasantly surprised to find blog posts about everything from diy projects to beauty tips, and much more.
Being a fan, I could hardly say no {I was also quite flattered to be asked!} - so I got to work developing this recipe, as part of their new series titled Living Local, which "explores the different facets of living a mindful locavore lifestyle". When given the option, buying local is always my preferred method when choosing the foods we eat, and I am quite lucky to live in an area that has some of the most extensive and plentiful Farmers' Markets around. 

For this recipe, I paid a visit to the Westport Farmers' Market, which happens to be one of my favorites. Not only because it's large, with a vast selection of locally grown produce, but also because they're committed to selecting vendors who sell organic, and non-GMO foods only. This results in one potential downside for me, in that there are so many beautiful items to choose from, I end up buying more than I intended to! As case in point, after arriving with the intention of buying one bunch of greens, this trip yielded two bunches of mizuna {one red variegated & one green}, a bunch of spinach, a bag of mesclun greens, and a small container of red orach micro greens...not to mention the items I purchased which were unrelated to this recipe. When I got home and mulled over some ideas, I decided to incorporate all of the greens in a pasta salad dressed with a pesto made using fresh spinach.

I love traditional basil pesto, but frankly I'm not the biggest fan of having it over pasta. Mostly because I find it can be too overwhelming a flavor when eating so much of it. I prefer using basil pesto in other applications, such as drizzled over fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, dolloped on homemade pizza, or substituting it for mayonnaise on a sandwich. This inspired my interest in making a pesto with a milder favor, that I could enjoy over pasta, and which allowed the ingredients served with it a chance to stand out as well.
I began by swapping out the basil in favor of fresh spinach, which is not only a notably milder green, but also a significantly less expensive one. Another change was the oil I used. The slightly bitter flavor of olive oil can stand up to bold-flavored basil, however, it's not as well suited for spinach. So, after experimenting with some neutral-flavored oils that I thought might work well with spinach, I decided the best match was grapeseed oil.
Finally, another component of pesto that I usually always have on hand, is good Parmesan cheese. But the day I made this, I happened to have a block of Grana Padano in the fridge. This turned out to be a blessing, because I actually loved it for this recipe. In fact, I might go as far as saying I preferred it.

Grana Padano is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano in many ways, but some of the ways they differ are in texture, flavor and price. Grana is typically less expensive, the flavor is less salty and intense, and it has a slightly softer texture. In keeping with my goal of a 'less-overpowering' pesto, it worked very well. Try playing around with some locally-grown greens for this pasta salad...it's really about using what's available to you. Enjoy!
Some more of my Pesto favorites - Traditional Basil Pesto | Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken | Roasted Tomatoes with Pesto | Roasted Almond Ricotta Pesto with Olives | Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Pomodoro Fresco Pasta Salad

A while back I received a copy of the cookbook In a Small Kitchen to review. It's written by the 20-something girls, Cara Eisenpress & Phoebe Lapine from the food blog, Big Girls Small Kitchen. I'm just finally getting around to it now, which is an indication of just how insanely busy my summer has been thus far!
As much as I love cookbooks, I am extremely selective in the ones I purchase...or, even accept for free...as I don't want to amass an enormous collection of cookbooks unless they'll be used on a fairly regular basis. {Is there a term for the opposite of being a hoarder? A minimalist? If so, that's me.}
But, I happen to be a fan of these girls. I love that they've been bitten by the food bug at such a young age and I appreciate their love of entertaining. I heard about their blog for the first time while watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa on The Food Network, in which they were guests. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover...but, looking at the cover of this cookbook, I could tell right away I would like it.
The recipes within it's pages are very accessible, even for beginners in the realm of cooking. At the same time they're still sophisticated. The cookbook has an original approach, where it's recipes are organized by the occasions for which one would cook...such as meals perfect when you're cooking for one, or having a date night, or hosting a dinner party. This one was from the section titled, Potlucking...under the subcategory, Packing a Picnic. Each section of also full of stories and food inspirations. It's one of very few cookbooks I've known that reads like an actual book, in that you could read it cover to cover.
What drew me to this recipe is that it's exactly the type of meal I would naturally make for a summer dinner, albeit a bit more refined than my typical version. When I looked at the ingredients list I realized it was basically my mother's bruschetta {with a few extra ingredients} mixed with pasta. My mom makes her signature dish many times every summer with her garden tomato harvests. She serves it with toasted bread slices as an appetizer. It's something that we all look forward to!
This recipe is called a pasta salad, as it's supposed to be served at room temperature, and can be made ahead of time. But, you could certainly serve it warm by adding in the hot pasta and plating it up right away. I love their idea of adding in some balsamic vinegar and a touch of sugar, as I knew it would add a nice sweetness to balance the acidic nature of tomatoes. It couldn't be easier to make and it's sure to be popular with anyone you serve it to...even with the a picky kid crowd.
ALSO...Today, I am offering up TWO free copies of "In a Small Kitchen" by Cara Eisenpress & Phoebe Lapine! To enter for a chance to win one, just leave a comment below. Winners will be randomly selected on Monday, August 1st {my birthday!}. Don't forget to leave contact information!
UPDATE: And the WINNERS are...Comments #1 {Lindsay!} and #14 {Joanne!}. Please send me an email with your contact info, so I can mail you your cookbooks! You can find my email in the "About Me" section above. Thanks All!

Ricotta, Spinach & Bulgur Stuffed Shells

I am so behind in posting, it's ridiculous. I have several recipes just waiting to be organized, edited and published. But, life keeps getting in the way. I have my sister and nieces visiting from Oregon for 2 weeks! Which is fun...but, not very conducive to getting a whole lot done. My mother is also planning a big move out West...which, is a whole 'nother story...one that I will share more about at a later date.
Of all the meals I've been cooking, and preparing to share here....this recipe wouldn't have been the first I would have chosen {not because it isn't delicious, because it is!}. Mainly because, who the heck wants to make stuffed shells right now?! It's nearly July!
The thing is, up until this past week, it's been unseasonably chilly in New England. We've had loads of rain, wind and thunderstorms. That works out well for making comfort casserole dinners, like this one. I also knew that with my sister in town, the leftovers would be eaten {which happened with remarkable swiftness}.
I've been wanting to make this since I first saw it in Whole Living magazine a few months ago. I was intrigued by the idea of adding bulgur wheat to the filling...something I've never seen done before. I love bulgur wheat. For those of you not familiar with the grain, it's a type of whole wheat...which has been parboiled, dried and ground. It has a great texture and a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. Because it's parboiled, it cooks very quickly, with little effort and has a high nutritional content...being high in fiber, protein and B vitamins.
One of the benefits of adding it to a recipe like this one is that it helps add nutrition to something otherwise not all that good for you. It also lowers the fat content by substituting some of the cheesy filling without sacrificing great flavor.
I, however, added some of the fat right back in by using my favorite tomato sauce recipe instead of the one recommended. I'm addicted to that sauce, and so is my family. Of course, you can absolutely use the sauce of your liking to keep it more low-fat. I also made a few other changes to the recipe, based on what I had in my pantry...like, substituting crushed tomatoes for whole, adding some fresh mozzarella on top of the shells instead of Parmesan, and cutting back on the quantity of spinach. I was very happy with the results, so I think I'll stick with this.

Baked Pasta & Mini Meatballs

This is the perfect cold weather, family meal. It's easy to make it ahead, store it & heat it up when you're in a pinch...trying to come up with something quick to make for dinner. Something that the whole family will eat. This recipe is my spin on the classic Baked Ziti. I added some mini meatballs, because I knew my kids would go nuts for them.
It deviates from my traditional meatball recipe, because I have added some ground pork to these. I thought it would keep the meatballs moist, since they are getting fried, simmered & then baked. It worked.
The sauce is a version of the Tomato Sauce with Onions & Butter I made recently, from Marcella Hazan. So good! I'm a seriously hooked on that stuff. I added a bit of garlic & pureed the sauce through a food mill...the smoother texture goes over better with my kids. But, you can easily leave it chunky...or, even use a good quality jarred sauce to save time.

Warm Orzo Salad with Beets & Greens

We have really enjoyed having a "real" vegetable garden this year. It's been a learning experience for us & we have been successful in some areas & not so successful in others. Our basil, squash & cucumbers were completely devoured by some sort of night time garden intruders. Our tomatoes did just okay. Eggplants & bell peppers were perfect & bountiful.
Then, we had beets.
I planted them from seed. Some of them decided to grow & some of them did not. But, the great thing was, they weren't bothered in the least by any rodents, or insects, who considered our garden their own personal dinner table. So, while some of the beets didn't grow to an edible size, the greens were gorgeous. The most amazing bright green leaves, variegated with deep purple veins.
I harvested them this week, with a mission to come up with something to do with them, that could also use up the greens. This is what I came up with.
I was very pleased with the results...the bitter greens, the sweet beets, some salty feta...it was delicious. I especially loved the colors in this salad. It's like Fall on a plate.

Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

In the world of food blogging, this recipe is all over the interwebs...and, of course, there's a reason why.
It's amazing!
I've been wanting to blog this recipe for some time now & decided I would wait until the end of summer to make it, using my ripe garden tomatoes. Unfortunately, our new veggie garden is in such a spot, that it is not getting sufficient enough sun to ripen our tomatoes {except for hundreds of cherry tomatoes, thankfully}.
It's a huge bummer. But, a lesson learned.
This recipe is from the goddess of Italian home cooking, Marcella Hazan. It's quite possibly the most delicious tomato sauce you'll ever taste...Bozo #2, who will normally not touch pasta with tomato sauce on it, was eating it straight with a spoon.
Plus, with one pot & three ingredients there's no reason not to give it a try.

Cold Sesame Noodles

I've tried countless recipes for sesame noodles & there is always something about each of them that I'm not completely wild about. Either it's too heavy on the peanut butter, or not heavy enough...too vinegary tasting, or too bland...
Here, I have come up with my own recipe...adding in all the things I love & leaving out the things I don't.
For the first time in a long while, I tried making them with Soba noodles {Japanese buckwheat noodles}...which, many recipes out there actually call for. Usually, I just use regular spaghetti. After trying these, I think I'll bag the Soba noodles next time. I've decided I like plain ole' spaghetti better. But, by all means, use whichever you'd like.
When it's as hot as it has been outside, eating cold sesame noodles is the best. It's a great picnic food & leftovers are always fantastic too!

Macaroni Salad

I made this macaroni salad for the Fourth of July. I wanted to make some classic picnic foods & this recipe came to mind. Like most Macaroni salad recipes, this one is super basic. Yet, a bit un-traditional, with the use of red onion & parsley.
It's a perfect make ahead side dish & can be chilled for up to two days.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

As promised, more from Cooks Illustrated "30 Minute Meals" mag. How could I resist making this meal? It's perfect in every way. It's has all of your typical dinner food groups, all in one bowl. It can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. It tastes delicious the day of, or days after. It's simple, nutritious & quick.
Then, the sugar on top...everyone in my family will eat it! My Bozos love pesto, which is great for me, because I do too!
They finished school this week & I need all the help I can get keeping them entertained. So, I brought them both into the kitchen for this dinner...I even let my 8 yo. grill the chicken! Which, I'm pretty sure was the highlight of his life so far...along with making me coffee in the morning {Is this really happening?}.
If you've never served pesto to your kids & you're not sure how they will like it...this is a great start. As, this particular recipe for pesto is pretty mild. It contains more nuts than typical versions & less garlic. Not like the pesto I am used to, but so good!

Morel Mushroom Ravioli

My mother recently made a visit out to my brother & his family, in Jackson Hole Wyoming. It's morel mushroom hunting season out there & she came home with a container for me. I love morels. But, I have never had the opportunity to cook with them fresh before. So, I was pretty excited.
The problem was, I had no idea what to do with them! I wanted to make something, where they would be the highlight of the dish & not overpowered by any other flavors. I scrolled around the Internet looking for some inspiration. What stood out for me the most was the idea of making some mushroom ravioli. None of the recipes I saw really appealed to me much. So, I came up with my own, using snippets of ideas from this & that.
Another inspiration, was my wanting to finally crack open my pasta machine, which I have probably owned for 10 years & never used. This was my first time making homemade pasta...and, while time consuming...it was super easy! So easy, I wondered why it's taken me so long. Our raviolis came out very rustic, as I had both the Bozos in the kitchen helping me out.

Penne Frittata

I saw this dish in the current issue of Martha Stewart Living & got right to it. I had everything I needed to make it in the house, plus, some basil in the garden. It's a heartier version of a simple frittata. The pasta also made it more kid-friendly.
It was a snap to whip up & I would imagine it would be delicious with anything creative you could throw in there.

Zucchini & Sausage Carbonara

As I mentioned yesterday, I am loving Jaime Oliver's iPhone app, called "20 Minute Meals". This was the first recipe I tried from it & it was delicious. Super easy to make too, but tastes like it took a lot longer...like something you'd get in a fancy Italian restaurant.
While the meals claim to take 20 minutes to prepare, for most home cooks out there, it will take a bit longer. Even myself, who cooks often, is not all that speedy in the kitchen & all the chopping takes more time...but it's still a great weeknight dinner.
This recipe can easily be adapted to suit your taste. You can make the pasta alone with nothing else, but the bacon, cheese & egg {a more traditional carbonara}, or sub in your favorite vegetable. It was a great all-in-one dinner. But, the pasta alone was equally fantastic!
As a side note...the first time I had sausage prepared this way {rolled into little meatballs}, was when my brother {a real chef} made them for paella {it was unbelievable...like everything he makes}. I thought it was the most brillant idea! My kids love sausage. They love meatballs. And, I thought to myself...wow, this would be so much easier than making traditional mini meatballs. Well, since then, I have yet to make them. Until now...The Bozos loved 'em!

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Spinach & Prosciutto

Like anyone out there in the holiday mode, I have been very busy lately. So, when I saw a recent issue of America's Test Kitchen-30 minute Suppers, packed full of 96 recipes that all cook in 30 minutes, I bought it.
This easy & quick pasta dinner is from that issue. It was delicious.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

It has been pretty slim pickins' around The Parsley Thief lately. I have been caught up in the whirlwind of the Thanksgiving festivities {I hosted 15 at my house & went all out}, having my little sister in town for two weeks from Oregon {with my adorable niece, Sadie}, and trying to get a start on the Christmas season {shopping, ordering holiday cards & hosting a Tree Trimming party at my place this Sunday}. I can't promise that there will be much in the way of cooking posts this month. But, I'll do my best!
Mamalizza has been nagging me to make some mac n' cheese. So, I finally did. I don't really make the homemade variety anymore. The bozos are used to their boxed Annie's & when I put something with breadcrumbs on their plates, they are like, what is this?! If you think your child will be equally picky, you can easily leave them off.
This is an adapted version of a recipe I made quite frequently, back in my Brooklyn years {before children} & it was my favorite hangover special.
It does require more effort than opening a box & blending some powdered cheese. So, I recommend making 2 & freezing one for later {save it for the next hangover}.

Broccoli & Bow Ties

This recipe is a great kid-friendly, weeknight standby. It's so easy to adapt however you wish. You can add a different veggie, some chicken, or shrimp. Just adjust the sauce as needed & make a bit more if you add a lot.
It can also be made ahead of time & reheated in the microwave.

Begin by grating the zest of one lemon.

Spaghetti with Braised Kale

Kale is really good for you. Being that it's very earthy tasting & slightly bitter, it's probably not high up there on your favorite foods list. The flavor reminds me of something close to broccoli rabe, or a brussels sprout. I love both of those vegetables & I like kale too.
If you have never tried it, or want to give it another chance, this is a great dish. The braising refers to a slow, longer cooking method & it suits this vegetable very well.

Rigatoni with Zucchini, Sausage & Goat Cheese

I picked up a special edition of Fine Cooking magazine, called "Big Buy" at Costco before vacation. I hoped to find some good big batch dinner ideas that I could freeze for quick meals down the road. I brought it along with me while away & my stepmother made this recipe one night for dinner. It was devoured so quickly, I barely remember it being on anyone's plate.
I used whole wheat pasta, because that's what I had on hand. It was a smaller shape than most rigatoni & I would recommend getting the bigger kind, if you can.

To prepare, dice 2 medium zucchinis, crumble 3 ounces of plain goat cheese,