Very Veggie Pasta + a special birthday

New Blog Design!

Good Morning folks! Well, my new design is complete! What do you think? I am loving it!

I want to give a BIG thank you to The Blog Fairy, for creating it for me.

If you are looking to give your blog a little touch-up, or even a full on makeover; she is the gal to go to!

Dinner

Last night I made one of my favorite quick and healthy dinners. I like to call it “Very Veggie Pasta” because it has a little pasta and A LOT of veggies.

Here is how I make it:

VERY VEGGIE PASTA

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup – 1 cup cooked brown rice pasta (or pasta of choice)
• 1-2 cup(s) tomato sauce or 1 can of diced tomatoes (you can add more or less depending on how “saucy"” you like your sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped onion or shallot
• 1-2 cloves Garlic chopped
• CHOPPED VEGGIES (Try: bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach… but you don’t have to use them all at once )
• Balsamic vinegar
• Herbs + Spices (to your liking)
• Cheese (optional) 

 

I wish I could give you better measurements but I usually just use whatever I have around and in whatever amounts I feel like!*

Directions:

• For last nights pasta I used 1.5 chopped shallots , 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 large zucchini chopped, 1 chopped red bell pepper and  1 can rinsed and drained baby lima beans.
• I made two versions – 1 with brown rice pasta for me, and 1 with gnocchi for the bf.
• I sautéed the shallot it a tiny bit of olive oil for about 3 minutes, then I added the garlic and cooked for another 1 minute.
• I then added the red pepper and zucchini and cooked for another 5 minutes
• Then I added in the beans (This was a mistake. If you are cooking with beans, add them in near the very end so they don’t overcook….like mine did!)
• After the veggies softened a little, I added in 1 cup of San Marzano tomato sauce (it was not nearly enough, I should have added more!)
• I added some herbs and spices (in my case Salt, Pepper, Herbes de Provence, Chili powder and red pepper flakes)
• At the last minute I added a splash of balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I change it up by adding a splash a lemon juice. (Or sometimes I do both!)

For the bf’s pasta I combined the veggie sauce with cooked gnocchi and sprinkled swiss emmental cheese on top.

Melty deliciousness
 

For mine I combined the veggie sauce with cooked brown rice pasta and put a bit of goats cheese on top.

Not as melty but still delicious!

Next time: More sauce and beans last!

And now for a special announcement…

Today an old friend of mine turns 40.

Happy Birthday to SESAME STREET!

(Look even Google is celebrating!)

I knew I had to pay homage to this show, as it played a key role in raising me.
I think I spent the majority of my toddler years parked in my high chair in front of the TV, with a bowl of KD and my eyes glued to those lovable characters. 
If anyone was the biggest fan of Sesame Street, I believe it was me.

No, seriously…Get this: My first word was “Elmo”. I swear! Ask my mom! 

Remember the song?
“Sunny day sweepin’ the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get, How to get to Sesame Street…”

*Sigh*…childhood memories.

************
Now that you know mine, I would LOVE to know what your favorite show was when you were a kid.