Tag Archives: Cherry Tomatoes

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

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Last week something very exciting happened.  Something I’ve been waiting ever so patiently for. What we had, some people didn’t even know existed.  Ready for it?  High speed Internet! No more painfully slow dial up, hurray! To be able to sit comfortably on the couch, bring the laptop around the house, upload, download, it’s amazing. Ah, everything seems so easy now.

At night once my husband, my baby and my dog are sleeping, and before I head off to bed, I have some time to peruse the internet. I could spend hours upon hours looking at beautiful food blogs, searching for recipes, ideas for toddler foods, random google searches, pinterest and yes, facebook too.  But mostly food blogs.  Honestly I must have hundreds bookmarked. There are so many I am in aw of; food I would love to make, photos that make you drool, moods, scenes and reactions I would love to create. It’s an addiction, I am fully aware, and completely ok with (hehe).  You can find my current list of favorites on the right hand side of this blog. They’re each inspiring, each different, telling their story photo by photo, recipe by recipe.

I’m also very excited to be able to put some time in on this little blog of mine.  It’s been about 7 months since I started, and I’m so very happy I did.  Starting this had been on my mind for awhile, and it’s been really great, but there’s alot still I’d like to learn about.  I hope you will be patient with me as I work my way around the site figuring out the best layout and design. You may see some small changes one day and some big changes the next. I would love to hear from you if you think one particular layout is better than another, if you see any mistakes I’ve made or if there’s something missing.

This little post here was from one day in the summer.  One day when I looked through the fridge, saw nothing but vegetables and was struck by not knowing what to make.  Literally the only think we had was vegetables.  Not such a bad thing I know, but I was drawing a blank.  So finally after some pondering, repeatedly opening and closing the fridge door to see if anything had changed inside, I came up with Spaghetti Squash Primavera.  Who knew a bowl of veggies, some dried herbs and spices, a few artichokes and a handful or two (or three) of Parmesan Cheese could taste so good.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

1 Spaghetti Squash

3 small zucchinis, diced
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 hot house tomato, diced
1 can artichokes, sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 long red pepper, diced
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
Parmesan Cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely diced
1 tbsp Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop and flesh and seeds.  Spray lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until soft and a fork can easily pull squash out in spaghetti strands.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and let cook until slightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Add zucchinis, yellow and red pepper.  Let cook 2-3 minutes, until just softened.  Once squash has cooled enough to touch, take a fork and scrape out squash working outter edges in, so it pulls out in spaghetti strands.  Add to skillet and mix together.  Add all remaining ingredients, stir together to combine and let cool about 5 minutes or until all ingredients have combined and tomatoes are soft.

Remove from element and stir in parmesan cheese, as much as you would like.  Taste for seasoning.  Divide into bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese.  Serve warm.

Barley & Vegetable Medley Salad

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When I think of barley, I think of stew. Hearty beef and barley stew on a cold winter day.  I now have a newfound admiration for barley and its at the completely opposite spectrum.  Cold barley salad with vegetables on a warm summer day.  This salad is so addictive, it puts regular lettuce salads to shame.

The barley and dressing alone tastes incredible and I will admit, I snuck a couple spoonfuls before adding the vegetables. Tossed together with some fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese creates a salad that’s filling and delectable.

For such a small chewy grain, barley brings so much more to the table than just incredible texture.  It’s soothing to the digestive tract and liver, heals stomach ulcers and lowers cholesterol.

Vegetable Medley & Barley Salad (adapted from Sprouted Kitchen)

1 Cup pearled barley, rinsed
3 Cups Water
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 Large Zucchini, sliced into half circles
1 Yellow Pepper, diced
1 Orange Pepper, diced
2 Cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, finely chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper

In a medium pot, add rinsed barley and 3 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until tender.  Drain any excess water, transfer to a large mixing bowl and mix in garlic and just a pinch of salt while the grains are still hot.  Stir together.  Add oil, honey and vinegar, stir again to coat and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil.  Add zucchini and let cook on medium high heat until slightly browned and cooked through, 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a side plate. Add yellow pepper and a touch more oil, cook for a few minutes, just enough to take the edge off, but still crispy.  Transfer to side plate.  Repeat with orange pepper.

Once zucchini and peppers have cooled, add to mixing bowl with barley and stir together.  Toss in quartered tomatoes, basil and parsley.  Season with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.  Mix together and add extra fresh herbs and vinegar if needed.

Tomato, Basil & Chipotle Pasta Salad

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Rain, rain, rain, a little sun, and more rain.  It’s July, and summer has been almost nonexistent. Not the best summer to be on maternity leave….. Oh who am I kidding, it’s summer and I’m on maternity leave, sun or no sun, I hang with Calla everyday, it’s pretty great.

I haven’t made a pasta salad in years.  Years and years.  Out of nowhere I’ve developed a craving for them and couldn’t have found a better recipe to cure that craving.

Bowties, macaroni, fusili, all work very nice for pasta salads.  The only pasta we had on hand that wasn’t spaghetti or fettucini was penne.  A little on the thicker side, and not what I would consider ‘pasta salad material’, but ended up working just right.

Now go on, get some water salted and set to boil, then start letting those noodles soften up.

Basil can have quite a strong flavor to it, and sometimes I find it tastes a bit like liquorice, when it’s turning I think.  So pick out the greenest, freshest leaves, about 5, or 10 if you like and chop them nice and fine.

I like cherry tomatoes.  I like the burst of juices when you bite into one. I like them more than regular tomatoes in salads.  They hold up longer and when halved, they even hold some creamy sauce. Choose the firmest ones, slice in half and set aside.

Cheese is good in pasta salads. Cheddar, Jack, Mozza, almost any really. The original recipe called for Smoked Gouda, which probably would have been perfect, except we had parm, so that’s what we used, and it was pretty great too. So go ahead and grate some cheese, or cut into cute little cubes, and set aside.

Finally, the creamy, spicy dressing. A little mayo, some milk, white vinegar, and a staple in our house, chipolte puree.  Mix together in a bowl and you got it, set it aside.

Tomato, Basil & Chipotle Pasta Salad (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

450g Penne Noodles
1/2 Cup Light Mayo
1/4 Cup Skim Milk
4 tbsp White Vinegar
1 tbsp Chipotle Puree
Salt & Pepper
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
5-10 Basil Leaves, chopped fine

Bring a medium size pot of water to boil and add noodles.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, rinse under cold water until no longer hot and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together mayo, milk, vinegar, and chipotle puree. Taste for seasoning.

Transfer cooled pasta to a large bowl.  Add dressing and stir well. Add halved tomatoes, grated parm and chopped basil. Mix together well and taste for seasoning.

Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.