Food for Thought

Literally.

I love to cook. Even more so, I love to find new recipes and cook them. I think there is a pretty good group of you that could say, "I'm a creature of habit". Although I am very habitual in nature, more so because of anxiety issues and OCD, I LOVE trying new things. Especially food things. I love change. { If I had enough space, I would probably rearrange the furniture in my living room every month} Most people have a lot of  go-to passed-down-from-your-mother-recipes, as I do. But I feel the need to expand my repertoire every now and again, which is why I am posting about this little beauty:

Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas and Parmesan. I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. Love that website. I can always find something tasty. Although Mel does post some healthy dishes, beware. There are some REALLY good ones that have a lot of that butter, olive oil, and heavy cream. Your cholesterol may jump 20 points just from looking at the pictures. Sadly, it hasn't stopped me. I check Mel's website a couple times a week for new posts.

Anyway. Here be the recipe. It is delish. She says it's a side dish, but I ate it as a full meal. It was very filling, and I have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.

I omitted the spinach, because I just don't like cooked spinach mixed in things. Personal preference. Still good.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas and Parmesan
*adapted from My Kitchen Cafe



*Serves 6-8



3/4 pound fusilli pasta

3/4 pound bow tie pasta

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups pesto (jarred or from your own favorite recipe)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise (I used light mayo with great results)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted

1/3 cup pine nuts

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is cooked to your liking. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature, tossing every once in a while to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other as they cool.



In a food processor or blender, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Voila!



Let me know if any of you try it. I'm interested to know if you liked it as well. :)