Tonight's Dinner: September 10, 2014

Tonight I actually did eat dinner because it turned out pretty well.  I don't know how people can be vegetarians full time.  It gets kind of boring and I haven't found many recipes that have piqued my interest.  Most are loaded with extra carbs and cheese.  I wouldn't normally think this is a problem, but we're trying to eat a little bit leaner since we gorged on our trip.  I haven't been very good with sticking to a healthy diet during lunch because my office eats out a lot, but for breakfast I've been juicing and dinner eating light meals.  I'm just really glad that I don't have an affinity for sweets.

I made a vegetable pasta salad with the usual garlic-balsamic vinaigrette that my good friend taught me. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I love pasta.  This pasta salad has more vegetables than pasta.  This is a big deal for me.  It took a lot of restraint not to pour the whole bag of pasta in to boil. I first blanched the broccoli in large pieces and then cut them into bite sized to prevent it from overcooking.  If I cut the broccoli ahead of time, it could easily get to soft.  We don't like our broccoli raw, but we still like it to have a lot of crunch.  This technique is something new that I tried, and it worked out really well.

Vegetable Pasta Salad 

1/2 c broccoli, chopped
1/2 c baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 Persian cucumbers, diced
1 can olives, halved
3 small tomatoes, cut into 8ths
1/2 lb pasta (any shape) 

Directions:
Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  All other vegetables remain raw.  Combine ingredients and mix with dressing of your choice.  Let dressing absorb for 15-20 minutes before eating. 

Garlic-Balsamic Dressing 

3 garlic cloves; grated (use microplane)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c EVOO
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt 

Directions:
In small jar combine ingredients and shake until emulsified or to desired consistency.