CSA harvest Box: week 16 part 2 and week 17 part 1

I used some of the peppers from last week when I made pasta primavera. They played such a small roll I normally wouldn't post about it, but I had to share with you a yummy healthy trick I just tried! Matt and I are watching "the biggest looser" this season and in one episode they mentioned you could replace half of your pasta with zucchini. I'd been dying to try it since. It was SO good! If you wanted to "hide" the zucchini, you could probably peel it first, but we like zucchini so I just sliced it into small strips and tossed it in with the pasta for the last minute it was boiling. (I mean, if you boil your pasta for 10 minutes, you toss in the zucchini after 9 minutes and drain it all together at 10.) Seriously, it was awesome. We are so doing this again. (My pasta primavera also had mushrooms, asparagus, and peas. From (gasp!) Winco and we tossed in some left-over cooked chicken at the end.)

Pasta Primavera (to the best I can recall!)

olive oil

1 # asparagus, ends snapped off, cut into 1" pieces

2 zucchinis, sliced like strands of pasta

4 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 handful frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

sweet red pepper, minced

salt & pepper, red pepper flakes

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 C milk

1/2 # pasta

1/4 C fresh basil, minced

juice from one lemon

chopped cooked chicken (about a cup)

grated Parmesan

- boil salted water for pasta

- spray a saute pan with olive oil spray and heat over medium-high. Saute asparagus, mushrooms, red pepper, garlic, and spices until crisp tender. (If you're not used to cooking veggies this way, you may want to saute them one type at a time so nothing gets over-cooked. Or if your pan is too small for them all!)

-transfer veggies to a bowl

-add can of tomatoes & juice to empty pan until they thicken up a bit. Probably about 5 minutes. Stir in milk and simmer until thickened up a bit again. Probably about 5 minutes again. Stir in fresh basil. (if using dried, add it when cooking the veggies instead).

-when the water is boiling, add pasta and cook 8 minutes. Add the zucchini to the pot, boil one more minute, and drain all together. Make sure to save about 1/2 C cooking water.

-stir the pasta, sauce, veggies, and chicken all together. If it seems dry, add a little of the pasta water until it seems right. If you don't care about the calories, stir in some butter. Mmmmm. Season further with salt and pepper if needed, and top with Parmesan.

Stuffed Eggplant! I scooped out the flesh and cooked it with white wine, fresh basil, onion, garlic, mushrooms, shrimp, red pepper, and home-make whole-wheat bread crumbs. Sprinkled with Parmesan and baked it. If I wound up with another eggplant, I'd make it again. I'm just not a fan of eggplant, I guess.

Week 17 of 18! Beets, sugar pie pumpkin, 2 acorn squash, pears, onion, sweet potatoes, peppers, and dried beans. We made a batch of curry rice & kidney beans this week with the dried beans, but everything else is still untouched! I guess it is only Wednesday. And I'm about to go roast the peppers right now. (Hurry, before Rowen wakes up!)