Most days when it is hot outside, I hate to eat anything that is too heavy because it will just roll around and wreak havoc in my stomach like that artificial strawberry and cornstarch topping the old Haussner’s in Baltimore used to sell on top of their cheesecake and strawberry pie…uggghhh!
Instead, in the Summer or when I just want to eat light, I opt to separate my proteins from my carbs because I find that the food is digested easier that way and allows me to feel lighter and not overly full. One thing I love to make is my pesto pasta…you can use just about any type of pasta you want, so don’t feel that you have to use the shells if you don’t want to. I like using shells because the pesto sauce fills all of the pasta cavities and really makes for a moist and delicious meal. The beauty of this dish is that you can eat it warm or cold, it is so versatile….if you plan to eat it cold (as leftovers), save some of the pesto sauce and add it to the pasta the next day. If you don’t the pasta will absorb all of the sauce and may appear to be on the dry side…so definitely make extra pesto sauce! The recipe below is enough for one 12oz box of pasta, so plan to double it if you think you will have leftovers.
***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Basil & Pistachio Pesto
1 cup or (approx 20 basil leaves)
1 T freshly chopped parsley
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup pistachios, (**or sub anything you like)
1/3 cup olive oil plus 2 Tablespoons
S&P to taste
Roma tomatoes, diced**can use halved cherry or grape tomatoes also
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, until they are al dente. Once they have cooked drain into a colander and drizzle the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the pasta so that the pasta does not stick together. DO NOT rinse the pasta because the starch will help the pesto coat the pasta. Add all of the ingredients (except the tomatoes and the oil), along with ¼ cup of the grated parmesan cheese to a food processor, and begin to puree everything together. Slowly stream in the oil until you have created an emulsion, it should look like this…
Add the pasta to a large bowl, pour over the pesto and stir well to coat everything. At this point, toss in the tomatoes and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese…so delicious!
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