ZUCCHINI RIBBON, QUINOA, & PESTO SALAD

~ Naturally Ella 

1 large zucchini

1/2 c. cooked quinoa

2 c. packed basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c. pine nuts

1/3 c. parmesan 

2 T. olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

Use a vegetable peeler to peel zucchini into ribbons. Combine zucchini and quinoa in a serving bowl. Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry skillet, then set aside to cool.  

Pulse garlic in food processor. Add basil, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice. Pulse until well combined; if necessary, add more olive oil or lemon juice to reach desired consistency. Mix pesto with zucchini and quinoa.   

Notes: You could use store-bought pesto in a pinch, but I like being able to leave this pesto at a chunkier consistency for this dish. For a vegetarian meal, it's good served with roasted mushrooms with garlic, thyme, and balsamic vinegar.

BARLEY BAKE

~ allrecipes

1/4 c. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 c. uncooked pearl barley
1/2 c. pine nuts
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 14.5 oz. cans vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, barley, and pine nuts. Cook and stir until barley is lightly browned. Mix in green onions, mushrooms, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart casserole dish, and stir in the vegetable broth. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until liquid has been absorbed and barley is tender.

PESTO

~ Kathy Ward

2 c. fresh basil
2-4 cloves garlic
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/4 - 1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 – 1/2 c. olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in a food processor and blend. Once everything is finely chopped and while processor is running, pour in olive oil.

Makes about one cup, depending on how tightly you pack your basil when measuring and how much oil you use.

Notes: I sometimes freeze the pesto in ice cube trays, transferring to a freezer bag once it’s frozen solid. If you're dairy-free, just leave out the cheese. If you can't afford pine nuts, almonds are a less expensive alternative.

PASTA WITH WINTER SQUASH, PINE NUTS, & CHEESE SAUCE

~ While the Pasta Cooks: 100 Sauces So Easy You Can Prepare the Sauce in the Time It Takes to Cook the Pasta, written by Andrew Schloss with Ken Bookman

1 lb. tube-shaped pasta, such as ziti or penne
1 lb. acorn or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and shredded
1/2 c. pine nuts
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the past and stir a few times to ensure that the pasta does not stick to itself. Boil vigorously for the time recommended on the past package or until the pasta is tender. Five minutes before the past will finish cooking, add the squash and stir briefly. 

While the pasta cooks, toast the pine nuts in a hot dry skillet. Drain the pasta and squash and toss them with the olive oil, garlic, cheese, salt pepper, and pine nuts in a serving bowl.

Notes: We double the squash, but it still tastes way more like parmesan than squash. Squash-haters can easily eat it because the squash is grated. 

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STRAWBERRY, KIWI, & SPINACH SALAD

~ allrecipes

2 T. raspberry vinegar
2 1/2 T. raspberry jam
1/3 c. (or less) vegetable oil
8 c. spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
8 strawberries, quartered
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced

Mix together raspberry vinegar, raspberry jam, and vegetable oil in small container. Combine spinach, nuts, strawberries, and kiwi in salad bowl. Toss with raspberry dressing.

Notes: This recipe is just a loose guide and quantities aren’t important. Eyeball it and do what looks good. I use store-bought raspberry vinaigrette, which is put on individual servings, because I can never find raspberry vinegar and always toast whatever nuts I have on hand (almonds, pine nuts, or walnuts). Sometimes I use lettuce or a combo of lettuce and spinach or cut my fruit into other shapes (wedged, sliced, or chopped). I love to use Pampered Chef's Quick Slice for getting the fruit prepped quickly. 

Linked up at: Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - strawberries