Groovy Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta

I am soooo hungry. My super fabulous personal trainer, Lori, just left. I am always ravenous after I see her. It's only 10:45am here in New Jersey but I am going to make my famous Groovy Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta.

In this recipe, I use Barilla Plus rotini - but, quite frankly, it tastes much better if you use long semolina fusili.

Groovy Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta

3 medium zucchini, washed and cut into 1" chunks
5 plum tomatoes, chopped into 1" chunks or a pint of cherry/grape tomatoes cut in half (or use a combination of both)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

1/2 cup Grated cheese (I use a combination of equal parts freshly grated Parmaggiano and Romano)

Pasta

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, toss the chopped vegetables with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Put in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when done and add to a large bowl. Toss with tomato/zucchini mixture and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Toss and serve.

Shallot Vinaigrette

Tonight I didn't know what to cook. The boys had breakfast for dinner (one night a week they get pancakes and eggs) and I had some left over salmon, an avocado, tomatoes and mixed greens. I threw it all together and tossed it with my famous shallot vinagrette. I ALWAYS keep vinagrette staples on hand; all of the ingredients listed below are in my house (and should be in yours!) at all times:

Shallot Vinagrette

1 minced shallot
1 dab good Dijon mustard (the kind from France)
salt
pepper
1 part good white wine vinegar to 3 parts good olive oil

In a bowl, add the minced shallot, Dijon, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and give it a good whisk (I always think of the song Twist and Shout and shake my booty when I'm whisking). Gradually add the olive oil and keep whisking.

Tip: I usually make the dressing 20-30 minutes ahead of time. To my mind, it enhances the flavor. Just be sure to re-whisk before serving.

Groovy Guacamole

My friend, Christine, just called me in an uproar.

"Where's your recipie for Groovy Guacamole?"

You see, I usually serve GG with my Hot Mama Tex-Mex Dip.  Sometimes I add it in and other times I serve it seperately.  Avocados have a lot of 'good fat' in them so I don't feel too guilty when I eat it.  When I'm really on a health kick, I don't serve GG with chips but rather homeade whole wheat pita crisps.  That recipe follows GG below.

Yesterday on Jillian's blog, she reminds us of a very important fact: 75% of weight loss has to do with nutrition. You are what you eat, sister.

Groovy Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1/2 small purple onion, minced
1/4 - 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, minced (depends on how hot you like it, baby)Chopped cilantro to taste (everyone has a different opinion on this)
1 plum tomato, seeded and minced
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, depending on size
Salt to taste

In a glass bowl, mash the avocados and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix all together (you can even use a potato masher). I like to refigerate my GG for at least an hour.

Homeade Whole Wheat Pita Chips

Whole wheat pitas (Ladies, LOOK at the ingredients on the package!  I was recently dismayed to see a popular brand loaded with high fructose corn syrup)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Split pita into quarters.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 degrees until cripsy, about 10 minutes.  (If you are making a lot of these, you will have to bake them longer).

Hot Mama Tex-Mex Dip

Yeah, yeah, I try to eat healthy...but this dip is soooo good. I had a craving for it so I made it for some friends who stopped by for cocktails tonight. One of my friends insisted that I post it on my 'Groovy Cooking Blog' so here it is:

Hot Mama Tex-Mex Dip

1 can refried beans
hot sauce, to taste
1 jar salsa, drained
1 8oz container sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
Shredded cheddar and monterrey jack cheese
green olives with pimentos, sliced

Mix the refired beans and the hot sauce (to taste) and spread in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer the drained salsa on top. Mix together the sour cream and taco seasoning mix and layer on top of the salsa. Spread the cheese on top of that and decorate with olives.

This is best made 2 hours ahead of time and then refrigerated.

Serve with chips.

Variation: you can also add a layer of guacamole on top of the sour cream mixture.

Lemon Cleanse

My dearest friend, Lisa, swears by hot water and lemon. She looks absolutely fabulous so I decided to try her secret. I totally gave up caffine in lieu of this new brew. Guess what? After a month, I feel a whole lot better.

Take a cup of hot water and nuke it for 60 seconds. Add 1/4 fresh lemon juice. Drink all day and espically at night.

Trust me, you'll feel a lot better.

Groovy Grains with Tomatoes in Balsamic Vinaigrette

I didn't eat dinner until really late this evening (Jillian and I are working on something really exciting). Hence, I decided to turn to my old standby: Groovy Grains.

I made them Italian style, with pantry items I had on hand (I was too lazy to go to the store). This dish would be great with a side of chicken or fish.

Groovy Grains with Tomatoes in Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup Groovy Grains
2 cups water
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (the best you can find. Trust me, the quality of the ingredients you use makes a huge difference)
1/4 cup olive oil (again, very good quality)
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

In a saucepan, bring the Groovy Grains and water to a boil. Simmer until done. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Mash the garlic and salt together. Add to a small bowl with the Balsamic vinegar. Add pepper to taste and then whisk in the oil to make the dressing. In a medium bowl, add the Groovy Grains and the chopped tomatoes, onion and parsley. Add vinaigrette (you may have to re-whisk). Season with more salt and pepper to taste and serve.

This was d-lish!

The Best Tomato Sauce on the Planet

One of my friends (who shall remain nameless as I recently brought her my famous spaghetti sauce and turkey meatballs after getting dumped) requested that I give her the recipe for the sauce that goes with it. I learned to make this sauce from an Italian friend, Nicoletta, who lives in Rome.

2 jars Passata (Italian strained tomatoes - available in Italian specialty stores)
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1/2 sweet onion
1 inch segment of a hot pepper
1/2 glass wine (red or white)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons butter (I use French butter - it's much better)

In a large pot, warm the olive oil and add the chopped carrot, celery, onion and hot pepper. Saute for five minutes. Add the wine. Cook until it's evaporated. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add Passata and 1 cup of water (this is important - the sauce simmers for 2-3 hours and will become too thick due to evaporation if you don't add the water).

Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours (the longer, the better). When it's done, blend the sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot and blend. Add the butter.

If you're making my turkey meatballs (see previous post), you can add them now and warm them up in this wonderful sauce.

Seriously, this is such lovely sauce. There's no pungent garlic or spices. I get so many requests for it and you will, too!

Banana Groovy Grains

I had an amazing workout this morning with my personal trainer, Lori. I always have to eat something afterwards, so I made myself a bowl of Groovy Grains and added a banana during the last five minutes of cooking and then some cinnamon. When it was done, I added a little soy milk. Try it!