Recipe: Veggie Pasta

Setting the Scene:

I love veggies. I am not a vegetarian. One time, I was out at a restaurant with some coworkers and I ordered a tofu dish. Immediately someone said, "Are you a vegetarian?" And when I said I wasn't, they wondered, "Well then, why are you ordering tofu?"

It is crazy to me that non-vegetarians think every dish has to have meat in it. Or that if you order something as funky as tofu you must be making some sort of political statement. Nope. I'm Not. I just like veggies (in addition to hamburgers and sausages). When I first cooked-up this recipe and tasted it I was blown away how flavorful and interesting such a simple meal could be. It's perfect for both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian vegetable eaters in your life.

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced or slivered raw almonds (sliced is better) ½ cup curly parsley leaves, chopped (I know, when have you seen a meal call for curly parsely? The Unwanted herb in the supermarket is finally gonna get some lovin')

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoon (meh, be generous) finely grated lemon zest 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or more, come on, it is Parmigiano-Reggiano, the more the better) 2 lbs shiitake or crimini mushrooms (pre-sliced is fine) 3-4 large leeks, pale-green and white parts only, halved, sliced into 3/4-inch pieces 12 ounces Campanelle pasta Olive oil on hand (duh)

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6 Recipe Below Adapted From: Bon Appetit

Instructions:

1. Coat a large, deep skillet with olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Throw in the almond slices and toss until golden. (Pay attention! They will burn quickly.) Transfer to bowl. Let cool.

2. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan. You don't need too much because you're about to throw in the mushrooms, which will immediately start releasing water and keep them from sticking. Throw in all the mushrooms and let them cook. Stir every now and again to cook evenly. Cook until just before tender, lets say 5 minutes. Then toss in the chopped leeks and asparagus. Stir and sizzle until tender, another 5-7 minutes-ish. Near the end, you'll notice a buildup of veggie juice in the bottom of the pan. I like to pour that into a container to save to help juice-up the leftovers.

3. In between stirring the veggies, chop the parsley and grate the lemon zest over the cooled almonds. Add in some of the cheese (save some for topping the dish). Set aside.

4. Boil water and cook the pasta for 10 minutes. When done, drain the pasta and leave it in the pot. Pour all the veggies into the dry pasta and mix together.

5. Scoop out generous portions of the pasta/veggie combo and top with the almond mixture. Finish the dish with extra cheese, salt, and pepper. If it is a bit dry, add some of the veggie juice you saved earlier OR drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil with a heavy hand.

Notes:

This dish is PERFECT to make in bulk and to heat up in the office microwave all week for lunch. Just store the pasta/veggies in a separate container from the almonds/cheese/parsley/lemon-mix. Heat up the pasta/veggies in the microwave and add the toppings. Your coworkers will be jealous (and not even care that it's vegetarian).