Herbed Pasta and Beans

HA! Haven’t done one of these in forever, huh? Well, don’t get oo excited there, skippy, this isn’t a full blown cooking post. See, I’m trying this thing where I cut back on meat unless it’s free range. I watched the guy who made the movie “Food Inc.”  on the Daily Show and he was talking about how with all the genetic-monkeying food companies are doing with everything from vegetables to meat to eggs and all that things aren’t nutritious as they used to be—ugh. I’m not gonna lie and say it didn’t freak me the fuck out. If I had my way I’d switch the whole family over to free range and organic everything but we can’t afford that. Stupid grrrrr–whatever.

POINT!

I am switching the family over to vegetarian unless we can get free range. This is going to have to go in stages (see: “broke” and “husband loves steak”.) and the kids won’t go completely to vegetarian as I do believe they need meat for a few more years. Or maybe I haven’t thought it all out yet. I guess a more fair assessment is I’m going vegetarian/free-range-only and I’m going to start introducing more vegetarian cuisine to the family as I move foreward.(Unrelated I’m making laundry detergent and dishwasher detergents. Well, I will once we’re out of the fresh packages of both we just bought. Ok, seriously?)

Yesterday I had some cheese and fruit thing from Starbucks for lunch and then cheese pizza for dinner on the company dime. Easy enough.

My dear friend and confidant, Jessie-poo, lent me some of her vegetarian cookbooks and also gave some mad tips on veggie friendly food. So today over my lunch I bought tofu, some asian-flavored “chicken” patties, “meat’ crumbles and other ingredients for the First Official Vegetarian Meal Even Though I have Made Vegetarian Meals In the Past But This is the First Vegetarian Meal I Planned and Cooked for My Family and Not a Friend.

“Marcoda! I’m so proud of you! Whatever did you prepare, with love, for your darling family?”

How kind of you to ask, dear reader!

Herbed Pasta and Beans

6 oz. (2 cups) uncooked rainbow rotini

1 (15 or 19 oz.) can cannelini (or Great Northern) beans, drained, rinsed

2 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons capers (optional)

1/4 tablespoon salt

2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook rotini as directed on package, adding beans during last minute of cooking time. Cook until rotini is tender. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except cheese.

3. Add cooked rotini and beans; toss gently to coat. Add cheese; toss gently. If desired, garnish with additional chives or parsely, and season to taste with pepper.

That’s it! Easy peasy lemon squeasy, Charlie!

Some things I did (not big changes at all): I did NOT add capers  as Matt would’ve killed me and I used three roma tomatoes instead of regular whatevertheyare ones. They’re more meaty. AND!!! Don’t tell Jessie, but I ate the tomatoes and *gulp* I like them. And what’s even BETTER is after Jaden was ignored by both her parents, I saw out of the corner of my eye she suspiciously tasted a piece of pasta with green on it. The green being either a chive or a parsley. And then-lo and behold-her eyes popped open and she declared after a few more bites, “I like the green stuff!”

YEARS, people. YEARS of trying to get her to stop picking off the green stuff and now. She tried it and she liked it.

Then! She ate the beans. And liked those. Then Matt put a noodle AND a bean with green stuff on her fork and SHE ATE IT ALL IN ONE BITE.

AND Matt loved the meal too!

PLUS!!! This is the awesome part. I just saw in the Pillsbury cookbook that I got the recipe out of the following little nutritional info:

1 serving= 1.5 cups

390 calories                                  110 calories from fat

12g fat(3g saturated fat)           10mg cholesterol

54g carbohydrates                     16g protein

Vitamin A 15% (daily rqmt)    Vitamin C 20%

Calcium 25%                                  Iron 25%

Amazing! Am I right?!

So, I think we can proclaim this meal a complete success!

Regardless if you’re a veggie or not once you’ve tried this you won’t deny this is tasty and super good for you!

(Dude, Elliot is a slut!! Sorry, unrelated. Darn mix of Scrubs and wine.)