Pasta With Roasted Red Peppers and Almonds

Love this fast, delicious and economical pasta meal!  The recipe and photo are courtesy of Real Simple (link after the recipe) . . . one of my favorite websites to find new recipes . . . check it out sometime!

With the cost of groceries rising with every week that passes, The Captain and I were talking about finding recipes that are delicious and stretch the food dollars.

This is one of those recipes!

One thing for sure . . . fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and possibly basil, would be a must when we make this.  Of course other substitutions can be made . . . use what you like, leave out what you don't!  This is the perfect meal for someone with a herb and vegetable garden . . . use what is in your garden.

Seems like this dish would work as a leftover the next day as a cold salad for lunch!  Make extra if this sounds like a good idea for you.

Almonds is an ingredient I have not used in this type of dish in the past, neither are pine nuts, which I am sure would serve as a substitute.  I'm thinking it can be left out all together to stretch those dollars even further.  But then again, I'd love to try something different :)

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound campanelle or penne 
• 4 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters 
• 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives 
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 
• kosher salt and black pepper 

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot. 

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the peppers on a baking sheet skin-side up and broil until blackened, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Scrape the charred skin from the peppers with a paring knife and wipe clean with paper towels. Cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces. 

Add the peppers, olives, almonds, oil, thyme, 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the pasta and toss to combine (add more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).

Photo and Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple

By Charlyne Mattox , May, 2011

Creole Green Beans

Green beans are low in calories and loaded with nutrients — an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, foliate, and iron . . . they are a good source of magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, copper, calcium, phosphorus, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin. Substitute olive oil instead of butter and use fresh green beans to make this recipe healthier.  Bacon? Up to you . . . but bacon makes everything better.

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 (14 ounce) package frozen green beans

6 thick slices bacon, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. 

Stir in green beans, bacon, onion, green pepper, and garlic; cook and stir until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. 

Stir in cayenne pepper, Creole seasoning, and black pepper. Cover; reduce heat to low. 

Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Season to taste with salt. 

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DoriesRecipeBox/