Whole Grain Pasta with Olive Oil, Basil, Heirloom Tomatoes and Mizithra Cheese

So I have been obsessing over Mizithra Cheese for as long as I've been going to the Old Spaghetti Factory...basically a very long time! I finally bought a 1/2 pound of my own Mizithra so I could make some tasty dishes at home!

Here is what I had for lunch! You are going to LOVE it!

Whole grain rotini pasta with Nicolas Alziari Olive Oil, Mizithra cheese, fresh basil and heirloom tomatoes.

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Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 Cups Rotini Whole Grain Pasta

1 Tbsp Nicolas Alziari Olive Oil

3 Tbsp Mizithra Cheese (Sprinkled)

10 Fresh Basil Leaves

10 Baby Heirloom Tomatoes

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the rotini box.

2. Drain any remaining pasta water.

3. Add 1 Tbsp Nicolas Alziari Olive Oil to the pasta. Stir.

4. Sprinkle the pasta with 3 Tbsp of Mizithra cheese. Stir.

5. Add the basil and tomatoes.

Voilà! Easy peasy and so yummy!

BIG Zucchini Many Ways

A couple of weeks ago a dragon boat teammate of mine, who grows and sells his own produce to fundraise for his many causes, sold me a massive and beautiful 15-inch zucchini! Yes, 15-inches ladies, I measured it.

It lasted me the two weeks and it tasted amazing in every meal.  Here are a few things I made ...

Zucchini Slaw
Original recipe from Taste of Home

2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded and squeezed dry (in my case I cut about a 1/4 off the massive zucchini I had)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
3 Tbsp reduced-fat or vegan mayonnaise
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
Dash cayenne pepper (to add some spicy)

In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Yield: 4 servings.


Chocolate Zucchini Banana loaf
Original recipe from Taste of Home

2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 medium ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4- 1/2 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini

In a bowl, beat eggs. Blend in sugar and oil. Add banana and mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; stir into egg mixture. Stir in zucchini just until combined.

Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf


Other meals I managed to squeeze out of the 15-inch zucchini ...

Vegan Lunch: Zucchini Pizzas (ingredients include: zucchini, salsa, mushrooms, cheddar rice cheese and spices)

Zucchini Mushroom stir fry (ingredients include: zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, whole wheat pasta, BBQ sauce and cayenne pepper)