Pasta with Barbecue Roasted Vegetables

This is a very flavourful pasta dish that takes about 5 minutes to prepare and only 10 minutes to cook.  And it really shows off the delicious summer vegetables that are now in season.  And you can pretty much use any vegetables you want to make this.  I used yellow zucchini, broccoli, and red and orange peppers, but portabello mushrooms, eggplant, cauliflower, onions, and many other vegetables would be great in this dish.  Just pick ones that will cook at about the same length of time.  Since I used Spaghettini I cut my peppers into long, thin strips; but if you were to use rigatoni or some other short pasta, it would be good to cut the vegetables into chunks instead.  By the way, I really wanted to make this with Capelletti, but of course I ended up being out of it.  I have nine kinds of pasta in my cupboard, and the kind I want never happens to be there.  So I settled on Spaghettini.  My hubby thinks I'm ridiculous for being disappointed with the thickness of my pasta, but it makes a difference to the dish, I swear!  I made my vegetables on the barbecue so I wouldn't have a hot oven on in my house, but if you want you can just roast the veggies in the oven. 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
(2 servings)

2 cups of mixed chopped fresh vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, etc.)
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of chili pepper flakes (if desired)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200 grams of any pasta (enough for 2 people)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and preheat the barbecue to medium.  While water and barbecue are heating chop up the vegetables and mix with the 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic, and chili pepper flakes.  Place in a barbecue-safe dish and cover with tinfoil. 
Add pasta to boiling water and cook for the recommended time.  Place the vegetables on the barbecue and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring half-way through.  Vegetables should be cooked, but not soggy.  Add about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water to the vegetables to make it a little saucier and to get the additional flavours from the pan.  Drain the pasta and stir in the additional olive oil.  Separate pasta between 2 plates and then top each plate with half of the roasted vegetables.  Generously top each serving with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Club Sandwich with a Citrus Twist

I love Club Sandwiches, especially when served with some greasy fries from a diner, but when I make them at home I like to do something a little different.  It still has the traditional taste of a Club (bacon!) as well as a tasty twist.  That twist being the addition of oranges, avocado, sprouts, and pumpkin seeds.  I also use a hearty 12 grain bread that I don't toast because I find this sandwich easier to eat without the crunchiness of toast.  But I still use lots of mayo, chicken, and, as previously mentioned, bacon!  It may seem like an odd mix of ingredients, but really, everything goes together so well.  Every bite is full of flavour.  And everything is better with avocado on it:)  It's a nice change from the usual Club Sandwich and it's healthier too.
I made home made sweet potato fries to go with my sandwich, which didn't quite turn out.  You may notice from the picture that there's a bit too much cornstarch on them, which led to them not getting very crispy.  I got the recipe from this blog, and I think they definitely would have turned out if I had dried them off before putting them in the cornstarch.  They still tasted great though, and if you are looking for a sweet potato fry recipe it's a good one to try.

It's hard to take an attractive picture of a sandwich...

Club Sandwich with a Citrus Twist

 ~ 2 Sandwiches~

6 slices Multi-Grain bread

6 slices cooked bacon

1 cooked chicken breast, sliced

1 avocado, sliced ( or mashed)

1 orange, peeled and sliced

Lettuce

Alfalfa Sprouts

2 tbsp hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Mayonnaise

Spread 2 slices of bread with mayo.  Cover each slice with lettuce, a layer of chicken, a layer of oranges, and 1 tbsp each of pepitas.  Spread 2 more slices of bread with mayonnaise and place mayo side down on top of the pepitas.  Cover the top part of the slices of bread with avocado.  Layer on 3 pieces of bacon for each sandwich and a handful of alfalfa sprouts.  Spread mayo on the last 2 slices of bread and lace mayo side down on top of the sprouts.  Slice in half and enjoy!

Pecan and Herb Crusted Trout

I am still at a loss of words for how great this turned out.  I have been trying to eat more fish lately, and with this recipe I think I could eat trout every night.  All of the flavours complimented each other so well.  I was worried that the parsley would be overpowering, but the lemon zest toned it down, and the pecans added a wonderful, subtle crunch.  It was just perfect.  And it looked very appetizing too, like something I would be served at a fine restaurant.  Even my hubby made multiple comments about how good it was!  I made my Lemon Rosemary Potatoes, green beans with parmesan cheese, and delicious yellow zucchini as sides.  I will add the recipe for the zucchini at the bottom of this post, as it went really well with the trout and can be cooked at the same time in the oven.

Pecan and Herb Crusted Rainbow Trout
1 1/2 pounds rainbow trout fillets, skin on
3 tbsp crushed pecans
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse the fillets and pat dry with paper towel; place skin side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grate the rind from the lemon.  Mix the lemon rind with the remaining ingredients and then coat the trout fillets with it, rubbing it in so it sticks.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Before the baking...

Yellow Zucchini

Slice a whole yellow zucchini (summer squash) into thick slices.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of diced onions.  Place in the centre of a piece of foil and fold it around the zucchini to make a packet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  The zucchini should still be firm, not mushy.