Pan-Seared Salmon w/ Mixed Greens Pesto & Lentil Black Rice Salad

Today is the first Friday of the Lenten season, and in honor of that, Leslie and I are sharing fish and seafood recipes for today's edition of She Made, Ella Hace. So, here's the thing—I wasn't raised Catholic (and I'm not Catholic now), so I've never done the whole abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent thing. And while my husband was raised Catholic, he's not a practicing Catholic now.

Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, and Almond Pesto Crostini {#FreshGifts}

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of AeroGarden in conjunction with Kitchen PLAY.  All opinions are my own.

Living in the midwest, I am a "four seasons" kind of gal.  I sweat under the hot summer sun.  I welcome the rain and the tender green buds in spring.  I slog through the snow and ice in the winter.  I rejoice in the cool air and colorful leaves in autumn.  And no matter how much I complain that it's too cold, or too hot, or that a certain perfect season isn't long enough, I wouldn't want it any other way.

That said, I do miss summer's bounty when it comes to cold weather cooking and entertaining.  Especially when the holidays roll around.  Sure, I can run to the market and pick up some herbs and veggies that have been either shipped or (preferably) locally grown in a greenhouse.  And I do.  But isn't it so much easier, and much more satisfying, to walk barefoot to the garden and harvest your own?  That would be a yes.

Enter the AeroGarden.  It's high tech.  It's high output.  It's an indoor garden.  That means that even there's a foot of snow on the ground outside my window, I can still wander barefoot to the garden and harvest my own herbs (or veggies, or even flowers).

Caprese Pasta Salad

So, I don't know if you'd noticed or not, but...it's still hot outside!  Summer is in full-swing, and between cook-outs and bonfires, potlucks and camping trips, baseball games and pool parties, there are plenty of opportunities for mindless eating.  However, that means equal opportunities for conscious eating!

(Most) People naturally gravitate towards fresher options in summertime, since they abound between gardens, farmer's markets, and roadside stands.  It's hard to resist the allure of a rainbow, no matter what form it shows up in.

A great way to get that beneficial rainbow into your system is by adding fresh vegetables to your meals, alongside (and in) your usual dishes.  Think eggs, rice, grains, pasta, and the like.  Speaking of pasta, pasta salad shows up at summertime functions all the time...and a fantastic way to "healthify" those offerings are by adding those fresh fruits and veggies, as well as switching up plain white pasta for a whole wheat variety such as Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat pasta.

One of everybody's favorite summertime salads is a Caprese Salad.  Am I right?  I know it's one of mine.  Well, I wanted to take the flavors of Caprese and combine them with the whole wheat pasta for a simple, fresh take on a pasta salad.  By turning bright green basil into a pesto, which is perfectly cupped by the whole wheat bow ties, this takes the place of a heavy mayonnaise-based sauce.  The mozzarella component comes in the form of those irresistible little "pearls" of cheese.  The tomatoes?  The bright, sunny taste is concentrated by slow-roasting some juicy vine-ripened cherry or grape tomatoes.  Now, not everybody likes the addition of Balsamic vinegar, but if you do, drizzle a  bit on right before serving up this salad.

What's that?  Did you say something?  I thought I heard somebody scream SUMMER!

Oh wait, that was just the Caprese Pasta Salad...

Caprese Pasta Salad

This recipe for Caprese Pasta Salad is a welcome twist on everybody's favorite summer salad containing tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes (active) | 30 mi

Cook Time: 7-9 minutes

Keywords: simmer side entree salad vegetarian sugar-free soy-free basil cheese pasta tomatoes July 4th Labor Day Memorial Day summer

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 (10 ounce) box Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Bow Ties
• 1/2 cup Basil Pesto, storebought or homemade (recipe follows)
• 1 cup Slow-Roasted Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, storebought or homemade
• 8 ounces Mozzarella Pearls or Bocconcini
• Aged Balsamic Vinegar, optional
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling, salted water, 7-9 minutes. Drain pasta, shaking to remove excess water, and then place the pasta into a medium-sized bowl. Add the basil pesto, and toss until the pesto coats each and every piece of pasta. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature, 30-40 minutes (you don't want to melt the mozzarella).

Once the pasta has come to room temperature, add the slow-roasted tomatoes and mozzarella pearls. Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

You can serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (it's good cold or at room temperature). If you like, drizzle the salad (or the edges of the plate) with a little Balsamic vinegar to taste, just before serving.

notes:

I recommend using a good, aged Balsamic Vinegar here. Balsamic that has been aged for at least 8 years will be thicker and sweeter (and pricier, but you only need a tiny bit). If you don't want to buy the expensive stuff, you can take a little shortcut by reducing a young Balsamic on the stove top.

Add at least double the amount of Balsamic that you want to use to a small pan over medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, adjust heat to keep a steady simmer going. Let simmer until reduced by at least half, it should be thick enough to sit on top of the pasta salad when you drizzle it (as opposed to seeping in). You really want to babysit the vinegar, because the reduction process happens pretty fast, especially when you're just doing a small batch. Let cool completely before using.

equipment needed:

large pot (for cooking pasta)

colander or strainer

medium bowl

large spoon

food processor, any size (if making your own pesto)

baking sheet (if slow-roasting your own tomatoes)

making Homemade Basil Pesto (about the amount you'll need for this recipe):

4 ounces fresh basil leaved, rinsed gently and patted dry

2 tablespoons (or so) extra virgin olive oil

1 fat cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

few grinds of black pepper

scant 1/2 cup (scant 1 ounce) finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons lightly toasted, unsalted pine nuts

Combine basil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on low speed while drizzling in the olive oil. Process until everything has come together, stopping to scrape down the bowl once, if needed.

Add the cheese and pine nuts, process again until everything is just combined. Taste, and adjust lemon juice and seasoning, if needed.

I was provided with 6 boxes of Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Pasta. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions stated here are 100% my own.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

We're into week number three of The Food Matters Project now...and it's my turn to host (and pick the featured recipe). Yay! Can I just say that this was no easy feat? I have a ridiculous number of pages bookmarked in The Food Matters Cookbook. Reeeeeediculous. So really, it was a matter of choosing a few ingredients that I was in the mood for and searching. A little more involved than closing my eyes, flipping the pages, and stopping on one. Which I almost did.

So. Considering my current torrid affair with goat cheese, you can bet that it influenced my decision to make this dish. It's called a "pesto". Yup, quotations and all (which I imagine are in place since it's not a traditional, leafy green herb-packed pesto). But that said, I've adored pretty much any variety of "pesto" I've tried. A favorite of mine is actually another red version that uses sundried tomatoes. So. Red pesto. Involving goat cheese (if you choose...it's actually a variation). Also involving earthy, beautifully roasted and charred red peppers and fat, oily walnuts. But no worries...you can still find a bit of green in here with the bright, summery addition of basil. It is optional, because afterall...it's not summer everywhere and not everybody has access to greenhouse-grown herbs. But if you can find it, try it- it adds another great dimension to the layers of flavor.