Link Love – Happy Friday!

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Happy Friday! Hope you all had a fantastic week. My week was pretty relaxed for the most part, as I was just getting over a bout of the flu. Wednesday, I went to my monthly book club meeting. We had a really nice time discussing the book A Dog’s Purpose, catching up with one another and eating WAY too many sweets! We also chose our next book – The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. My friend behind Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes recommended it to me and I trust her opinion! Have you read it? If so, any thoughts?

| Simple Vegetable Paella – A Couple Cooks | Sweet Potato and Feta Pizza – Naturally Ella | Beets & Chickpeas with Jalapeño Yogurt Dressing – Love & Lemons | Black Rice & Spring Vegetable Pilaf – Love & Lemons | Tortilla Salad with Cashew Cream – Love & Lemons | Banana Bread – Love & Lemons |

For Link Love Friday this week, I’d like to introduce you to one of my very favourite food blogs – Love & Lemons. This blog has some of the most stunning food photography I’ve seen. And some of the tastiest, healthy recipes I’ve found. I love the simplicity of the blog design. It’s truly beautiful. I must admit, I am mighty jealous of Jeanine’s skill level when it comes to food styling and capturing the perfect shot. She captures such beauty in each dish.

Two other blogs I adore, A Couple Cooks and Naturally Ella.
Do you have a favourite food blog?

Have a fantastic weekend! I’ll be back on Sunday with a recipe for rich chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I’ll also provide tips on avoiding dropping half the cake in the parking lot….as I may have done yesterday. *hah*

Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta

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If you are tired of the same old spaghetti and tomato sauce & are looking for a new and unique pasta dish to serve this week, look no further. This recipe is perfect to break you out of a week-day dinner rut. This pasta is loaded with unique flavours. Penne noodles are tossed with tender cauliflower, sautéed onions and garlic, sweet golden raisins, and buttery pine nuts. Right before serving, the dish is lightened up with fresh Italian parsley and lemon juice. And if you like, you can top the dish off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Delicious!

Hope you are all having a great week. :) Thankfully, the work week is half done! I’m off to book club meeting tonight and looking forward to discussing A Dog’s Purpose by W.Bruce Cameron. I’m also surprising my book club members with a chocolate peanut butter cake as a treat. I’ll be sure to post the recipe this upcoming weekend!  

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces of penne or cavatappi
  • 1/2 onion; diced
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons of golden raisins
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of fresh italian parsley; chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
  • 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese (optional)

Method


1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the label’s instructions. Reserve 3/4 of the cooking water and then drain the pasta.


Note: you can easily use gluten-free pasta in this recipe if you have gluten concerns, or you can use whole-wheat pasta if you’d like something a bit healthier.


2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet/pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Trim the thick stems off the cauliflower and coarsely grate the florets on the large holes of a box grater. 


Note: It’s okay for some of the cauliflower pieces to be a bit larger. If you don’t have a box grater, your can add chunks of cauliflower to a food processor and pulse a few times. Or, your can simply chop the cauliflower florets into small pieces.


3. Add cauliflower, garlic, raisins, pine nuts, salt and pepper to the onions. Cook until the cauliflower has softened slightly and browned (about 5 to 7 minutes). 


4. Remove the skillet/pan from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir in the chopped parsley, lemon juice, parmesan cheese if using and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add more cooking water if needed to loosen the pasta dish. Season with salt, toss and serve.


Source: adapted from Food Network Magazine March 2012

Tortellini Minestrone Soup

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This soup is perfect if you are looking for a quick & hearty soup to make during a busy week. It’s a soup that tastes like it took a lot of time and effort, but really, it can be made in 30 minutes. What I liked most about this soup is that your carb cravings are satisfied with the addition of a few tortellini in each bowl, but it’s light enough that it won’t bog you down and leave you feeling heavy. Each serving of soup contains a healthy dose of veggies. The addition of beans up the protein and fibre values of the soup making it a great, healthy soup to throw together. Best of all, you are likely to have left overs for lunch the next day! :)
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 5 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, minced (or 1 teaspoon of dried oregano)
  • 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 and 1/2 cups of low-sodium V8 vegetable juice
  • 1-15 ounce can of cannellini beans; drained & rinsed
  • 1-9 ounce packages of fresh cheese tortellini
  • 1 medium zucchini, halved and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of pesto (homemade or refrigerated store-bought variety)
  • grated parmesan for garnish

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the carrots, celery, onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add black pepper to taste. Cook until the onions are just softened (approx. 3 to 5 minutes). Stir in the mushrooms and cook until all of the vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

2. Stir in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the vegetable juice and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add the tortellini and zucchini and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked through (about 7 minutes).

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among serving bowls and top each portion with a spoonful of pesto and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy.

Source: Pink Parsley