Spicy Golden Zucchini and Snap Pea Pasta

Sometimes you have bright yellow zucchini in your fridge and don’t want to make grilled corn and yellow squash tacos AGAIN. A colorful, crisp pasta with some kick sounds like a really good alternative, even if you do sweat to death in your kitchen because there’s no cross-breeze. But, hey, that’s summer in Brooklyn. This is a simple past dish that pairs well with a crisp rosé and a side salad of fresh diced tomatoes, drizzled in olive oil. I am always amazed at the vibrant colors (and flavors) of summer vegetables. It’s dishes like these that I miss in, say, January…

  • 1 small/medium golden zucchini, sliced thin
  • 1/2lb sugar snap peas, trimmed
  • 1 jalapeño minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2TB olive oil
  • Dash of crushed red pepper
  • 2C pasta, cooked, drained
  • grated pecorino romano

Cook your pasta (I used campanelle) and set aside in a large bowl. (You can add a small drizzle of olive oil so it doesn’t stick). Heat skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and wait for a few seconds until it’s warm. Then add minced garlic and jalapeño. Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute, or until it’s sizzling and fragrant. Add your sliced squash and snap peas. I saut&eactue;d them for about 5 minutes until the squash has softened, but the snap peas were still crisp. Add vegetables to pasta and toss with a little grated Pecorino Romano.

Veggies sauteing.

Sautéing the vegetables.

Dinner's on!

Dinner’s on! Add some Pecorino Romano too.

Roasted Yellow Zucchini and Baby Eggplant with Tomatoes

I bought some local, bright yellow zucchini and small, lavender eggplants the other day because I was inspired by a cooking show on PBS. Originally, I was going to sauteé them with onion, garlic and fresh tomatoes, but decided upon roasting them and used a can of Muir Glen’s fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies. (Those are my go to diced tomatoes for rice, pasta and soup recipes). It was a perfect Sunday meal. I put the roasted veggies over some cooked penne and added a little bit of shaved Pecorino. Bon Appetite!

Roughly chop zucchini, eggplant, half an onion, a couple cloves of garlic and put in a 9×13 baking dish. Add can of diced tomatoes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 400 for about an hour, or until the vegetables are tender.