Super Supper

I love it when meals are surprisingly good and/or make you say out loud, "Mm, that hit the spot!" Since we were gone at church retreat last weekend, and I knew I'd be working late yesterday, I got all my groceries for two weeks the previous weekend. (I usually only buy for one week at a time.) What ended up happening: I wrote down the recipes, but not where they're from, I've used ingredients for other things as I've gotten hungry, and I wasn't sure what was actually in the fridge. So, tonight's meal was definitely going to be a bit of a surprise ending. Additional point of consideration: Ben wanted supper before he left for a meeting, so I was hurrying through my somewhat improvised chopping to get it ready in time.

The original "entry" on my menu was for Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta and Chipotle Veggies. I intended to use the pesto (from here) that my dear mama purchased for me at the farmer's market when she was here recently, which I did (though I did have a momentary heart attack while the pasta was draining when I realized I hadn't seen it in the fridge in days and thought I had used it.)  I have no idea what the tomatoes in the fridge were originally for, but they got thrown in the pasta for added texture. The parmesan cheese that I was planning on using is now "in absentia," so mozzarella got used instead.

For the veggies, I realized that 1) I had no recipe for it, 2) no idea which veggies I planned on using, and 3) the only available veggies were carrots, potatoes, lettuce, cilantro, and tomatoes. So, after a bit of mucking around allrecipes.com, I managed to locate an interesting-looking grill marinade that I adapted a bit to work for my situation.

Added bonus: I had been wanting salad all week and forgot I had lettuce, so that got chopped up along with some of the tomatoes and two random hard-boiled eggs left in the fridge. The dressing I used was ranch and chipotle salsa. End result? I really enjoyed everything. Ben didn't eat because he was working on homework :-) More for lunch tomorrow!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta


1 lb. whole grain pasta
4 oz. sun-dried tomato pesto
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced
mozzarella cheese

Boil pasta and drain. Return pasta to pan and add pesto. Mix with pasta until evenly coated. Toss pasta with tomatoes. Serve with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on each serving. Serves: 4-6.

Roasted Chipotle Veggies
8-9 medium carrots, peeled
5-6 medium potatoes, peeled

Marinade: 
1/3 c. oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
3 T. cilantro, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. cumin

Preheat oven to 425. Whisk marinade ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Chop vegetables in 1/2 inch chunks and mix with marinade. Spread veggies on baking sheet(s) and roast for 25 minutes, stirring half-way through baking time.
Serves: 4

Mexican Salad
1 bunch lettuce, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. black beans, cooked
1 c. corn, cooked

Dressing:
1 c. ranch salad dressing
1-2 T. salsa

Combine dressing ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Toss remaining ingredients in a salad bowl and serve with dressing on the side.

[Photos from church retreat. The comic was made using my iPod Touch and the Halftone app, which I LOVE!.]