Meatless Monday with Penne with Sweet Summer Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Herbs and Join #Veganpalooza

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for another installment of our Meatless Monday vegan recipe series. Miratel took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve the health of our planet. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it spreads awareness of the impact of our food choices on our environment.

With the warm weather of summer comes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables at their peak of taste and quality. Our recipe today uses this seasonal produce and spotlights them in a delicious, light and satisfying dish that is easy to make. On the menu tonight is Penne with Sweet Summer Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Herbs courtesy of Food52.

Penne with Sweet Summer Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Herbs Ingredients:

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 2 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut off
• 2 large zucchini or summer squash, sliced in half lengthwise and then chopped into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 3 tbsp and 1 tbsp
• 8 ounces penne or farfalle pasta
• 1/3 cup torn basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
• Coarse salt and black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Set a pot of boiled water on the stove to boil.
2. Toss vegetables and garlic with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Keep the corn separate, however. Divide all vegetables save corn onto baking sheets and start roasting them for 35-40 minutes, or until they’re vegetables are becoming sweet, golden, and slightly caramelized (to get this effect, you’ll want to avoid tossing them around too much as they cook). Fifteen minutes before the end of the roasting process, add the corn, which cooks a little faster than the other vegetables!
3. If you’re using the pine nuts, now is the time to toast them gently in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Stir them continually, and remove them as soon as they’re becoming golden.
4. Cook pasta till tender but slightly al dente. Drain and return to pot, reserving a small amount of the cooking liquid.
5. Add the roast vegetables, along with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a tiny bit of the cooking liquid, to the pasta. Toss in the basil and oregano, and serve, topped with toasted pine nuts if desired.
6. Note: most fresh pastas do contain egg or milk. So use any of the popular dry brands, like Barilla or De Cecco. Whole wheat pasta if you’re feeling crunchy. And if you happen to be making dinner for a vegan with a gluten allergy (or anyone with a gluten allergy), don’t freak out. You can use brown rice or quinoa pasta in place of the regular pasta. They’re both a fantastic option for gluten free diners, and in my opinion, much tastier and more authentic than whole wheat pasta!

This recipe will yield four portions and can be served alongside a fresh green salad dressed in a light vinaigrette. Feel free to customize this recipe with whatever fresh, local produce available.

Click image to go to Vaganpalooza website

Veganpalooza is A FREE Tele-Summit Featuring World-Class Leaders Providing the Tools to Live a Younger, Healthier and More Spiritual Life – August 15-18, 2013 (paid VIP – Vegan Inspiration Package – options are also available). Last year’s event was the largest worldwide vegan virtual event in history and hopefully this year will top that. Whether you’ve been a vegan for decades, you’re new to vegan living, or you’re just veg-curious, this is THE event to join. Click here to register for this amazing FREE event today.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.