Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean and Feta Penne

 There may be no scarier word to us Carnivores than Meatless.  No meat?  Surely I will starve!

And while I don't think I'll ever be a Vegetarian, lately two or three meatless meals a week have been suiting us just fine.  I think a break from meat every now and then is good for the body, not to mention the wallet.  The trick is to find recipes that are hearty and flavorful enough, that meat is not even missed.  And as long as I just don't mention the fact that it is meatless to my husband, I can usually get away with it.  Shhhhh.

I really enjoyed this dish.  Initially I wasn't sure about the pasta/bean combo, but it really works.  The pasta is filling, while the beans add hearty flavor and creaminess.  A sprinkling of tangy feta on top and you have a plate of comforting goodness.

I noticed the day after that the flavors of the dressing had greatly subdued.  A few tablespoons of Italian Dressing and this also turned out to be a delicious cold lunch.

Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean and Feta Penne
The Best of Clean Eating 2

Ingredients

6 oz whole-grain penne pasta
1 cup cooked white beans of your choice
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp extra extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, cut into eighths lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips, then cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions

1.  Cook penne according to package directions, adding beans during the last minute of cooking.

2.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, vinegar, basil, pepper flakes, and salt; set aside.

3.  Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high, tilting skillet to coat bottom lightly.  Add zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes, or until edges begin to brown, stirring frequently.  Add remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, stir in tomato mixture and drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp oil.  Cover to keep warm.

4.  Drain penne-bean mixture, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle evenly with rosemary and all but 1/4 cup feta.  Spoon zucchini mixture over top and finish with remaining feta.

Per 1 1/2 cup Serving:  353 cal, 12g fat, 44g carbs, 11g fiber, 6g sugar, 18g protein.

Sausage Gravy over Cannellini Bean Puree

Hello my food friends! It's been too long, but it's definitely not because I've been sitting in my hammock wrapped up in a book and nice cold beverage (although you wouldn't hear me complaining if I were!) It's actually been one of the craziest, funnest, most exhausting months of my life. I wouldn't have traded any of it though for the memories and for the chance to spend so much time with family. In short phrases here are some of the things we've been up to.

Packed my bags to stay a month in Idaho. 

Received a phone call the day before my flight informing me that the mountain my parent's live on is on fire. 

Panicked. 

Followed the news all night long, learning hour by hour that more houses were being destroyed, not having any idea if one of them was my parent's (66 homes were completely destroyed). 

(They had JUST finished building it). 

Flew to Idaho anyway, with no idea if there would be a house to stay in or not. 

Found the house standing, but damaged with burn and smoke. 

Slept in six different beds in the course of a week, completely displaced. 

Mourned at church with and for those that lost absolutely everything. 

Finally moved back into parent's house for the duration of vacation, the smoke damage was no longer a danger to us. 

Still managed to throw in a good deal of swimming, bbqs, boating, a trip to Utah and Yellowstone, and relaxing. 

Endured the worst flight of my life, consisting of a missed flight (plane ran out of fuel), a child wetting their pants, horrible motion sickness, a freezing unplanned sleepover at the airport, an attempted robbery of my son's newly purchased neck pillow, and lost bags. I was alone with two kids. 

Needless to say, it's been a wild month, but one that I'll NEVER forget. With all that happened though, I was so glad that I was able to be there, especially with my parents, who were dealing with a lot at the time. My heart really goes out to the victims of the fires all over the country. While we didn't experience such a loss firsthand, we witnessed those that did, and it's tragic. Memories, valuables, sentimental treasures, all gone. The one blessing in our area was that no one was hurt, and we are so grateful.

On that note, let's talk about food!

My apologies to Kim, my dear bloggy friend who shared this amazing recipe, for the poor photo.  It does not do this delicious dish justice and you're really better off just going to her site for the recipe and pics.  However, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least gush about how delicious this unique dinner is.

First off, bean puree?  Hello!  Where have you been my entire life?  It's cheap, it's quick to make, it's a lovely "polenta style" palate for a million different toppings, and it's seductively delicious.  If you are a fan of beans, you must rush to make this.  It doesn't hurt either to have a rich, meaty gravy to go on top of this.  I would happily make this again and again.

Since Kim is wrote this rockstar recipe, I'm going to send you to her kitchen to check it out.  Check our her other stuff too, she never disappoints!

Ok food friends and family, I really do think I'm back for good.  Vacation season has ended for our family so I plan to be able to say hello a lot more.  Check back soon!