Tag Archives: pesto

Tortellini Salad

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This summer has definitely been about cooking food with the least amount of cook time as possible.

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This cold tortellini salad is just another dish I’ve made in this hot weather that is simple, requires very little “cook” time and is delicious!

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I don’t know why but I’ve been dreaming about having a picnic lately. I just want to pack up a summery meal, a soft blanket and perhaps a bottle of wine and sit outside in the grass and have a picnic. I’ve been thinking about it A LOT.

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So, yesterday, Greg and I were going to see the Philadelphia Orchestra at an outdoor, free concert. I know, it was so cool. I was going to train into the city to meet him, since he was already there, and we would have dinner and then head over to the concert.

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Instead of going out to dinner, why don’t I pack us a picnic dinner, I thought. It was the perfect opportunity. I had already made this tortellini salad, and I still had some leftover bean tapenade. I’d throw in two apples and some trail mix and it would be perfect. There are so many places where we could have a nice picnic in the city!

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So I headed in, with the food and a blanket, so excited for our picnic. But, there was one problem. It was raining. And it was windy and the sky was completely gray. I don’t know why, but I was still holding out hope that the sun would be shining just in time for our picnic.

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I got to the city and met up with Greg, and no, the sun did not come out. An outdoor picnic did not happen, so we improvised. A picnic dinner in the science building it was. 🙂

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So, after that story, let me tell you about this dish.

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It is so good. It is a perfect picnic dish. Or a get-together dish. Or a dish for a big summer feast. It’s light and full of flavor from that pesto. I used this kale + mint + cashew pesto, but of course use any pesto you please. The beans add softness and the tomatoes add a crunch. Simple, delicious flavors.

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Whether you are enjoying a relaxing outdoor picnic or inside on a rainy day, I hope that you enjoy this dish! 🙂

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Ingredients
1 bag frozen tortellini
1/2 cup pesto
1 can white beans
1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Mine were to be boiled for 2-3 minutes. Once the tortellini is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.

While the tortellini cools, cut the tomatoes in half. Open and rinse the beans.

In a large bowl, mix together the tortellini, pesto, white beans and tomatoes. Using two large spoons, toss everything together well, until everything is coated in pesto.

Serve chilled and enjoy!

Notes:
-Rinsing the tortellini with cold water after cooking it will remove any starch that will make the tortellini stick together in this dish.

Kale + Mint + Cashew Pesto

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You know how people have secret recipes? Or a secret ingredient in a special recipe?

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Well I think I just made my first secret ingredient recipe.

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And I’m going to share it with you!

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It won’t really be a secret. But if I were ever to have a secret recipe, this would have been it.

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The very secret ingredient in this pesto? It’s mint!

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I don’t think I’ll ever want pesto another way.

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Making this was two things: random and kind of scary.

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Let’s start with random. I’ve never really made pesto before because I don’t have a food processor and I didn’t think my blender could handle it. But I’ve wanted to make it for so long, so I just crossed my fingers that my blender would work and went for it!

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This pesto happened because I had a bunch of random ingredients to use that I thought would make a good pesto. Cashews I bought to have as a snack that never happened. Mint I bought to use in something else but forgot what it was that I was going to make. Kale that I wanted to use for a salad but I thought tasted weird in that particular salad. A half of a lemon left over from making this dressing. This might be good, I thought.

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I wasn’t sure. Like I said above, I was a little scared. Sure, a little scared that my blender wouldn’t pull through and make a smooth pesto. But, even more scared about serving Greg pesto with mint in it. He doesn’t like minty things. Things like mint ice cream or mint chocolate anything or mint tea. He says something like “the only thing mint belongs in is gum.”

So, putting mint in his pesto? I wasn’t so sure.

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It was sort of like when I was afraid to give him a quesadilla with cream cheese, knowing he doesn’t like cream cheese. That turned out well, and I hoped that this did too.

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I used this pesto for Greg and I very simply. I made our favorite noodles (spinach spaghetti noodles) and tossed together the noodles, pesto and some reserved cooking water. I topped the noodles with a sprinkle of Romano cheese. It was divine. Simple and delicious. A ton of flavor from the pesto.

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And, Greg liked it. After he said he liked it, I told him there was mint in it. 🙂

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The mint adds a hint of freshness to this pesto. It doesn’t stand out too much, but when you taste the pesto, it’s like there is something in it that is so refreshing, and of course that is the mint.

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I hope that you enjoy this pesto. 🙂

Ingredients
4 cups raw kale, any variety (I used Tuscan kale)
2 small handfuls fresh mint (I used two stalks of fresh mint)
1/2 cup cashews
1 garlic clove
3/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 cup Romano cheese
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

To make the kale softer and easier to process or blend, blanch the kale first. Do this by preparing a bowl of very cold water. Then bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the pot of water is boiling, place the kale in it. Keep the kale in the water for about 1 minute, no longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the kale to the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Then place the kale into a colander and squeeze it to remove any excess liquid. Transfer the kale to paper towels to dry off a bit.

Once the kale is dry, place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Serve over pasta, with bread, vegetable or in quiche.

Enjoy!