Monday, August 23, 2010

Meatless Monday - Penne with Pistachio Pesto and White Beans

Day 43

Dusting off the keyboard after an almost week-long getaway/mini vacation to soak up the last few days of summer sun. Good timing, too, since it's been raining for 24 hours with no end in sight. Days like this are trouble for a stay-at-home-wife like me. I could conceivably stay inside in my PJs all day, catching up on trashy reality shows on the DVR (Rachel Zoe Project and Keeping Up With The Kardashians, anyone?). Instead of getting sucked into hermit mode, I'm speaking to you from Starbucks today. I haven't "worked" from here in ages. Makes me feel like a college student all over again. Sigh...

Before we took off last week, we squeezed in another Meatless Monday, again featuring a recipe from Cooking Light: Penne with Pistachio Pesto and White Beans. It's similar to the orecchiette dish we fell in love with, but different enough with the white beans for added protein. It also called for Pecorino Romano, one of my favorite cheeses!

We both really liked the meal, Hubby more so than I. I didn't dislike it, but there are a few tweaks I'd make next time around. While I enjoyed switching out the traditional pine nut pesto for one made with pistachios (one of my favorite nuts), it was a little too garlicky and lacked moisture, which made the meal feel a little dry. In my opinion, the excessive garlic made it a little hard to find other flavors in the dish, and I was left wanting a little more depth.

That said, the recipe escaped the recycling bin and made in back into my binder so I'll give it another go with some minor adjustments.

My Grade: B+
Hubby's Grade: A-
Recipe: http://bit.ly/aUktOt

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