Pasta with Zucchini and Almonds - Cooking Light

Pasta with Zucchini and Toasted Almonds - Quick and Easy Italian Recipes - Photos - CookingLight.com

I know I am already wearing you all out on zucchini and tomatoes, but this was an awesome recipe! The linguine was the real treat here. I found a lemon pepper linguine at Trader Joes that goes so perfect with this dish. It's cheap ($2) and the thick ribbons absorb a lot of the flavors in this spring/summery dish.

I did not include the mint, but I think it would be a great additive. I would love to have a fresh mint plant. Not only is it great for adding flavors to summer drinks and desserts, but my cat loves the plant and it is a great way to "mello" her out. Dried mint is another herb I would not substitute for fresh. If you have some fresh, use it (or better yet plant your own) but otherwise it is just as yummy without.

The almonds also did it for me in this dish. It adds a crunch that really changes the flavor compared to other summer pasta dishes. I buy Trader Joes raw, unroasted almonds. Almonds are a great source of good fat but the roasting and salt add unneeded calories. In a trail mix you can surely taste the difference, but in this kind of meal it is worth saving the calories.

Another tip I have learned is to buy in the bulk aisles at grocery stores. This is of course not the case for Trader Joes, but the "scoop and fill" bag aisle can save you a lot of money if you are not the kind of person who keeps nuts in the house often. I have a crate of nuts so I don't mind buying in bags, but if you know the majority of the bag will go bad before you use them, just buy the amount you need in the bulk aisle. It's an ingredient worth having in this dish.

Omit salt and fat: Cooking Light is big on omitting salt and oil when boiling pasta. I am not. I don't use the oil or the salt to "season" the pasta. Adding salt to water before boiling will help water boil faster. Hardly any of the salt is absorbed by the pasta itself. I add oil to the water if I am boiling large/long pasta such as linguine or spaghetti to keep the noodles from sticking together. However, when I drain the water the pasta is without the oil. Use only the amount needed to separate pasta noodles (1 tbsp) or boil water (1 tsp salt) but the added salt and oil will not affect your daily allowance.


Don't forget: cherry tomatoes over grape for a more tender, juicy tomato. Use fresh lemon juice to get the real effect. Top dish with parm instead of mixing it in. Also, I love shallots and think they are far superior to red onion. However, shallots are small and more often used in one sitting. Red onion can linger around waiting to be used. If you have leftover red onion and a recipe calling for shallots, finely chop the red onion and use as a substitute to get rid of onion and save yourself a spare trip to the store.