Pasta and fresh sauteed veggies

I think my next favorite thing to Summer Salads is Summer Pasta. It's not a cold pasta salad. It's HOT and yummy with whatever veggies you have on hand. I just happened to go to my local farmer's market and got fresh corn on the cob and zucchini. Come to think of it, I got the corn from down the street at the "egg farm" that I go to.

It's owned by a Mennonite family with 5 adorable kids. They are so cute in their pigtails and long dresses and bare feet. I have buying my eggs from them for almost 2 years now. During the summer, they have a little stand and sell all sorts of fruits and vegetables. And the prices...4 cucumbers for a dollar! A quart of perfect tomatoes for 2.00. It's so fresh and yummy. Anyway, I digress...

So, a got a dozen ears of corn for 3.00. For this recipe I used 4 ears of corn, a small eggplant, 1 green zucchini, half a yellow zucchini, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs from my garden. The pasta I used was penne, Brown Rice Penne to be exact. Good stuff, it's whole grain with the white pasta taste. And it's organic!

So, here's that zucchini and summer squash. So pretty! Chop it into cubes.


I put all my veggies in a bowl till ready to sautee.


I skin the eggplant and chop it into cubes.


Into the bowl it goes...


I have this great gadget (thanks mom!) to scrape corn off the cob, but really, any old knife will do.


Oh, shallots, I forgot to mention the shallots! I LOVE shallots. Since I have moved to PA over 2 years ago, I have NEVER seen shallots in the local store. I was SO excited when I went to the Green Dragon Farmer's Market and saw shallots. I bought two bags!


So, shallots...sweet yummy onion. Dice finely.


Throw them in the bowl. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Now, don't add any old salt. Do yourself and your family a favor and get Sea Salt.

Sea Salt is much better for you. It's unrefined and minimally processed so it retains it's natural goodness and wholeness. The ancients called it the "fruit of the sea." After it's harvested from the sea it's dried in the sun for a few weeks to evaporate the rest of the water and this drying maximizes the magnesium and iodide content. Try it for yourself. Your body will love you for it.


Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Go for "al dente" with a bit of chew on the pasta.


Drain the pasta. Cover and keep warm.


Heat up your pan to saute your vegetables. We use "Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil" liberally in our home. It's SO good for you. It's a "good" fat.

If you don't have a cast iron pan. Get one! Bill bought me one for Christmas 2 years ago and it's my best friend! It was pre-seasoned. It cooks like a charm (whatever that means). It also gives you that extra iron that all of us ladies can use. I tend to get iron-deficient and it helps.


Dump those veggies in. Stir around and let them heat up till slightly tender. A little bit of crunch is okay!


Garnish with a bit of fresh basil. I added a bit more olive oil to the pasta, dumped the veggies on top, and added some fresh herbs...thyme, oregano, and basil. You can add dried if you don't have fresh.

I also sprinkled some Pecorino Romano cheese on top. (Parmesan is good too).

Oh, and for color, it's all about looking pretty, you know, I added a fresh tomato.

Enjoy!