Food Flavor Fun:Meatless Friday Recipes

Lenten Series: Meatless Friday Recipes
Today we are bringing back our Lenten series – Meatless Friday Recipes to help you keep your Lenten abstinence from meat. We are pleased to announce that Tom Neeb, author of Taste the Flavor Cookbook and owner of Food Flavor Fun and Luxury Palate will once again be sharing some of his great East Texas roots' recipes. Tom is by profession an Information Technology geek/manager with a large financial services provider. In his spare time and by necessity, he learned to cook. Why? “Because I like to eat! I like food with great flavor… And who does not like to have fun?” Tom is passionate about sharing his love for good food, good friends and good times.  Tom is also a member of our local parish, St. Catherine of Siena, and a regular attendee at Joe Catholic. You can follow Tom's blog and all his great recipe ideas at Food Flavor Fun or on Facebook and Twitter.

Greetings from Tom Neeb
Hi everybody. My name is Tom Neeb and I’m really excited to get the opportunity to share some great meatless recipes with you for your Lenten Friday. A huge THANK YOU to Joe Catholic for allowing me this opportunity.

I’m so glad you’ve found your way here. Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Very simple and basic dishes.  Perfect for your meatless Friday meal.  But don't expect it to be short on flavor.  Enjoy!

Veggie Sauté with Pene

Ingredients:

·     12 ounces penne pasta

·     2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets, steamed al dente

·     1/4 cup olive oil

·     1/2 cup diced yellow onion

·     6-7 cloves of garlic, sliced

·     2 medium zucchini, diced

·     1 cup chopped artichoke hearts

·     8 whole sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, roughly chopped, plus add 1-2 tbsp of the oil to the veggie sauté

·     1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

·     1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, cut in half

·     2 tsp sea salt

·     1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.   Cook pasta until al dente and drain; set aside.

2.   While pasta is cooking, steam broccoli florets until al dente. Remove from heat; set aside.

3.   At the same time, chop onion, zucchini, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and basil. Slice garlic. Cut olives into halves.

4.   Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion and garlic. Sauté until onion starts to soften.

5.   Add zucchini and continue to sauté until zucchini begins to soften. Then add remaining ingredients and sauté 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to combine.

6.   Add penne and toss until well coated and reheated.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Caprese Salad With Pesto

Ingredients:

·     Equal parts sliced young cucumber, chopped garden tomato (or cherry tomatoes), and cubed mozzarella cheese

·     Prepared pesto (See Below)

·     Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), for drizzling

Directions:

1.   In a bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, and cheese

2.   Add pesto according to taste preferences (Pesto is concentrated in flavor, so a little goes a long way. I like a teaspoon or two in one bowlful of salad.)

3.   Drizzle EVOO over all, and stir until pesto is mixed throughout.

Simple Garlic and Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

·     3 cups chopped fresh basil

·     1 cup extra virgin olive oil

·     1/2 cup pine nuts

·     1/8 cup Brazil nuts

·     2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·     2 tablespoons minced garlic

·      1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

1.   Place the basil in a blender. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of the oil, and blend basil into a paste. Gradually add pine nuts, Brazil nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, chili powder, and remaining oil. Continue to blend until smooth.

Voila!  Enjoy!