Mediterranean Garden Spaghetti

With summer quickly approaching, it's time to come up with some lighter meals. Between kid activities like 4H getting into full swing and summer maintenance on the farm, quick meals are also a priority. This meatless dish is both light and easy!

1 lb spaghetti, cooked al dente per package instructions
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and flaked
1 cup feta cheese

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large skillet. Sautee garlic, scallions, basil and tomatoes over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Put spaghetti in large serving bowl. Pour sauteed tomato mixture over spaghetti, add remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, avocado and feta cheese and toss together.

Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini / Dei Fratelli Tomatoes

Afew months ago I was a winner in a Dei Fratelli Tomatoes contest for my recipe for Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini. Spicy and easy to prepare, I make this all the time. The less mess I have to make, the better sometimes, and only 2 pots are needed for this one.
My prize from the contest was a box of Dei Fratelli products every month for a year, and I just got my first one yesterday. There were other items in the box (like salsas) that were spirited off by my family before I could take a photo, but I will definitely make use of every item. This brand is one of my favorites as they use real food ingredients. No high fructose corn syrup, no need for a chemistry degree to decipher the label.

http://www.deifratelli.com/recipes/recipes_contest09.php

Red Pepper Shrimp Linguini

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Olive oil 1 cup White onion, sliced thin 1 cup Red bell peppers, sliced 2 1/2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced 1/4 cup Fresh basil, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. Oregano 1 Tbsp. Rosemary 1 tsp. Salt	1/2 tsp. Black pepper 3/4 cup Mushrooms, sliced 1 14.5 oz. can Dei Fratelli Chopped Italian Tomatoes 1 1/2 pounds Fresh large shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tail on (can substitute thawed frozen cooked shrimp) 1 pound Linguini, cooked al dente per package instructions
Preparation: Heat oil in large pot with lid. Add onion, peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Sautée over medium heat 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer until shrimp is pink and hot (if using frozen cooked shrimp, approx 5 minutes to heat through). Toss with cooked pasta

Lemon Dill Scallops over Linguini

I've had afew recent recipe contest wins, which is always exciting (even if the prize is small). This recipe for Lemon Dill Scallops over Linguini was a runner up in a contest sponsored by Food and Water Watch. The requirements were to create a dinner for 4, under $25, using a sustainable seafood item. The environment is a passion of mine, so it was fun for me to be included in their online cookbook. The site/cookbook is a bit hard to navigate, but if you can find the cookbook, my page is #17.
I love sea scallops, but don't get to use them nearly as often as I would like due to their expense. Especially since I will only use diver caught scallops that do not come from an Asian country. Asian origin seafood (especially from China) is bad news from both a health and environmental standpoint. Unsound practices and scary chemicals.
Diver caught scallops are collected with minimal disturbance to the rest of the environment. They are generally a "day boat" operation, which means that the boats return to the port every night, they don't stay out for days. This makes it unnecessary to use chemical preservatives on board to keep them fresh.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/seafood/frugal-fish/fish-tips-2013-the-frugal-fish-edition


Lemon-Dill Scallop Linguini

1 1/2 lb sea scallops (rinsed and lightly patted partially dry)
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil

2 sticks butter, melted
4 tbsp white wine
1 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dill (dried or fresh, chopped fine)
1/2 lb cooked linguini

Combine bread crumbs and lemon pepper seasoning in a large bowl. Roll scallops in mixture until lightly coated. Place on barbecue or stovetop grill on medium heat, and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until opaque and slightly brown. Approx 6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, wine, lemon juice, garlic and dill. Stir over medium until heated through. Toss with cooked linguini, top with scallops.