A Dish To Make Sam I Am Proud!

So you know the book Green Eggs And Ham by Dr. Suess? Remember how Sam I Am kept trying to get his friend to try the Green Eggs and Ham? Well, this is how I feel about this dish. For dinner tonight, I made Cashew Pasta Pesto. I must be honest in saying that unless the food is green naturally (i.e. ex. lettuce, green beans, asparagus, etc.) I don't usually care for it. There is something about green food that kind of grosses me out.

I have always wanted to try pesto sauce, but I never have before because it is green. Well, tonight, I put my personal food color prejudices aside and decided to try this pasta pesto. I was not disappointed. Just like Sam I Am's friend, I have found a new appreciation for a green food. Most pesto sauces are made with pine nuts, but I like that this one had a twist. Instead of pine nuts, this pesto sauce had cashews in it. Cashews are like my favorite nut ever (next to pistachios as we all found out in an earlier post) and so I was happy to see cashews in this recipe! The pesto also had parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in it! Oh, I must take a moment to say that thanks to the Christmas monies my grandparents gave me, I was able to buy a new toy -- a food processor! I have always wanted one! So, I used my food processor tonight to make the pesto sauce! I think I enjoyed making it a little too much as I got to use my new toy today! Without the food processor, this dish would not have happened! I also was hesitant to try pesto, because unlike most pasta sauces, this one is served cold. The warm pasta warms up the sauce, but I just don't it is the same thing. In combination with the roasted tomatoes and pasta, the pesto was quite pleasant. I know a lot of people don't like nuts in things because of texture, but with the nuts being chopped up and mixed into the pesto, you could hardly tell there were nuts in the dish. The nuts had the same texture as the garlic and parsley. The olive oil really brought everything together nicely in the food processor. The only thing I may have changed up a little with the pesto is that I would have added more cashews. I couldnt' really taste them and I would have liked the flavor of the cashews to come out a little more.

I also loved the tomatoes in this recipe. The grape tomatoes were roasted separately and then mixed in with the pasta and pesto at the end. The roasted tomatoes would be so good on their own or mixed into a different recipe. To those of you who do not like tomatoes on their soft tacos (and yes, I mean you!), I encourage you to try these tomatoes. Be like Sam I Am's friend and take a chance! You may be surprised! Don't knock it before you try it.

The pasta in this dish was Farafelle, or bow-tie pasta. I liked the bow-ties because they held onto the pesto really well and complimented the tomatoes. With any pasta, the bow-ties must be baby sat when cooking so they don't get overcooked. The biggest mistake most people make when cooking pasta is they walk away and forget about it or they think it is done when it sticks to the wall. In both of these cases, the pasta is WAY overcooked. Pasta turns out best when you stay near the pot and can check it for the right texture. If your pasta sticks to the wall, you have cooked it too long -- trust me. The starches start to break down and create a sticky mess!

I am excited to have the leftover pasta for lunch! I have been trying to eat a little more healthy and this dish definitely is healthy. To change up this recipe, you could add a protein to it such as chicken, but I think it stands on its own fairly well!

Cashew Pasta Pesto: