Hearty whole wheat pasta strikes a balance with fresh green vegetables in this light but filling dish, which can be made with spring or summer vegetables. The recipe is simple enough: take 2 pounds of your favorite vegetable and toss with any shaped pasta or egg noodles. I’ve added some garlic, basil, and lemon for flavor, but that’s about it. The recipe below is printed as I prepared it, but if you want to adjust the vegetables just remember to adjust cooking time as needed. This isn’t quite a one-dish meal, but would be great with some grilled chicken breasts or salmon fillets. Even though I’ve listed this as a “side dish,” it’s quite large (think 2 side dishes: pasta and veggies).

1 box (16 oz) whole wheat rotini
1 1/2 lb (2 medium) zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/2 lb (8 oz) sugar snap peas
1 small onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and rotini, boil 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add stock and bring to a simmer.

Add zucchini and snap peas to pan. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are crisp-tender and about half of cooking liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, basil, and pepper.

Pour hot vegetable mixture over pasta. Toss well and top with additional pepper if desired.

Serve warm immediately or chill 30 minutes to serve “room temperature.” Dish can also be served cold (chill 1-2 hours).

Optional: serve topped with parmesan cheese.

I love the art and simplicity of one-dish meals. It can be difficult to balance meat, vegetables, and a starchy side all in one pan. This dish was inspired by the first small zucchini of the season, which was very exciting to find. Paired with mini-bella mushrooms, which have a bit more taste then white mushrooms, this dish was earthy yet fresh. White mushrooms would be a fine substitute, or shiitake if you are ambitious. Here is another adventure in Spring Fever!

1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz mini-bella or white mushrooms, sliced
4-5 large green onions, green parts chopped and whites discarded
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
8 oz wide egg noodles
1 tsp salt
3 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 lb (12 oz) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
bean sprouts, optional

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and egg noodles. Boil 7-8 minutes, until just tender. 

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet with tall sides or a wok. Saute onion 1 minute, add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes. Add a little water if skillet is too dry. Add green onions and saute 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Dredge pork in cornstarch mixed with chili powder. Add to hot skillet, cook for 2 minutes without turning. Add 1 cup water and turn pork, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. When liquid begins to simmer, add onion mixture back to pan and toss with pork. Add zucchini and sugar snap peas. Turn heat to medium, cover pan and let simmer 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain egg noodles and add to skillet. Toss well, coating with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in pepper. Serve topped with bean sprouts, if desired.

I also served a side of roughly chopped radicchio tossed with 1 tsp dark sesame seed oil and 1/8 tsp black ground pepper. About half of a small head is plenty, though the radicchio was rather bitter and not as big of a hit as the rest of the meal.

Another quick and easy side dish from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast (I really love this book!). This is a great way to add a little flavor to a side dish without overwhelming the rest of the meal. Even though this recipe comes from the Spring section of the book, both sugar snap peas and mint should still be in season and reasonably priced, though you probably will have to go to a supermarket to find them instead of a Farmer’s Market. These peas go especially well with a pork main dish.

1 tbsp butter
1 cup cold water
1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas
1/2 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh mint leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

In a 12-inch skillet or saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil over high heat. Add peas, cover, and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove lid and reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until the peas are crisp-tender and the water has evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes (if peas are done and water still remains, drain excess).

Toss peas with mint and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Pretty speedy, huh?

I cooked my first meal from my new cookbook “Everyday Food,” from the makers of Everyday Food Magazine and the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. These bright veggies are quick and easy to make and taste great!

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
salt and pepper, to taste

In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sugar snaps and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally (true to their name, the peas will start to snap – don’t panic!), until snaps begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring and scraping up the ginger from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until snaps are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired.