Do you ever come home from the Farmer’s Market with so many wonderful vegetables you can’t decide what to make first? That’s what happened to me the other day. Rather than face a tough decision, I decided to use a little bit of everything, including tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, carrots, scallions, garlic, basil, and oregano. Because the dish included the best that summer has to offer, I call it Summer Pasta, but it could just as easily be named Farmer’s Market Pasta.

I start with sautéing lots of garlic in a little olive oil, and then it’s all about combining colorful vegetables with fragrant herbs from the garden. The pasta is almost incidental to the dish and recedes to the background as the vegetables and herbs come together to work their magic.

The beauty of a dish like this one is that it requires no recipe, you can add what you like or have on hand (I added some cannellini beans and kalamata olives). The leftovers taste even better, which is good because it makes a lot. It can be enjoyed hot, cold, or at room temperature. Quite simply a perfect summer meal. (To make it even more “summery” I used farfalle (butterfly) pasta and carved the carrots into little flower shapes!)

And now to the Cookbook Giveaway Winner…First, thanks so much to everyone who shared their favorite “cheap” ingredient for a chance to win a copy of Vegan on the Cheap. So many great ideas! You are all winners, of course, but the one randomly chosen to win the book is: Vegyogini! (Vegyogini: Congratulations! Please e-mail me with your address and I’ll get a book right out to you!)
To everyone else: Stay tuned for another Vegan on the Cheap giveaway real soon!

I’ll close this post with a “quote of note”:

Here’s what Howard Lyman had to say about Vegan on the Cheap in his latest Mad Cowboy newsletter:
"Robin has exploded the myth that eating healthy is too expensive. Vegan on the Cheap is the perfect book for an economical approach to healthy eating. Perfect book at the perfect time." -- Howard F. Lyman LL.D., "The Mad Cowboy"

Thanks, Howard!

Labels: Cookbook Giveaway winner, Summer Pasta