Everyday Dinner

Zoodles with Heirloom Tomatoes & Vegan Pesto Sauce

My Go-To Guilt-Free Summer Pasta
August 15, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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Zoodles with Vegan Pesto Sauce and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, recipe by @waitingonmarthaHomemade Zoodles with Cherry Tomatoes, Recipe by @waitingonmartha

If you’re sensing a pattern with my summer cooking, then you’re certainly right; I’m all about simple, easy and seasonal dishes this time of year.  And this zoodles recipe is no exception.  Ever since the team spent the afternoon with Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Easy & Williams-Sonoma, I’ve been #TeamZoodles.  They really are such an easy (emphasis on EASY) and healthy alternative to your grain pasta, and beyond perfect for a summertime, or any time, meal in a pinch.  

If you haven’t tried zoodles yet, let me just make a quick ten second pitch about why you’re missing out.  I’ve stated it numerous times that they’re so easy to make (just get yourself one of THESE), and obviously a lot less calories than your traditional pasta, but let’s talk taste.  The zucchini ribbons take on a deceiving likeness to linguine, but the trick is to not cook them too long.  Zoodles literally only need two minutes of sautéing…just enough to heat them through with your chosen sauce, but you need them to maintain their crunch.  The crunch is key; when you over-cook, or over-sauté zoodles, they can turn to mush (which is no good).

Now when it comes to the sauces, I really believe zoodles pair best with a lighter sauce that has tons of bold flavor; think a spicy red, garlicky olive oil, or my go-to vegan pesto (see below).  As I blogged before, I try to keep dairy out of my diet, and traditional pestos have loads of Parmesan.  But since I love pesto, I set out to create a vegan pesto that didn’t taste vegan.  And friends, I have found it!  Fresh basil, oregano, and cilantro from my garden paired with walnuts, salt, pepper, high quality olive oil and TONS of fresh garlic come together for what I think is better than the original version.  As you read through the recipe note that I prefer my pesto a bit on the chunky side, and very garlicky for that extra kick, but you can easily adjust to reach your desired consistency and taste. See for yourself, and let me know when you do!  Truly, MKR

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Zoodles with Heirloom Tomatoes & Vegan Pesto Sauce
Serves 4
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Zoodles
  1. 5-6 Zucchinis, spiralized into zoodles
  2. 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  3. vegan pesto sauce (see instructions below)
  4. Red pepper flakes, optional
  5. Salt & pepper to taste
Vegan Pesto Sauce
  1. 1 cup walnuts
  2. equal parts oregano and cilantro, but double that in basil (I like mine really garlicky so I use 5-6 fresh garlic cloves)
  3. Salt and pepper, to taste
  4. 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
  5. 5-6 large fresh garlic cloves
Instructions
  1. For the vegan pesto sauce...
  2. Combine fresh basil, fresh oregano, fresh cilantro, walnuts, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of olive oil and fresh garlic cloves in a mixer and blend. Keep adding olive oil to reach your desired consistency, and add salt and pepper to taste. (I like my pesto on the chunky side.)
  3. For the Zoodles...
  4. In a large saute pan, add the zoodles and pesto sauce and cook until just warm and combined (approximately 2-4 minutes). You don't want to over cook because you want to keep your zucchini noodles crisp.
  5. Top with fresh heirloom tomatoes and red pepper flakes and serve.
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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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Roasted Zucchini, Corn, Fava Bean & Orzo Salad with Shrimp Skewers

Celebrate Some of Summer's Best Flavors with This Easy Dish
July 20, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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Blog-Food-GrilledOrzo2
Blog-Food-GrilledOrzo

I’ve been on a summer clean eating kick, with my heirloom tomato salad and my fresh frisee salad.  Today’s dish is another favorite recipe of mine that celebrates so many simple summer flavors all in one bite.  Welcome to my orzo salad with sautéed zucchini and corn, Fava Beans, shallots and cilantro. 

I’ve always loved orzo; it works so well in a dish when you need some sort of carb or starch, but want to make sure the vegetables are the star of the show.  I gravitate to this rice-shaped pasta especially when sautéing zucchini, squash and fresh summer corn zipped from the cob.  Like pasta, it will pick up any flavor you’re cooking it up with.  It’s also great to have on hand because you can cook it in bulk, freeze it, or even keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days to use with salads, side dishes and soups. 

You’ll also notice I use Fava Beans here; a  smoother, richer bean than any else.  Fava beans may be new to some, and truthfully they aren’t the easiest to find, but if you see them please give them a try!  This delicate bean gives an almost creamy consistency to each forkful, and feels like a treat to eat by the time you’re done preparing it.   Before they’re peeled, they look like an overgrown sweet pea, and they MUST be double-peeled before cooking (a little lesson I learned from (Food Network’s Chopped).   Here’s a great how-to if it’s your first time peeling the beans. 

The rest of the ingredients for my orzo salad really speak for themselves, and preparing for this simple dish as I’ve shared below is as straight-forward as you’ll find.  As for the shrimp skewers: they’re just as easy and can be prepared and grilled in less than 10 minutes.  Simply toss the shrimp (after peeling and deveining of course) in any spicy seasoning (I prefer THIS one or Old Bay, and is also what I use for the zucchini) and place onto skewer sticks for quick grilling.  And in fact, this entire meal is one of those 30-minute-and-under gems!  But something to note: there is a lot of multi-tasking that needs to happen for this recipe, so take your time and read through the recipe in its entirety before beginning, and have all your components prepped and ready to go.  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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Roasted Zucchini, Corn, Fava Bean & Orzo Salad with Spicy Shrimp Skewers
Yields 4
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Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
23 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
23 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1-11/2 peeled and deveined shrimp
  2. 3 ears of corn, zipped
  3. 2 zucchini halved lengthwise
  4. 1/2 lb. orzo
  5. 1/2 lb. fava beans peeled
  6. 1 large shallot, diced
  7. juice of 2 fresh limes
  8. 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  9. Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
  10. spicy seasoning, or Old Bay
  11. Cayenne Pepper
  12. salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees, light/start your grill.
  2. Toss your shrimp with a tsp. of olive oil and spicy seasoning, place on skewers and set aside.
  3. Toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spicy seasoning. Place on a roasting pan and roast for approximately 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cooked through, but not mushy.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the orzo al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
  5. While zucchini is roasting and the orzo is cooking heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium/high heat in a large saute pan or dutch oven. Add shallots and cook till translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add corn and fava beans cook an additional 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. While everything is sautéing place your shrimp on the grill and cook 2 minutes per side.
  7. Add orzo to your corn and bean mixture, plus 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch (or two) of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Cook an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  8. On a large platter lightly mix the orzo mixture, zucchini, fresh cilantro, a bit more cayenne (if you like it spicy, salt and pepper. Serve with shrimp skewers.
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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Sautéed Shishito Peppers, Grilled Okra & Fresh Corn Salad

Simple Summer Sides for Clean Eating
July 14, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Appetizers & Sides

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Grilled shishito peppers, grilled okra and corn salad, recipe by @waitingonmartha
Fresh summer corn side dish, Waiting On Martha

Summer tabletops that look like this make seasonal eating easy (emphasis on the EASY).  And for those of you following along on Snapchat (username Waiting On Martha), you’ll know I’m trying to eat cleaner and put the focus back on fresh, in season, local ingredients.  This focus on eating “clean” has in turn also highlighted my love of simple ingredients and flavors.  Case in point: grilled fresh vegetables from the garden seasoned simply with a little oil, salt and pepper.

First up: shishito peppers.  If you haven’t tried these, stop what you’re doing and go out and find some at your nearest Asian grocery market (if you’re in Atlanta you can find them at the Buford Farmers Market).  They’re a milder pepper, but be warned about 1 in 5 will be on the spicy side so be prepared for a little game of pepper roulette. You can of course grill them, though I usually throw them into a sautee pan or even a wok.  They are SO simple to make; simply drizzle organic olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.  You’ll cook them until they char and start to shrivel up about 5-7 minutes and then just eat ’em up.  

Second: grilled okra.  I’m a firm believer that okra is one of the south’s best fruits of the earth (click here for Southern Living’s 10 best okra recipes to see for yourself).   I’ve eaten them all sorts of ways, but I really might prefer simple and grilled above all else!  All you need to do is halve them and put them on skewer sticks, drizzle with organic olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Grill for about 10 minutes (or until charred) and pop the entire thing in your mouth!  I’ve found that grilling them as such will also take the slime out of them entirely.

Lastly, my corn salad is quite possibly the biggest crowd pleaser of them all.  It can be served cold, warm, room temperature…your call.  I’ve enjoyed it as a salsa, as a salad and straight out of the sautee pan too.  All you’ll do: dump the fresh corn kernels (stripped easily from the cob with one of these) or frozen corn if you must to a sautee pan with (plenty of) un slated butter and salt.  When in doubt, add more butter.  To serve, simply add chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and give it a quick stir…you don’t want any of these ingredients to get mushy so definitely save them until garnish at the end.  It is seriously so easy, so fresh and SO tasty.  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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Sauteed Shishito Peppers, Grilled Okra & Fresh Corn Salad
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For the Sauteed Shishito Peppers
  1. Shishito Peppers
  2. olive oil
  3. salt and pepper to taste
For the Grilled Okra
  1. Okra, halved
  2. olive oil
  3. salt and pepper to taste
  4. cayenne to taste
For the Fresh Corn Salad
  1. 2-3 ears of fresh corn, peeled or 1 can of canned corn
  2. butter to taste
  3. salt to taste
  4. Green onion, chopped, to garnish
  5. Fresh cilantro, chopped to garnish
  6. Lime, cut into wedges, to garnish
For the Shishito Peppers
  1. Drizzle olive oil and and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Sautee, grill or cook in wok until peppers char and start to shrivel up.
For the Grilled Okra
  1. Halve the okra and put them on skewer sticks.
  2. Drizzle sticks with olive oil, salt and pepper and a dash of cayenne (to taste).
  3. Grill for 10 minutes (or until charred).
  4. Serve and enjoy whole.
For the Corn Salad
  1. Dump the corn kernels into a sautee pan with a generous amount of butter and salt.
  2. Add more butter and salt to taste.
  3. Chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and fresh lime wedges.
  4. Serve garnishes atop corn salad - cold, warm or at room temperature.
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