August 9

Welcome to the first-ever post of my new section-- Delicious Vegetarian Meal of the Month! This month, I decided to share my very own vegetable pasta recipe. Hope you enjoy!

But before I dive into the recipe-- first things first-- the daily outfit.
top-anthro.
Leggings- BP Nordstrom
shoes- the Banana Republic Flats I wore here
earrings- given to me by my host mom in Chile when I went there in '05
The $1 apron I got at the flea market.
And a little sous chef.

What you need:

1 big hunk of broccoli cut into 1-inch-long pieces (avoid using the stems, as these take forever to cook)
2-3 average-sized tomatoes (diced)
4-5 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 chopped sliced portabella mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1 box multi grain or whole wheat pasta
Crushed Red Pepper, Italian Herbs, Salt


Steps:

1. Boil the pasta in a large pot with water, a dash of salt, and a few drops olive oil
2. Pour the remaining olive oil into a large skillet. with the heat on High, add the garlic.
3. after 3 minutes, reduce the heat to medium to avoid splashing scalding olive oil all over yourself and add the broccoli florets.
4. after about 3 more minutes, add the tomatoes.
5. a minute or so later, add the mushrooms.
6. cook the mixture on High for 5 minutes, stirring periodically to distribute the heat evenly.

7. Add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, Italian Herbs, and Salt to taste.
8. Mix the veggies and pasta in a large bowl. Serve warm.

it takes about 35-45 minutes total. easy, healthy, and 100% vegan!

Bon appetit. and I hope you fellow Virginians took full advantage of the tax-free weekend (I know I did)!