Summer Squash Pasta Deliciosa

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This dish is the perfect showcase of my favorite summer veggies and is cooling and refreshing. I love it so much and could eat it every day. I served this dish at a cooking competition and won Grand Prize, Best Flavor and Most Locally Used Ingredients – all three prizes that were offered! I have served it at parties as well and everyone always raves. When I started writing recipes for LNF, I was not technically gluten free, but had been avoiding grains for the most part for about 8 years already. A few years later, as I have fine tuned my diet even more, I have all but eliminated gluten from my diet. I feel that gluten containing grains can be a healthful food if properly prepared (if soaked, sprouted and soured) but since genetic engineering has raised its ugly head and it has been found out that most wheat is GE (even organic), I pretty much avoid it.

It is amazing this is not being served at fine dining restaurants as it is so gourmet and delicious. This will fulfill your need for pasta if you are gluten free and give you added nutrition as this pasta is made with veggies, not grain. I do not normally recommend buying additional kitchen gadgets, but I make an exception with this one as it makes such interesting noodles and other vegetable shapes. It is called a Taglialegumi or Turning Slicer (English translation) made by Paderno from Italy.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized Summer Squash – you can use a combo of interesting summer squash. Try the many beautiful heirloom varieties for a beautiful dish. At least try a combination of zucchini and yellow squash.
• 2 Heirloom Tomatoes – try different varieties and colored tomatoes (Brandywine are my favorites)
• 2 Bell Peppers – try different colors (now there are purple, brown, yellow, orange and red peppers (I avoid green as they can be hard to digest) (if you have the opportunity, grill the bell peppers for added flavor)
• 4 medium sized Garlic cloves
• ½ cup Soft Goat Cheese or Feta (optional)
• ¼ cup Olive Oil – the best tasting olive oil you can find
• 2 teaspoons good salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper – to taste
• 1 tablespoon of each fresh herbs -basil, oregano, thyme
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
• Tools
• Taglialegumi or Turning Slicer

Instructions

1. Use the Taglialegumi (or spiralizer as I call it) to make noodles with the squash. Place in a large bowl.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt over the squash and toss together.
3. Slice up the tomatoes and bell peppers and add to the bowl.
4. Add the remaining salt, garlic pressed through a garlic press, fresh herbs, olive oil and pepper. Toss together and let sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature. The salt will bring moisture out of the veggies.
5. Stir in goat cheese, nuts and serve.
6. Garnish with fresh basil or chopped herbs.

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