Pasta with cannellini beans, roasted tomatoes and hand chopped pesto

This recipe actually came together in two parts- I made the beans with roasted tomatoes earlier in the day and had a portion for lunch with a veggie hotdog, and later when I was scouring the internet for recipes featuring basil (I just bought a basil plant), I came across this pesto recipe. I am actually generally not a huge pesto fan but chopping everything by hand makes it soooo much better than that stuff that comes out of a food processer. In the original recipe I found for the pesto (from one of my favorite food blogs 101 cookbooks), the writer prepared you to spend 30 minutes on it, but perhaps because I am not a perfectionist it took me less than 10!

First here is the recipe for the beans (loosely adapted from Elana's Pantry)

White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

1 can cannellini beans

3-4 medium tomatoes

1 small clove of garlic

olive oil (2tbsp to 1/3 a cup- depends on how much you like olive oil)

salt to taste

balsamic vinegar

basil (about ten leaves roughly chopped)

Quarter the tomatoes and roast for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, drain the beans and chop the garlic. Throw the beans and garlic into a large bowl.

Once the tomatoes are done add them to the beans and garlic. Add the fresh basil, olive oil and salt and about a tablespoon of balsamic.

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As I said, I made the pesto later in the evening and added a spoonful or so to a bowl of pennette pasta. Then I added about a half a cup of the cannellini beans. I served it at room temperature (to myself- ha) and it was quite tasty. I've been eating it everyday for the last couple of days and have yet to tire of it. Actually the nice bit is that, as long as you only mix everything together when you are eating it, you can use the beans or the pesto numerous other ways. (The bean's would be great on crostini or in a salad with some nice greens. You could stir the pesto into a vegetable soup, add it to an omelette, or use it as a base for a nice pizza.)

Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta (and possibly a little kale)

Part of being on a budget means cooking at home, so I have decided to post some of the recipes I try for better or worse. I'm not an incredible chef but since Noelle can't cook worth a damn, I figured I would have to be in charge of this. So let this be my first attempt to bring you a simple, delicious dish.

There were a few beets included in my CSA haul today so I decided to make Bon Apetits Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Greens and Feta. Because there weren't a lot of green attached to my beets I added in some kale (also in the box). A friend of mine made this for me about a month ago with fresh beets from her garden and I fell in love for the first time with beets, something I had not really been a fan of before. So without further ado, here is the original recipe that I halved and added kale to, and also left out the capers- but I will leave it up to you.

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 7 medium-large beets (about 3 inches in diameter) with greens
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped drained capers

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.

Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Cut beets in half and slice thinly. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in capers and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.

Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange beets in center of platter. Surround with greens; sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with any remaining dressing