Today's Praise: In honor of Halloween...



Who doesn't love M&Ms...and when the have Peanut Butter in them, I can justify it as a source of protein :)

Today's Recipe: Pasta Fagioli (Fah-jo-lee)

Happy belated Halloween to the masses. I hope you all had a ghoulishly fun weekend full of candy, tricks, and maybe even a beverage or two ;) Here in Breckenridge, Halloween is a big deal and it seems to bring idiots from out of the woodwork. So, instead of dealing with said idiots, I hosted some friends for a small Halloween dinner complete with severed finger appetizers and bubbling punch thanks to Michelle :)

For dinner, I made a ginormous pot of Pasta Fagioli, which is a hearty bean and pasta Italian soup. It was a big hit, and I am going to share the recipe with you! The best thing about this soup is that its not only vegetarian, but its also vegan. And its hearty enough that meat eaters among us don't even notice the absense of mammal in the dish, so its a perfect choice for feeding several different dietary preferences. Serve it with slices of italian bread to soak up the juices and...get ready, here it comes: lots of parmesan cheese to dump on top!

Pasta Fagioli

2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t. dried parsley
1 t. oregano
1/4 to 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
salt
1 can (14 oz) veggie broth
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1/2 cup uncooked pasta
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and coat bottom with olive oil. Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, and seasonings for about 5 minutes. Stir in stock, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and simmer on low for at least 20 minutes. The best part is you can let this simmer as long as you need to until guests arrive, etc...and then drop the pasta 15 minutes before you're ready to eat.

At this time you drop the dried pasta and cook it for about 10 minutes or until tender. Depending on the cut of pasta, it may take longer. When pasta is almost al dente add in the beans and heat through. Now its ready to serve!

This will be one of my featured soups when I open my specialty food store here in Breckenridge................someday :)

Have a good week everyone!