PW's Favorite Sandwich and DeCio Chile Cilantro Linguine

I had a very nice surprise this morning! My blog was mentioned on foodieblogroll.com, for their weekly "Finest Foodie Friday" blog recognition. Apparently, they hand pick 5 food blogs every week to spotlight (from their 2900+ enrolled blog members)...and mine was one of them. Hooray for me! Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head. It is kinda hard to have an ego problem when your main mode of conversation all day is about the potty and Dora the Explorer. Still, it is nice to know that more than five people have actually read my blog.

Okay...moving on. Tonight is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. When the main component is cheese, what is not to love??? This is a Pioneer Woman selection that is literally one of the best sandwiches that I have ever consumed. Basically, it is a grilled cheese...but it is a special, fancy grilled cheese. Once you take a bite, you realize very quickly that it is sooooo much more than just a run-of-the-mill sandwich. Below is the link to my earlier post for this recipe.

Pioneer Woman's Favorite Sandwich

For a side dish, I thought I would improvise a pasta/veggie concoction. I have this awesome flavored pasta from a local Arizona company called DeCio Pasta. This pasta is addicting! The flavor I have on hand is Chile Cilantro, so I thought it would compliment my green chile laden sandwiches nicely. I will write a recipe plan for my pasta, but I may adjust it as I actually start cooking. I definitely want to incorporate black beans, corn, and pickled jalapenos into the dish. Aside from that, I am not sure. I need some veggies in there...so maybe green beans, or broccoli????? I guess I will just see what strikes my fancy when I start my meal prep work. I am kinda going for a Tex-Mex type of thing. I will let you know how it all turns out.

DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine...With A Twist

Ingredients:
1 package of DeCio's Chile Cilantro Linguine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
pickled jalapeno slices
diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn, steam cooked
1 cup of frozen broccoli or green beans, steam cooked
fresh cilantro
leftover onions and peppers (this is a maybe...it would be without the Italian Sausage)
lime juice (possibly)
chipotle pepper with Adobo sauce (just a little for a smokey spice).

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Add one or more of the other ingredients to taste. Toss with olive oil and fresh cilantro and serve.



The Result:
This was really good. There were no surprises with the sandwich...it was awesome as usual. I used 100% whole wheat bread, so it toasted a little darker than your typical "white" bread. From the photo, it almost looks as if the edges of the sandwich are a little burnt...but they weren't...I swear! The pasta turned out really yummy, as well. I pretty much stuck to my recipe plan, outlined above. I was indecisive about what type of veggie to put in the pasta, so I just used a frozen mixed vegetable blend (I steamed them first, then added them to the pasta). I think it had lima beans, corn, peas, green beans, and carrots. I also added my onions/peppers from last night, and the black beans. I totally forgot the cilantro, but I really did not miss it much. My son really, really loved the pasta dish. He kept exclaiming, "OOOOHHHHHH, noodles".

This meal was a really great vegetarian choice, but admittedly not as healthy as some of other vegetarian recipes that I have made (with all the cheese, and butter, and mayo-based spread, and all). It was still satisfying and delicious, nonetheless.