Cauliflower pasta

Okay, so I got the INSPIRATION for this bowl of pasta from the Eating Well recipe site, but I changed it up a little...not too much. 

The recipe directs us to cook the pasta and the vegies all together, but I didn't do that. Also, instead of adding lima beans, I used frozen green peas. Oh, and I didn't serve it with a spinach salad, but I added some chopped spinach to the dish, along with some basil leaves. But other than that, it was the same as the recipe for Braised Winter Vegetable Pasta.

Instead, I roasted a head of SLO Veg cauliflower, broken up into florets, and some peeled and cubed butternut squash in the oven with a little coating of olive oil. I cooked the pasta until al dente, then drained it while I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil and butter. Then I mixed in about a cup of broth and a half cup of white wine along with some dried sage. I chopped up some SLO Veg spinach and a few leaves of basil and tossed it into the broth mixture. The roasted vegies went in to the pot and I mixed it all up, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and then topped it all with mozzarella cheese. The guys loved it and it didn't even have any meat in it! Amazing!!!

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http://mobile.eatingwell.com/recipes/braised_winter_vegetable_pasta.html

Braised Winter Vegetable Pasta

In this vegetable-studded vegan dish we braise cauliflower, butternut squash and pasta in white wine and broth in an unconventional technique that yields delicious results. Serve with a spinach salad with red onion, orange segments and a light vinaigrette.

From EatingWell: November/December 2010
Yield: 4 servings, about 2 cups each
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1 small onion, diced
3. 4 cloves garlic, minced
4. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed
5. 4 cups vegetable broth
6. 1 cup dry white wine
7. 8 ounces whole-wheat medium pasta shells or other small pasta
8. 2 cups bite-size cauliflower florets
9. 2 cups bite-size butternut squash cubes
10. 1/4 teaspoon salt
11. Freshly ground pepper to taste
12. 1 10-ounce bag frozen lima beans, thawed

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add broth and wine; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta, cauliflower, squash, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is not quite tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in lima beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lima beans and pasta are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes more.