Pasta Calabrese - Bell Pepper Sauce

This is one of my favorite dishes my husband came back from Italy making.  The bell pepper sauce is delicious and a nice change from your typical Tomato Sauce.

Image Credit:  Cooks Illustrated

On low-medium heat sauce 7 minutes:
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 TBS olive oil
Add and sauté 7 more minutes:
3/4 tsp crushed Red Pepper flakes
6 yellow/orange/red bell peppers, diced
1/4 c. pine nuts
1 tsp salt
4 TBS olive oil
-Blend 1/2 of the pepper onion mixture in food processor (or blender).  Return blended mixture back to pan and mix in.  You can blend all of the sauce if desired or do the 1/2 method if you link a chunkier sauce.

-Stir in 1 pound of penne pasta cooked al dente into the sauce.

-Serve warm.

-Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese and fresh basil if desired.

Quinoa Basil Salad

This is a recipe that doesn't have exact measurements.  Hopefully you won't hate me.  I just find every time I make it my ratios are a bit different depending on the supplies in my fridge.  Sometimes it doesn't have any brown rice, other times it is heavier on the rice.  Sometimes I don't have any feta, or other times I substitute tomatoes instead of peppers.  FRESH basil is a key ingredient that really adds to the fresh unique flavor.  Using the bottled dressing from Costco makes this recipe very simple, but it you can't find it I've given you a substitute recipe you can make!

Combine all ingredients in large bowl:
Quinoa, cooked (I like to use a combination of red and white quinoa)
Short Grain Brown Rice, cooked
chopped cucumbers
chopped bell red/orange/yellow peppers (or cherry tomatoes)
Shredded carrots
crumbled feta cheese
fresh basil, chopped
toasted pine nuts (optional)

Drizzle with:
**White Balsamic Citrus Basil Dressing (this is also good as a fish or chicken marinade)  Add dressing to taste!

-Garnish with some extra chopped basil and toasted pine nuts
-Serve cold or at room temperature
**If you can't find this dressing, you can make your own using 
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 tbsp fresh lemon juice 
1 TBS honey, sugar, or agave
1 teaspoon lemon zest 
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped finely 
Salt and pepper, to taste