Lunch Box Idea: Green Bean, Scallion and Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe

Add crispness and a boost of flavor to simple spaghetti in this Green Bean, Scallion and Tomato Pasta Salad. This dish sparkles with the colors and tastes of scallions, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and a light lemon dressing.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• Coarse salt, for cooking water, plus more for seasoning
• 8 ounces green beans, washed well and ends trimmed
• 6 ounces spaghetti 
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 scallions, white and light-green parts only, chopped
• 1 large tomato, cored, seeded and chopped
• Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Cut green beans into 2-inch pieces and add to boiling water. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the beans are bright green and become tender. Transfer cooked green beans to ice water bath. Let beans sit in ice water for 1-2 minutes, then remove beans from ice water with a slotted spoon and place on a clean kitchen towel to drain.  
2. Return the saucepan of water to a boil and add another pinch of salt to the water. Once the water returns to a boil, add spaghetti to saucepan and cook according to package directions, or just until al dente. 
3. In a large serving bowl, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Place mozzarella cubes in a medium mixing bowl and spoon half of the lemon dressing over the cheese. Toss lightly to coat the cheese cubes with the dressing.
5. Remove cooked spaghetti from saucepan and transfer pasta with a slotted spoon directly to serving bowl containing the remaining lemon dressing. Toss lightly to coat.
6. Add cooked green beans, scallions and tomato to serving bowl with spaghetti and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle mozzarella cubes over the top of the salad and toss gently with the vegetables and pasta. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish each serving with fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, if desired, before serving.

Preserving Basil Pesto in the Freezer

You can savor the bounty of summer basil by making pesto. Pesto is favored by Italians for its combination of ingredients: fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. The freezer makes preserving this flavor-packed condiment even easier.

The next time you're looking for an alternative to tomato sauce for your pasta, or a topping for a piece of chicken, defrost some pesto for a quick and delicious way to enjoy the flavor of summer-grown basil.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• Coarse salt, for cooking water
• 4 cups basil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast pine nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 8 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let pine nuts cool slightly.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Wash basil leaves under cold running water. Prepare an ice water bath in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place basil leaves in cooking water and blanch leaves for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer basil leaves to ice water bath to stop the cooking. Turn basil leaves out onto a kitchen towel and gently blot dry.
3. Transfer basil leaves to the bowl of a food processor. Add toasted pine nuts and garlic clove to food processor. Pulse until basil leaves, pine nuts and garlic are broken down. With the motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through the feed tube and process just until the ingredients are combined.
4. Use pesto immediately or store for future use. Fill half of an ice cube tray with pesto, transfer tray to freezer and freeze until the pesto is solid. Once frozen, remove the frozen pesto cubes from the ice cube tray and transfer to resealable freezer bags and store in the freezer until ready to use.

Tips: Store pine nuts in the freezer, rather than the pantry, to keep the nuts stable and to prevent them from going rancid in warm places. Blanching the basil leaves in boiling water will preserve the bright green color and prevent the pesto from turning brown.

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

This rustic dessert is lighter than traditional cheesecake, since it uses cottage cheese in place of cream cheese. This cheesecake is open to a variety of flavoring ideas - citrus fruit zests, flavored extracts, and liqueurs, like Frangelico.

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for buttering pan
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 pounds whole milk cottage cheese
• Zest of 1 lemon and zest of 1 orange
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Tap out excess flour. Place springform pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and sugar.
4. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, lemon and orange zest. Whisk until mixture is smooth. Add flour and sugar mixture and stir to combine. 
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and stir gently after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and salt. 
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake is a light golden color. The center of the cheesecake should be fairly firm; test firmness by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into the center of the cake (it should come out clean). 
7. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool in the springform pan on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator until the cheesecake is chilled, about 2-3 hours.

Lemon Drop Cookies

For those who love the crunch of a sugar cookie and the flavor boost from fresh lemon, these Lemon Drop Cookies combine the best of both worlds. For extra crunch and a glistening top, apply a coating of sanding sugar to the tops of the cookies before baking. Due to its coarseness, the sanding sugar won't melt into the cookies during baking.

Makes 24 (3 1/2-inch) Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line eight baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well on medium speed after each addition. Add lemon zest and juice and mix just until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix just until the flour mixture is combined. Do not overmix the dough.
4. Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop, place 3 mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies several inches apart. Lightly moisten the palms of your hands and gently flatten down the tops of the cookies. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with a wet pastry brush and sprinkle sanding sugar over the tops of the cookies. 
5. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Remove cookies from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Tip: If you need to reuse baking sheets when making multiple batches, always make sure you allow the sheets to cool completely from the previous batch before you place the dough onto the baking sheets. Cooling your baking sheets in between batches will prevent the cookies from spreading too much while they're in the oven.