Pasta Primavera

yield: 4 servings

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini, yellow squash, or pattypan squash
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan
3 Tbsp basil
3 Tbsp parsley

***If you cannot/don't want to/aren't allowed to use wine, substituting more whipping cream for the white wine works just fine***

1. Bring some water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add carrots and peas; cook 3-4 minutes. Remove from water. Add pasta and cook until tender; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash; sauté 3 minutes. Add carrots, peas, salt, pepper, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping sides of pan. Stir in cream and juice; cook 1 minute. Add pasta, cheese, parsley and basil. Toss well to coat.

Summer Squash Pizza

Fresh and light, this dish makes the perfect accompaniment to a salad, or is great as an appetizer as well.

yield: 8 slices (4 servings)

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 pizza crust
2 plum or Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch slices
1/4 cup (1 oz) finely grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
basil
oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400° .
2. Combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, zucchini, and squash. Toss to coat. Grill until tender. (I used our George Foreman. You could also grill them on a "real" grill, or sauté them if you don't have a grill).
3. Arrange zucchini and squash on the pizza crust. Arrange tomatoes over zucchini and squash. Sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with basil and oregano. Bake at 400° 20 minutes or until pizza crust is done.

Carrot Cake

yield: 16 servings

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 eggs
2 cups grated carrot
1 1/2 cups canned crushed pineapple, drained

Frosting:
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 (8 oz) block 1/3-the-fat cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350° .
2. Combine flour through cinnamon in a large bowl; stir well. In a small bowl combine oil and eggs. Stir egg mixture, carrot, and pineapple into flour mixture. Pour batter into a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
3. To prepare frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.