i think by now many of you know of my obsession with ina garten. she can do no wrong in my eyes. although there is one "beef" i have with her. she rarely makes a vegetarian main course. there are exceptions - but the girl loves meat. so i have taken ideas from her shows and tried to apply them to vegetarian dishes.

the long island food episode, she made montauk seafood salad with a warm vinaigrette. now, you will never catch me eating seafood, but the vinaigrette is an excellent idea.

i had just made vegetable dip the previous night and had a bunch of vegetables cut up sitting in the fridge. i figured i could quickly cook some pasta - chop up the vegetables and top it all with the warm vinaigrette.

oh my - talk about an improvement to pasta salad. the warm vinaigrette with the garlic, mustard and lemon juice - this is an instant hit in our house. i thought of calling it "clean out the produce drawer pasta" because you could really use any vegetables that you like raw. the best part about it - besides the taste - is it is so quick to make.

the only thing i would do different next time is add some chopped green olives and little balls of fresh mozarella. that would make it perfection.

pickycook secret - i use garlic all the time - and i am not sure if there is anything i hate more than peeling garlic. i cheat - i buy organic peeled garlic cloves in a bag so garlic is ready for me whenever i use it.

pasta and vegetables with warm lemon vinaigrette
adapted from ina garten (the great one) from Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook

1 lb of your favorite pasta (i used fusilli)
2-3 cups of chopped assorted cold veggies (i used bell peppers, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 lemons, zested
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan for the top
slices of lemon to toss with pasta and vegetables





cook the pasta per directions on box
toss pasta, lemon slices and vegetables in large bowl

heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. pour the hot vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables.

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