Beet Pasta

Ingredients

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

6 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 cups grated beets

Salt and pepper

1 lb. pasta (linguine, fettuccine, bucatini)

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup minced chives (or scallions)

Directions

Toast poppy seeds in dry cast iron skillet. Stir regularly for 2 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.

Add 5 tablespoons butter to pan. Add grated beets, sale and pepper. Reduce heat. Cover, simmer 10 minutes.

Cook pasta, drain. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter and grated cheese. Stir in beets. Keep stirring until all the pasta turns red and beets are evenly distributed through the pasta. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, vinegar and chives.

 Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels and Red Pepper Sauce

This is a recipe from Cooking Light. I have made this with mussels in the shell, but recently have been making it with frozen shelled mussel, and it is really good. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups diced red bell pepper (2 medium)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of ground red pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1/2 cup white wine

36 mussels (about 3 pounds), scrubbed and debearded

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper, salt, and ground red pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add mussels, and increase heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes or until shells open. Discard any unopened shells. Serve mussel mixture over pasta; sprinkle with parsley.