Yummmmmm

I've been feeling rather uninspired in regards to cooking lately.  That has resulted in quite a few quesadilla or cereal dinners.  I even made a weird version of macaroni & cheese/tuna/pea tuna helper-esque thing the other night (actually not that bad, but nothing I'd like to keep on the regular rotation!).  So today, I dragged myself to my favorite store, the Berkeley Bowl to get some ingredients for SOMETHING that I'd be excited to see in my leftover lunch the next day.

I made this roasted eggplant, tomato & goat cheese pasta salad with fresh basil and oregano from my garden!  Pair that with a glass of Pinot that I traded for some design work--yes, I will do graphic design in exchange for food & drink ;) --and I am now remembering why I like cooking again.  This was easy and cheap!  Recipe below.

Roasted Vegetable-Basil Pasta

1 3/4 cups dried whole grain rotini

6 cups chopped, peeled eggplant (1 medium)

1 1/2 cups chopped, seeded roma tomato (4)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup snipped basil

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain; cover and keep warm

2. In a large bowl, combine eggplant, tomato, and garlic.  Drizzle olive oil over vegetables; sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper.  Toss to coat.  Transfer vegetable mixture to a lightly greased baking pan.

3. Roast, uncovered, in a 450 degree oven about 20 min. or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally.  Toss roasted vegetables with pasta.  Add a little more salt, the basil, and goat cheese; toss gently.