Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” Tecumseh
Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy. Thich Nhat Hanh
What delightful dish do you enjoy making in the summer? With Summer almost upon us, it is time to create light and tasty dishes that celebrate all that summer has to offer us; flowers, fruits, vegetables, and an array of colorful dishes we can eat warm or cold. This Pasta dish idea came to me when I found some fantastic 5 color/flavor Cavatappi pasta at my local store. The colors danced before my eyes reminding me of all I love to see in the summertime. The colors were natural too: red from beets, yellow from Turmeric, green from Spinach, orange from Tomato, and beige from Semolina. As I ventured into another local store, I found some terrific French Lavender dried flowers from World Market and a range of my favorite Basil Infused Olive Oil, and, with those ingredients, I knew a dish was at hand. Kick back and enjoy this very simple and easy-to-make recipe.
Do you know what the best part is? Not only does this taste good but, the aroma of lavender and fresh veggies wafting through the kitchen will make you want to create this dish again and again. Plus, you can make it with any type of pasta and even with leftover pasta and any combination of your sautéed veggies. Mangia!
“Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving, and identity.” Jonathan Safran Foer
Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
Ingredients
1/2 Ib bag of 5 Color Cavatappi Pasta (or any Pasta of your choice)
Any mix of julienned, cubed, sliced, and diced vegetables of your choice
My Mix – Carrots, Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts, Broccoli florets, Snap Peas, Baby Corn, and sweet Red Peppers.
1-2 Tbsp Tuscan Basil Infused Olive oil.
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (This is hot so it’s optional)
1 tsp French Lavender dried flower seasoning
1/2 tsp Basil seasoning
1/4 – 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Cook the Pasta until it is al dente in a pot of 5 cups of boiling hot water. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. In a heated medium to large-sized Wok or frying pan, add the oil, fresh garlic and ginger, seasonings, and salt, and stir quickly for about 15 -30 seconds. Add the mixed vegetables and sauté for about 2-3 minutes making sure all the ingredients are evenly coated with the seasonings. Stir in half the Pasta and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, adding more to the wok as needed. Once the pasta and veggies are hot and cooked through, remove the wok/pan from the heat. You may sprinkle a pinch or two of more Lavender flowers atop each dish before serving it. Serve hot as a side dish or as a main dish with a protein of your choosing. This is a quick and easy dish to prepare. Plus, you have the added bonus of a delicious, healthy dish that you can make with any combination of vegetables. Buon appetito! Prep time 10-15 minutes. Ready to eat in 30 minutes.
More Below!
“Food is for eating, and good food is to be enjoyed… I think food is, actually, very beautiful in itself.” Delia Smith
Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
Food Files: Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
How do you maintain balance in your food choices? I love fresh foods, and I make sure that vegetables are featured in my food preparations every day. To maintain a healthy gut and keep our bodies and minds humming happily, we do need to eat a balanced diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with a sensible portion of proteins, helps us stay attuned to our body’s needs. Staying hydrated is also very important and so, I make sure to drink alkaline Ph-balanced water because it has a lighter taste which makes it easier to drink more. Do you plan your meals or eat whatever you have in the fridge and food basket? Do share and stay tuned for more light and easy recipes coming your way.
Have a Happy, Healthy 2017!
Positive Motivation Tip: Enjoy the fresh foods around you!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my Personal Collection
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
This looks so good and very easy to make! Definitely adding it to my “must try” list!
It is very easy to make and quite attractive too.
This looks so delicious! I am always looking for new recipes for dinner, and this would be perfect. I am also a sucker for pasta so I always get excited about new pastas.
Lavender.. Not an ingredient you often hear of, if ever. I love experimenting, sounds like something I should try.
You’d be nicely surprised.
O wow Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil sounds so delicious and easy to make. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make some this weekend. I am sure it will be a hit.
Try it and enjoy it… Get creative and add something special to yours. 🙂
Cavatappi is one of my favorite pasta shapes to eat – my daughters too! I love pasta and veggies though, I love just about any variety – I never thought to add lavender to my food though – we only use it for medicinal purposes.
I love pasta too and could eat it daily. Lavender is also a delicious spice that is added to soups, salad and dishes of our choice. It adds a special flavor and great aroma.
I’ve had lavender ice cream before but never thought to add it to veggies. What an interesting combo!
I bet this smells beautiful, I’d never have thought about adding lavender into things like this x
I just eat whatever is available at home. That being said, the pasta with all the vegetables looks really delicious!!
My favorite summer dish is Greek salad. I do enjoy pasta also but plain with some feta!
This sounds delicious! My husband is Italian so we do pastas often. I never have thought to use Jasmine in a pasta dish though, it sounds wonderful and I will have to try that
I love love lavender but I have never cooked with it! I so want to try that and definitely will be seeing if I can find this at my local oil store!
I used dried french lavender flowers not oil. The basil is infused olive oil.
I plan sometimes, and other times I create meals off the cuff with whatever we have in stock. It depends on how busy we are for the day. I’d love to create a recipe with lavender. 🙂
That looks really good. I would definitely like to try this recipe! Would be great for summer!
I love food with basil! But this photo looks so tasty and very interesting of what it taste like! I would like to know the recipe!
This looks so freaking yummy. I am a pasta queen. Anything to do with PASTA and I’m there. I love me some great recipes to try!
Thank you for sharing this with us, looks so easy to make I think i will cook it tonight !
I love pasta salads. We make a lot of chickpea potatoe salads during the summer (Sometimes adding macaroni to it). Thanks for this recipe, we will give it a go.
Wow I would have never thought about using lavender in dishes, but I’m seeing it more often now. I would love to try it in drinks and pasta dishes.
This actually looks very easy to make. The vegetables look so delicious too!
I haven’t heard of any dish that has lavender in it. Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe of Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil. It really looks good and delicious.
Summer is the perfect time for light and healthy pasta dishes. I especially enjoy pasta salads with lots of veggies and a bit of mozzarella or feta.
I have seen these colored pastas in the store. I grow basil and lavender, so I want to give it a try using my fresh ingredients. Yum!
I like creating pasta dishes throughout the summer. It’s a great way to make use of the veggies, like you mentioned. It also helps minimize the heat in the kitchen. I don’t like cooking anything heavy when the weather is warm.
Oh I love pasta and adding the French lavender dried flower seasoning must take it up a notch or two. Can’t wait to try this Elizabeth
It’s winter here so my mind is on warm food. I’m a pepper avoider at the best of times though 😥
A great pasta dish is hard to walk away from. I have never made anything usin lavender and was absolutely curioys about how it blends with this dish. It looks great. Pinning for a quick summer meal.
I do not eat a lot of pasta. However, I love how fresh and colorful this looks. It must taste great!
That looks really good! I am such a pasta eater but I don’t really innovate pasta cooking wise. Like carbonara, creamy tomato or bolognese. This is a great idea and I’ll bookmark it for next time I cook! Pasta AND veggies, the best combo! Thanks for this! xx corinne
I don’t like heating up the kitchen during summer, especially since it hits 90 to 100++ degrees everyday. Which is why I like simple recipes like this, simple but packed with lovely flavors and colors! I like doing different pasta dishes during the summer and I would love to try this one.
This looks so delicious!
Yum! This looks like a tasty recipe. I am a HUGE basil fan.
I just love pasta – one of my favourite foods! haha This sounds so tasty – I’ve never thought of adding lavender to pasta, I’m so intrigued now!
looks delish , and def a good worth for me to try out, only thing is getting the items needed in full, but in all it looks good.
I would love to try this. Looks like a tasty dish!
I myself am not a big fan of pasta. but my mum and sister are. This looks so good and very easy to make!
Sounds and looks good! I love summer for the bounty it throws my way, and love cooking with flowers too!
This looks so good! I don’t usually plan my meals. We do grocery every 2-3 times a week so that we get fresh fruits and products.
Maintaining food balance is a lifestyle. We have installed MyFitnessPal in our mobile phones so we can monitor our calories and track the balance of fats, carbs, and protein in our diet. We plan our meals weekly.
This reminds me that I really need to do a better job of planning out my meals. The dish here looks absolutely fabulous. Definitely making me hungry.
That looks amazingly tasty and colorful. This is a recipe that I would really love to get into. I love all the veggies.
That looks very good. I agree with you that getting in touch with your meal can help bring out the best of the ingredients.
This is so yummy looking! I am always sticking to the basics but this has encouraged me to mix it up a bit.
This sounds interesting. The lavender is different touch and I look forward to trying it in some of my dishes.
An interesting flavour combination, the lavender with the basil-infused oil. Sounds delicious!
This looks incredibly healthy! For someone like me who struggles everyday with ideas for cooking, this surely is a blessing 🙂
WOW, that sounds SO good. I am looking forward to making this for my family one of these nights 🙂
I grow my own fruits and vegetables every year. One of my favourite activities in the summer is to grill my zucchini on the BBQ. It’s both delicious and satisfying.
Pasta is definitely on of my favorite and go-to meals. My hubby loves it as well.
If there are foods on the table and if I find any veggies, I would prefer to eat them especially if they are half cooked. I enjoy munching them with their crispiness. – Gil Camporazo
This looks freaking delishand healthy! Hope I could taste it. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Ooooo now this looks absolutely delicious!!!! I’m always looking for new recipes to try with the family. I will definitely be making this pasta!
This looks totally delish and easy to make. Never would have thought to add lavender to pasta. Thanks for the idea!
This looks so good and I love veggies. I’ve never cooked with lavender but I use it in everything else. So I’m sure I would love this. Lavender is just so calming..
I will most likely try this, I love that is has lavender in it, I didn’t know we could use it for cooking, that’s great! 🙂
I haven’t heard of using lavender in a dish until now. It made me curious to try your pasta dish!
I try to make healthy choices by really taking time to look at what I am eating. I do not always get ti right but I try. We have a garden where we grow fresh veggies so we definitely incorporate that in our diets.
Yum this looks really great. I would love to try this with lavender and basil… that would be interesting to try!
This is definitely something new! I would love to give lavender basil a try!
Those colorful kinds of pasta are fanciful and also, the coloring is organic. I like all-organic foods. This is a very good recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us 🙂
i love fruit and vegetables salads in summer”what a great idea to add lavender flowers, I’ve never tried that!
mmmm. lavender and basil sounds great! i bet the smell is wonderful. such colorful food.
I definitely want to try this! I’m so curious about how it will taste. I love how colorful and healthy it all looks too… Yum!
Light and colorful dishes in the summer look appetizing. We also use a separate app to remind us to drink water to stay hydrated.
This pasta looks oh so yummy and delightful! I love the mixed of green in it and I can’t to be able to try this as well soon. Thank you for the recipe! mmmn
The pasta primavera looks really tasty and healthy. It’s a good source of carb and does not feel overwhelming to eat.
So I happen to love fresh lavender smells. And now you tell me this dish has lavender in it. It is heavenly scent!! Worth trying.
that looks delicious. wow, lavender is an interesting addition to any recipe. What made you use it or have you seen it or tasted it in other recipes?
I love pasta primavera because it has loads of veggies in it.It’s nice that you chose the colorful pasta to make it. It looks more appetizing.
This looks yummy. I am going to try and make it for my guys. Looks like something they would love to eat.
They will enjoy it as the dish is not complicated at all
This dish looks tasty and easy. Usually in the summer I try to grill outside or do anything to avoid turning the oven on.
This looks delicious and easy to make! Love the addition of broccoli – never thought of combining them but it’s a good idea. I’ll try this recipe for the family soon!
We love broccoli and I cook it in many different ways.
Lavender and basil sounds like an interesting combo. I’d love to give this a try.
Lavender in food? I would have never tried that before! Definitely going to test it out!
Try it. It adds a lovely aroma to a dish.
I have never put lavender in the pasta. We do love pastas though, all kinds!
I married into an Italian family so pasta is on the menu a lot! I don’t mind it though because pasta is my favorite! This dish would be no exception!
Good for you! I bet you enjoy all sorts of great dishes
I love pasta primavera but would never have thought to add lavender. Sounds delish!
I like the first quote by Tecumseh. No matter what situation we`re in, there`s always something to be thankful for. The pasta looks delicious with the vegetables!
❀ Grace ❀
I love how colorful the food looks. Indeed very healthy too with all the veggies!
I love colorful food. They have to appeal to the eyes and the stomach.
looks yummy! I love to try something new so next time I will prepare it! looks really nice
This looks absolutely delicious. I’ll have to give it a try over the coming weeks 🙂
Let me know what you think after you make it. 🙂
pasta can be so nice sometimes for me, not always, but here is a better mix for it, surely will give this a try with the lavender, this makes it unique.
I love organic vegetables and I love pasta dishes! I usually eat everything you mentioned except… lavender! Woah! I honestly had no idea that it can be eaten. I usually use lavender for my soap, or as aromatherapy, but never thought that it can be a seasoning! Probably because I haven’t seen it in groceries where I usually buy our food. But it’s good to know that it exists. I will try next time to look for it when I visit a bigger supermarket. Maybe it’s available there. Then I’ll try the recipe you gave. Looks really yummy!!!
I used dried lavender flowers made purposely for cooking.
Wow, that means it’s a regular staple / ingredient in your place. You’re so lucky! Here, I haven’t seen any lavender yet except for the oil being sold in shops. Might search online instead. 🙂
Your dish looks so colourful that it makes the eater happy! I usually keep the meal balance but having more vegetables with some meat. Afterall, people seem to have access more meat when eating out…
Yes, we are a mostly vegetarian household ( we love seafood) so they feature in our foods a lot.
Pasta, lavender, and basil are great combination! We are what we eat, so we choose organic foods where possible. The dish looks so healthy, colorful and delicious. Will share this post with friends.
This looks so tasty. I love the lavender basil. I am a past girl, so I might need to try this.
What a fun meal! My husband is a pasta lover so this one caught my eye. I especially love the colorful pasta, along with the addition of lavender and basil. Toss in some veggies, along with a little bit of protein and it’s my kind of meal. x
It is my kind of food too. Love it 🙂
OMG! This Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil looks so nutritious and tempting, this such a great combination I would love to try this.
Scotch bonnets are amazingly delicious. I have not been able to use them in a dish such as the one you featured due to me being the only one in my family who cares for spicy food, But I hope to one day be able to cook with them. As of right now I just top my food off with homemade hot sauce that I incorporated them in. I like this meal as it seems quick and simple nothing to over the top that I couldn’t handle and perfect for the upcoming sports season when time in the kitchen becomes limited for me.
Yumm, your Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil does look absolutely delicious and it’s saying summer is here, although it is 31 degrees here in New York. I’d leave the mushrooms out as I’m not a big fan. I make something a little like this in the summer. It has pasta, any vegetables just about that you want, cheese rather you’d like 1 variety or 3, and meat. I use, sparingly as not to overpower, pepperoni while some use salami, ham etc
This kind of pasta looks so happy. It makes me wanna it right away. very nice recipe. And as for me everything works better with basil!
Glad to run into this post and find out how to make Pasta Primavera w/ Lavender & Basil
Ingredients. Preparation is simple and with all the fresh and healthy ingredient, great for whole family.
I like how basil are added and plenty of healthy ingredients. Love to try something like this too. Thanks for the inspiration.
Looks super delicious! i would so eat it. lavender and basil seam made for together
Looks so delicious and colorful! It must be so fun to eat! I also love lavender and basil combo – always better!
Oh my goodness, this looks soooo delicious! This is a perfect recipe to whip up for these end of summer parties that are coming up.
This looks so yummy and easy to make. Adding it to my list fornext weeks lunch.