You want something light for the spring or summer warm weather months? Here is a pasta that fits the bill, especially in the throes of summer when bell peppers are in season. If you want something even healthier, use whole wheat pasta and fat free half and half, but I’m a big proponent of portion control (well, I try to be!), so I prefer regular pasta and real half and half or cream. This is also a good recipe to make for a date night in, such as the one I wrote about on Bullz-Eye.com’s Get Real Guide for Men. Enjoy….

Ingredients
1 package Linguine
1 tbsp. Olive oil
3 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
3 tbsp chicken broth
½ tsp. Minced garlic
¼ cup half & half
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
On a preheated grill rack, grill pepper halves on high heat. Grill for 10-12 minutes or until peppers begin to char, turning occasionally. Set aside to let cool. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, drizzle with olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

Place grilled peppers in a food processor along with chicken broth, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree or pulse until just smooth and pour mixture into a large saucepan. Warm over medium heat, slowly adding half and half until smooth. Add pasta to sauce and heat through. Makes 8 servings.

This one is in honor of the Farmer’s Market opening tomorrow in Madison. It does run year-round but is outdoors from mid-April until late October. And it’s freaking awesome. One vegetable that will be sold since we’re in the throes of spring is asparagus. Yes, it makes your pee smell funny, but if you grill it and season with just a bit of salt and pepper, asparagus is one of the tastiest vegetables there is. And it’s very much in season across the country now. So here is a recipe I created to take advantage of in-season asparagus…enjoy!

Don’t believe everything you read about pasta being bad for you. Sure, the whole-wheat varieties are better for you, because they have more fiber and vitamins. But if you keep your portions reasonable, and add good stuff (i.e. vegetables) like in this recipe, there are far worse things you can eat. We like the kind of pasta that holds sauce for this dish, like a bow tie or the one we used, Barilla* Piccolini (mini fusilli). This is a great, hearty dish that you can either serve to a bunch of hungry guys or to your lady to impress her. Be sure to pair it with a good white wine and some crusty bread for bonus points.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. package pasta (we used Barilla Piccolini)
½ bunch asparagus
2 tbsp. Olive oil, divided
4 oz. Sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced black olives
4 tbsp. Light butter or margarine
¾ cup fat free half and half
2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil on asparagus and grill on a preheated grill rack for 3-4 minutes, or until spears begin to lightly char. Cut into 2 inch pieces and set aside.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and sauté mushrooms over medium heat until they begin to soften and lose their water, about 4 minutes. Drain and add the mushrooms and black olives to the asparagus pieces.

Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and return to stovetop. Melt butter over medium heat. Add half and half and cheese wedges. Stir constantly, breaking up the cheese with a wooden spoon. When mixture is melted, add Parmesan cheese and stir until just melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta and vegetable mixture to sauce and combine. Heat through and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

* If you’re not familiar with Barilla pasta, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. This is not a paid advertisement, but a true testimonial from someone who has been eating only Barilla pasta for the last few years. The regular pasta cooks nicely—even if you overcook it by a few minutes it’s never too soft or mushy. And the Whole Grain or Plus varieties are not grainy at all—rather, they are just slightly heartier than their regular pasta. It’s probably the best store brand you can eat short of homemade pasta.

Fettuccine Alfredo is one of those dishes you can only eat once in a while, because it has enough butter and cream and cheese to clog your arteries on the spot. But man, does it ever taste good. But for as good as the standard Alfredo is, the Cajun version is even better if you like spicy food. Actually, it borders on being the food equivalent of crack. I’ve experimented with my own Alfredo sauces, and I just recently attempted a Cajun version….it passed the test of both my wife and I, so I hope you’ll give it a shot. You might try washing it down with an amber colored beer or even a light red wine like a Chianti.

Ingredients
1/2-pound fettuccine pasta (or one 9oz. fresh kind like Buitoni)
1/2 stick butter (I don’t mess around, there is nothing like the real thing)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 raw jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (with seeds)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup whole milk
1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 cup cooked grilled chicken, cut into small chunks (pre-packaged grilled strips are fine)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and then add olive oil. Add jalapeno and sauté for a minute or so. Add flour and stir for 30 seconds, then whisk in cream, milk, Laughing Cow cheese, and chipotle peppers. Stir until sauce begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes. If it thickens too fast, add a bit more milk until it reaches your desired consistency, which should be creamy but not runny. Add chicken, Parmesan, salt and pepper, then stir in cooked pasta and warm until heated through. Serves 2-4, depending on size of who you’re feeding and how hungry they are, and the recipe is easy to double.