Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe & Mooney Farms Sun Dried Tomatoes #Giveaway

A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.

~ Laurie Colwin

About:


Built on a foundation of family vales, quality, and integrity, three generations of the Mooney Family work at their family business in Chico, California. They are committed to providing today's consumer with healthy and delicious Mediterranean inspired foods.


Mooney Farms began in 19987 as a family owned kiwi farming operation. Products were sold locally at the farmer's markets in Northern California by the family members. With the addition of sun dried tomatoes, their first sale to Price Club South San Francisco changed everything. The family's Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes had become mainstream and the Mooney Family had the winning recipe!


Thoughts from Carli:

I love tomatoes. But for some reason never have cooked or used sun dried tomatoes. Weird since I do love tomatoes so much. I received the following products to try from Mooney Farms:

• Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Halves and Julienne Cut in 100% Olive Oil & Italian Herbs
• Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Pesto with Whole Pine Nuts
• Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta
• Bella Sun Luci Julienne Cut Sun Dried Tomatoes with Italian Basil and Julienne Cut with Zesty Peppers

Mooney Farms was kind enough to send me some recipes but I ventured out on my own. Here is the first of my sun dried tomato recipes!

Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

1 cup vegetable broth

3.5 oz package of Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Halves

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked brown rice penne pasta

2 tablespoons slivered walnuts 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch fresh baby spinach, rinsed and torn into pieces

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a small saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the broth 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving broth. Coarsely chop the sun dried tomatoes. 
2. In another pot cook the brown rice penne pasta per directions.
3. Place the slivered walnuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir until lightly toasted.
4. Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic 1 minute, until tender. Mix in the spinach, and cook until almost wilted. Pour in the reserved broth, and stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Continue cooking until heated through (about 5 minutes on medium heat)
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the spinach and tomato mixture and pine nuts. 
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired, when serving.

Now, I'm totally hooked on Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes! I'll have a new recipe soon!

 

Buy It:

You can purchase Bella Sun Luci products online here: 

http://www.mooneyfarms.com/products/. Or at most major grocery stores. I know that they have them at my local Schnucks. They carry them in the fresh foods section there.

Win It:

Mooney Farms has generously offered one lucky GG2Life reader the same assortment of Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway