Summer Pasta

Summer is almost here and so are all of my favorite vegetables. Bring on the peppers, zucchini, onions, garlic and tomatoes! As part of a sustainable diet, serve this meatless dish throughout the summer. It’s light in calories and fat, but not taste. It also loaded with vitamin C, fiber and iron and looks beautiful on your plate. Manga!Ingredients1 cup dry whole wheat rigatoni or other “pipe” pasta2 tsp. olive oil1 small onion, diced1 small yellow bell pepper, diced1 small zucchini, diced2 small cloves garlic, minced¼ cup Kalamata olives1 ½ tsp. oregano1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/juice or 2 fresh tomatoes, dicedShredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)Directions1. Cook pasta according to directions and set aside.2. Sautee the onions, garlic, peppers and zucchini in olive oil for ~ 5 minutes.3. Add tomatoes, olives and oregano and cook another 5 minutes.4. Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta and serve with 1 tsp. Parmesan cheese.Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information per serving: 279 calories, 5 grams fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 8.8 grams protein, 7 grams fiber, 0 mg cholesterol (without cheese), 91 mg sodium