So, first off the rank in healthier recipes this month is a quick and easy pesto pasta. Numminess

Ingredients

(Serves two)

Spiral pasta for 2

8 Kalamata olives

3 Mushrooms

6 Semi-dried (or Sun-dried) tomatoes

Half a bunch of broccolini

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Sun-dried Tomato pesto (or basil pesto)

1/2 tspn mixed Italian herbs

1 tspn of Crushed garlic

Small handful of grated parmesan
1 Chicken Breast

It is delicious and fresh. Perfect for a summer meal.

Put the pasta on to boil.

Roughly chop the Kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Slice the mushrooms. Chop the broccolini into inch size pieces. Chop the Chicken into bite size pieces. 

Heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the garlic, herbs and Chicken. Cook for a few minutes then add the vegetables (except broccolini). Stir for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms have a slight golden colour. Add the broccolini and stir for another 2 minutes to heat through, but still maintain the crunch. 

Remove the pan from the heat.

Once the Pasta is al-dente, drain most of the water, leaving about 2-3 tbsp in the pan with the pasta. 

Tip the cooked  vegetables into the pasta, add the pesto and mix on a medium heat until everything is combined nicely. Remove from the heat.

Dish this up and sprinkle with parmesan.

My boyfriend and I really enjoy this one. The Kalamata olives give the dish a saltiness, and the tomato and broccolini a hint of sweetness.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. (Simply omit the chicken to make this Vegetarian)

Yes, today I was booked, in a good way. It is that time of year again. Lifeline Bookfest. The time for all bibliophiliacs to rejoice and join as one to converge on the Brisbane Convention Centre. With everything from kids books to science fiction, and cooking to humour, the Bookfest has something for all book lovers.

 Separated into the 3 sections the Bookfest has something for every budget, even some PS2, Xbox and PC games, DVDs and CDs. The three areas are the unpriced section, where you normally pay by the book size, the Priced Section, where books are all $2.50 this year, and the Quality Section. Today was a bit more of a browsing expedition for me, and I intend to return again later in the week, and as Bookfest is open from this last weekend to Sunday 22 January, there is plenty of time for everyone to stop in. Today I managed to pick up the first Manga in the "Return to the Labyrinth" story. This is something I have been wanting to read for ages.

Browsing through the titles there were yet again plenty of copies of Dan Brown's Davinci Code, and this year there was nearly half a table covered in the Twilight series. I love looking through all the cookbooks to try and find something a little different. Last year I picked up a great Moroccan cookbook. I look forward to returning later in the week to search through the rows and rows of books to find further treasures.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of 2012. Mine has held some ups and downs, but I am trying to remain positive.  Now to talk about those wonderful New Years resolutions that people always make, but rarely stick to. As you may have noticed from some of my food posts I love sweets, and making sweets. No I am not talking about giving up these wonderful treats (that could quite likely send me over the edge frankly). I am proposing an effort to make some healthier treats.

To my friends out there who occasionally enjoy my biscuits, chocolates, or baking, I will continue to produce these yummy treats, but for home and for my health I am going to try to make my cooking for home happy and healthy. Good yummy treats, but good for me too :)  There will be photos, there will be blog posts, and there will be disaster. This is not a New Years resolution... this is just a new lifestyle choice.  Now to check what ingredients I need to make my Choc Chunk Cookies for visiting friends this weekend. See, not a resolution, so not breaking anything.