Contributed by (Recipe adapted from “Regina Rae” at http://reginarae.com)

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Ingredients

Ingredients for Pasta Salad:

5 C brown Rice noodles, dry Pasta cooking water
6 C Greens (ex. Rainbow chard)
1/2 C baby Onion/scallion, chopped
1 C Cherry tomatoes
1/2 C Cilantro pesto (recipe below)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Ingredients for Cilantro Pesto:

1 bunch Cilantro
1-2 cloves Garlic
1/3 C Parmesan cheese
1/4 C Walnuts, toasted
3-4 Tbs Olive oil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat to a simmer, salt the water and add pasta and cook according to instructions. Meanwhile, combine all pesto ingredients, minus the olive oil, in a blender or food processor. Blend until finely chopped. Slowly add olive oil and continue blending. Taste and add additional olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté scallion/baby onion until wilted and slightly brown (about 7 minutes). Add greens, reduce the heat to medium-low and put a lid on top of the pot. Steam until bright green and wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove lid. Add cherry tomatoes and cook until heated through (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat.

When pasta has finished cooking, using a slotted spoon, scoop pasta into the sauteed vegetables, reserving the pasta water. Add cilantro pesto to the pasta and stir, adding a ladle of pasta water to the dish as necessary to create a light sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Eat warm or at room temperature.

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