Fettuccine Pesto Alfredo

from: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/175049/creamy-pesto-fettucine-alfredo

Shown here served with vegetarian chicken (Quorn gruyere cutlet)

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) fettuccine (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup pesto (store bought, or home made recipe here)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 small heads broccoli (optional - or any type of vegetable you want to add)
salt and pepper to taste
italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic to taste (optional)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Cook until just UNDER al dente.
Cut broccoli into bit-sized florets. Steam for 8 minutes and set aside.
While pasta and broccoli are cooking, make the sauce. Pour the heavy cream and veggie broth into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir in pesto and parmesan and simmer until combined and cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus any other spices you wish (I added some italian seasoning and some garlic and onion powder, and a little bit of minced garlic).
Once sauce is to your liking, put drained pasta and sauce in the same pan. Cook pasta in the sauce for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens - the starch in the pasta will thicken the sauce. Then, add the broccoli (or any other steamed veggies you are using) and stir well until combined. Serve with some parmesan cheese on top if you wish. We ate it with some vegetarian Quorn gruyere cutlets with some pesto on top.

Vegetarian Chicken Broccoli Tortellini with Pesto Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of tortellini (or a box/bag of any other kind of pasta)
2 small heads of broccoli (plus any other veggies you want)
2 Quorn Naked Chik'n cutlets
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(optional) spices - such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasonings... (you definitely want to add these if you aren't using tortellini because the sauce can be bland)

Directions:

Cut up veggies and place in a frying pan with some olive oil. Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning and  cook until desired doneness is reached. While veggies are cooking, bring water to a boil for the tortellini. Cook according to package directions (10-11 minutes) then drain. While tortellini is boiling, combine pesto and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes then add parmesan cheese and spices to taste. Stir to combine and turn off heat. Microwave 2 Quorn cutlets for 3-4 minutes and cut into small cubes.
Put pasta back in its pan and add Chik'n and veggies. Pour sauce over the mixture and then mix until it's coated. Serve with garlic bread.

Serves 4.

Basil Pesto

from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts - I haven't tried this)
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced (I use jarred garlic, as I find the raw garlic to be too harsh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Note : for the cheese I used an Italian blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago, along with pine nuts.

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.