Bow-Tie Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes & Olives

New month, I think I'll keep the color for now. I haven't had much of a chance to enjoy it. I really am feeling this shade of orange. Though might change it to a darker shade or something. It has been a terrible month so far. My sister in the hospital and then my cat got sick and I'm still dealing with my sadness. It's just getting harder and harder to keep on smiling.

Book: The Stand by Stephen King. It's the complete and uncut version. This is going to take me a while to get through.

iTunes: Shoots and Ladders - Korn. Love this song.

Pandora: Group Four - Massive Attack

Quote: He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. - Muhammad Ali

Ingredients:

1. 12oz bow-tie pasta
2. 2 Tbsp olive oil
3. 2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
4. 2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
5. 2 cups packed (2oz) baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
6. 2 Tbsp lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
7. 2 Tbsp sliced Kalamata or other ripe olives
8. 2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
9. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
10. 1/8 tsp salt
11. 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese



Servings: 4
Per Servings: 429g cal, 13g pro,71g carb, 10g fiber, 11g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 354 mg sodium

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water and reserve, then drain pasta and return to cooking pot to keep warm.

• Filled the thing/pan with water and salt and left it to boil. Once it boiled I added the pasta stirring every now and then to make sure it didn't stick. Once it was cooked I scooped 1/2 cup of water, drained the pasta then placed it back into the cooking pot.
2. Combine oil and garlic in nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook about 2 minutes, or until garlic is soft and fragrant. Do not brown. Add tomatoes and cook about 4 minutes longer, or until tomatoes start to soften. Add spinach and cook, tossing, about 1 minute more or until wilted.

• I don't think I had enough tomatoes but it came out okay. Though my garlic had slightly browned.

3. Stir in lemon juice, olives, capers, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low. Add tomato mixture to reserved pasta and toss to coat. Add a few tablespoons of reserved cooking water, if needed, to moisten pasta. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

• No olives for they are icky and I don't know what capers are nor could I find any.

• I might have put a bit more lemon juice than required for the sauce had a lemony taste but it was not unpleasant. I really liked how this came out. Especially when compared to the disaster that the blueberry pancakes were.

Not sure what is next but stay tuned.