The Perfect Pantry®

Pasta with kale pesto, shrimp and tomato recipe

Now that my husband Ted has declared kale pesto his favorite, I'm finding other ways to use the basil I planted in my herb garden to make a winter's worth of pesto for the freezer, and I'm also finding other ways to work this kale version into my summer cooking. Pasta with kale pesto, shrimp and tomato won our hearts, and I can't wait to make it again with cherry tomatoes from the garden in a month or so. The surprising thing about kale pesto is that it doesn't taste like a dark leafy green at all; it's redolent with garlic and cheese, just like pesto Genovese made with basil, but the flavor is a bit lighter and brighter. If you prefer, omit the shrimp in this recipe, or substitute shredded rotisserie chicken to make an easy dish even easier.

Recipe for curried chicken pasta salad with apricots and cashews

Old-fashioned curried chicken salad, the kind you find in the supermarket deli case, seldom floats my boat. Too much curry powder makes it bitter; too much celery overpowers the curry. Too much mayonnaise drowns it all. If that sounds familiar, then this curried chicken pasta salad with apricots and cashews just might restore your faith. Start with big chunks of chicken, add your favorite small pasta (I love the mini penne and mini bow ties), some crunchy Granny Smith apple, plump dried apricots, and cashews. Use mango-studded Major Grey's chutney in the dressing. Make all of the components ahead, and combine at the last minute for a very fresh, fruity, un-gloppy chicken salad.

Recipe for broccoli slaw salad with honey-mustard yogurt dressing {vegetarian, gluten-free}

No doubt about it -- I'm a stem gal. Always have been, always will be. Yes, broccoli florets are sexier, but I've always been partial to the stems. Peel them and slice them, or julienne with your mandoline. Or, let someone else do the work while you buy ready-to-cook broccoli slaw from the supermarket. That's what I do, and as a result, I'm eating a lot more fiber-filled, Vitamin D-rich, detoxifying broccoli these days. This version of broccoli slaw salad, with honey-mustard yogurt dressing and the tartness of lime, makes a perfect side dish for grilled beef, chicken or fish.

Recipe for Greek pasta salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette {vegetarian}

In a typical winter, we'd be tromping through snow banks, shoveling our paths, digging out our cars, waiting for the plow guy to come and extricate our driveway. This year (and I don't mean to jinx us by saying this), we've had February days warm enough for T-shirts and sidewalk café dining. Everything here in southern New England seems out of season; if you don't believe me, wander in my garden, where rosemary, thyme, oregano and even parsley still show some green. It's not quite as warm here as the Greek Isles, but the sight of fresh herbs in my mid-winter garden makes me crave Mediterranean flavors. For this Greek pasta salad, I reached into the pantry for the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette ingredients. You might want to make extra dressing, to keep in the refrigerator for a quick sauce for warm pasta, a dip for crudites, or a sandwich slather.