Fresh tomato pasta with goat cheese

Before I left for my conference last week, I was trying to use up everything in the fridge from the different boxes. I'd gotten some good tomatoes in the week 7 box, so I decided to make one of my favorite things to eat in the summer, a fresh tomato pasta.  You can vary the cheese you use, but I used a fresh goat cheese from Goat Lady Dairy.  It's also good with fresh mozzarella, and I'm sure many other cheeses.  Maybe even tofu if you're into that sort of thing.  I'd press it between some paper towels first to dry it out and let it marinate in the tomato mixture. (note:untested recipe!!!)

This is the amount for 1 serving, but it's easily multiplied.  I also used some zuchinni noodles (also using up box items FTW) that I made with this thing called a "Zoodle Slicer" which is basically a manual pencil sharpener for zuchinni.  There are lots of versions of spiralizers available and this one's main advantage is that it's small and cheap.  If you decide to go big into vegetable noodles, you might want a fancier one.

Ingredients:
1-2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped (you can peel them if you like, but it's not necessary)
5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (chiffonade)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1-2 ounces spaghetti
1 medium zuchinni, spiralized into noodles
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs pine nuts, toasted
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
grated parmesan

Directions

1. Combine the chopped tomatoes, basil, 1 tsp olive oil, balsamic and garlic in a  large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and stir.  Set aside.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain.
3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet.  Add the zuchinni noodles and saute briefly (1 min max).  Add the drained spaghetti and mix.  
4. Dump the noodle mixture into the tomato mixture (you can also add the goat cheese at this poing if you'd like a creamier sauce).  Toss with tongs.  
5. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with goat cheese and pine nuts and grated parmesan if desired.

Some pics!  Chopped tomato mixture:

The rest of the mise:

Cooked spaghetti and zuchinni noodles:

Final product:
oops.  guess I was hungry.