Conchiglie Pasta with Zucchini

I was at a conference all day and had just a few hours to cook and prepare for a Gandhian non-violence class that I teach. I made a reasonably interesting dish that didn't take so long.

I put some olive oil (I always use extra virgin) to cover the bottom of a small saucepan and, over low to medium heat, warmed the oil. I cut about 1/3 of a large onion into medium small pieces, between 1/4 and 1/2", and put them into the warmed oil. I covered the pan and cooked the onion for about 15 minutes. Ideally, I would have liked to let the onion cook slowly for longer, but we were hungry, so I then increased the heat to medium-high and added, 1/4" cubed, a zucchini and about 1/4 of a orange bell pepper. I stirred for about 3 minutes, then reduced the heat to low-medium and added some Nate's vegan savory mushroom "meatballs" and 3 teaspoons of frozen basil. I let that all simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, I got water boiling in a large pot then reduced the heat while I added seashell-shaped "conchiglie" organic pasta made at the Montebello Monastery in Marche, Italy. I then turned the heat back up and cooked till al dente, about 9-10 minutes.

Then, I sprinkled a little salt, crushed red pepper, and some vegan Parma! "Parmesan cheese" into the sauce. I served the sauce over the pasta, along with a salad and a 12-seed and grain toast with roasted red pepper and artichoke bruschetta (which I had purchased).

I have been attending a very interesting photography conference since Saturday. The schedule is quite full, sometimes starting as early as 7:30a (!!!) and ending past 9p. On Saturday, my Mom invited us over for dinner and yesterday I ate at the dinner hosted by the conference (I had some grilled vegetables and salad). Tomorrow is the banquet (the event actually runs through Wednesday), and a gourmet hummus and chickpea dish is promised.