Salmon Fettucini with Basil Pesto Sauce

Ahh the wonders of untouched pantry items. My parents have decided that, since I need cooking practice, I am now the Vitort house chef. I do the shopping, come up with menus and prepare our dinners. Which allows me to convert my parents into full-on "Vitortarians". (Vitortarian = a word I made up to describe one who steers clear of common allergens, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and other gross chemicals, and tries to eat almost 100% organically). I now have control over what food gets brought into the house, therefore giving me all the dietary power :).

So anyways, as I'm making my dinner menu for the week, my mom starts rummaging through the pantry, trying to get me to use things we already have in my menus. We had a bunch of rice pasta, and randomly, two cans of salmon, and my wheels started turning. Some sort of salmon pasta perhaps? Then I came across a recipe for dairy free basil pesto in my Anti-Inflammatory Diet cookbook, and it clicked! Salmon fettucini (which i have the HARDEST time spelling) with basil pesto sauce!

Last night I tried out my experimental dish on my dad, and he loved it! And let me tell you, I was actually really impressed with myself as well. I'm really starting to get better at this whole cooking deal!

Salmon Fetuccini with Basil Pesto Sauce

1 pkg. DeBoles Rice Fettucini

2 cans salmon or pkgs smoked salmon

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 tsp. minced garlic

Boil 4 quarts of water on the stove. When water boils, add noodles, return to boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, add basil, oil, pine nuts and garlic to Cuisinart and blend. When noodles are cooked, drain off the water and rinse with cold water. Break salmon up into small pieces. Add noodles, pesto sauce and salmon to a serving dish and toss so that the sauce covers all the noodles and the salmon is distributed throughout.

Serves 4.