Fresh Veggie Spaghetti

When I was a kid, our neighbor who was quite the health-nut brought this over to our house for dinner. I loved it with the fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and herbs. And it was probably one of my first encounters with wheat germ--which I also really liked. When I made it the other night I added thinly sliced zucchini which made me realized this is the perfect use-up-your- garden-vegetables dinner. If only it was summer and I had garden vegetables to use up... I also added some diced grilled chicken, but later regretted it after watching Riley chew one piece for 10 minutes and turn it into chicken gum. gag.

Veggie Spaghetti
1 lb spaghetti (1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular)
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 green onions, split and chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
(I added 2 small, skinny zucchinis, thinly sliced)
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced

dressing:
2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp salt (I only used 1 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I only used 1 tsp and it was still pretty garlic powdery)
1/4 to 1/2 c olive oil

Cook pasta. Blanch w/ cold water and drain. Add dressing and veggies and toss gently. Sprinkle with wheat germ (I like the toasted wheat germ).
I like this dish even better once it has sat for a little while to let the flavors meld.