What to eat in the heat

John could eat penne pasta with red sauce and Italian sausage and meatballs on a 90 degree evening, no problem. I've made countless dinners like that, but in the summer I'd much rather have a meatless pasta dish.  Especially when I have real, grown-in-the-dirt Yakima tomatoes from the produce stand, and basil growing outside.

 Pulling this together is so easy you don't really need a recipe. Boil the pasta, any type.  I like spaghetti, John likes the tube things. Saute some garlic with red pepper flakes, add the chopped tomatoes and cook gently for a few minutes.  Add a handful of Greek olives.

Toss in the cooked pasta along with the fresh basil.  Black pepper. Grate some nice cheese for the top. Make a lazy salad with iceberg lettuce. Put a bread stick in the toaster. Pour the cold white wine.