Pesto Pasta with Vegetables al Dente

I totally need a food stylist or food photographer or something because this picture simply does not do the dish justice. Last night, Ismael made the best pesto sauce ever! With fresh basil, toasted pinenuts, about four garlic cloves (they were small), half a lime, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a generous amount of olive oil. We omit the parmesan because I don't like it. He grates fresh parmesan over his pasta directly. It works. Anyway, everything goes into a food processor, and within seconds you have the most flavorful homemade pesto sauce. We tossed it with garlic basil linguini, sauteed asparagus, red bell peppers, crimini mushrooms, chopped onions, and minced garlic. The key is to saute the asparagus, bell peppers, and mushrooms separately, one at a time, in order to keep their crunch. I also made a green salad that I topped with lime, olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Simple and perfect. (I always miss my mom when I make a dish like this because she loves it when I make pasta for her.)