^[1]When the produce is fresh and locally grown, fabulous food comes together easily and fast. This summer pasta with a salsa cruda — a simple, no-cook sauce — makes the most of fresh summer tomatoes and peppery arugula. Recipe and photo contributed by Ellen Kanner.

Serves: 4

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 jalapeño or other chili
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 3 cups arugula leaves, washed and stemmed,
  coarsely chopped if large
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Crush garlic and jalapeño together until they become a coarse paste. Spoon into a medium-sized bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.

Peel tomatoes by bringing water to boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, add tomatoes and let them sit for a couple minutes. Remove tomatoes from water. Let them cool enough so you can handle them. Gently pierce them with the point of a knife.  Their skins should slip right off.

Dice tomatoes small. Add tomatoes and all their juice to the garlic, chili and lemon mixture. Stir together and add a pinch of sea salt.

Make pasta according to directions and cook until just tender. Remove from heat. Drain well, then return pasta to pot.

Toss with sauce. Add arugula, a handful at a time, tossing lightly until the greens just start to wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Season to taste with additional sea salt and pepper and serve at once.

• Here are more lighter seasonal vegan pasta recipes. ^[2]

Ellen Kanner is the Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blogger, ^[3] the syndicated columnist The Edgy Veggie ^[4], and contributor  to publications including Culinate ^[5], Bon Appetit, and Every Day With Rachael Ray as  well as her own blog. ^[6]