Simple Garlic Broccolini

Pinterest is going to be the death of me.  As much as I try to resist social media... it somehow finds me anyway.  I was originally persuaded to get on Twitter to keep in touch with blog readers and then soon enough, I discovered how amazing it is to keep up on super important news.  I mean, how else would I know what everyone is eating for lunch or when Breaking Dawn Part 1 came out on DVD? These things are now clearly vital to my life.

In a moment of curiosity, I recently joined Pinterest.  I thought Pinterest would be a useful way to organize recipes that I want to try.  Of course, it went into a full-blown obsession from there: DIY jewelry projects, cute animals, home organization... At one point I had a board dedicated specifically for cute plaid shirts. Trouble, just trouble.  19 20 boards later and now I'm hooked.  And doing way too much online shopping for my comfort zone.

Why, Pinterest, why?! Why must you make me want to spend my money on cute, useless things?  Don't you know that I have to feed a daily juice habit and cruciferous vegetable addiction?

I learned something new this week.  Did you know that broccolini is not the same thing as baby broccoli?  I totally didn't.  It's actually a natural hybrid of broccoli and Chinese cabbage.

I really love broccolini for it's tender stalks and small, sweet florets.  This recipe enhances broccolini's best qualities by adding a bit of garlic and oil.  Yum.  Broccolini Pinterest board anyone?

Simple Garlic Broccolini
Slightly adapted from The Food Network
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds broccolini
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Course sea salt and pepper, if desired

Trim tough ends off of broccolini (you should end up with 4 to 5-inch long, thin stalks). Lightly steam broccolini about one to two minutes, until it is crisp-tender (not starting to get mushy).

Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan over medium heat. Cook garlic 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccolini to pan and saute for an additional minute.  Top with sea salt and pepper, if desired.  Serve warm.

Summer Squash Fettuccine with Garlic Scape Pesto

I recently took the plunge and switched from a PC to a Mac.  It's funny how a change in operating systems can completely debilitate a gal.  

My computer finally died on me a few weeks ago and I decided it was time to grow up, empty out the savings account, and get a computer that would actually last.  So far, I have to say that I am really impressed.  And dang, this thing is pretty.  That's all you can really ask for in a computer, right?

That being said, I hope that you can forgive my recent absence as I learned how to do very important things like 1) stop accidentally deleting text 2) find my imported photos and 3) make movie trailers from home videos of my cat.  What can I say?  He's going to be a star.  

Now that we are heading into summer and all sorts of fun produce is popping up I have to ask... Have you met garlic scapes yet?  If not, allow me to introduce you.

Garlic scapes are the tops of the garlic plant and they are both edible and delicious.  Garlic scapes, please meet my readers.  In fact, the two of you should have lunch together sometime and get to know each other better.

You can chop up garlic scapes and eat them in everything from scrambles to stir fry to veggie casseroles.  One of the most popular ways to use them is for pesto.  They have a softer flavor than garlic which makes them perfect in a raw pesto spread.  This recipe only uses a bit of the pesto so you will have plenty extra to experiment with.

Summer is also such a fun time to play around with squash.  One of my favorite summer dishes is raw zucchini pasta because it doesn't involve cooking or any gluten like traditional pasta.  This recipe is a fun variation on the squash pasta theme that doesn't involve any fancy equipment - just a vegetable peeler.  If you're cooking for picky eaters, whether they are adults or children, mixing these squash noodles in with traditional pasta is a great way to add in some extra veggies while not making the vegetables a big focus in the meal.

Summer Squash Fettuccine with Garlic Scape Pesto
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal

Garlic Scape Pesto (makes about 1 cup of pesto)
1 cup garlic scapes, chopped
juice from half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add the garlic scapes to a food processor and pulse a few times until scapes are roughly mixed. Add the lemon juice, salt, and, with the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream until it is well combined and smooth.  Store in the refrigerator or freeze for later use.

Summer Squash Fettuccine: 
4 summer squash
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
basil leaves for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt (optional)

Peel the squash into long ribbons (like fettuccine) using a vegetable peeler.  (Don't use the insides with the seeds because it isn't firm enough to hold together well.)

Add 4 tablespoons of pesto (or more to taste) to a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the squash noodles and chickpeas and saute for 1 - 2 minutes, until the noodles are "al dente" and not yet mushy.  Remove from heat, toss in the tomatoes, garnish with basil, and serve.  Add freshly ground pepper as desired.