Sometimes the best meals are also the simplest. Tuesday's dinner was one of those meals. After a long day of swim lessons and errand running with two kids in tow, I wanted to relax with a good meal that required little time to get on the table. Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto on fresh spinach linguini and sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, coarse salt, pepper and torn basil fit the bill. The best part was that it took virtually no cooking (perfect for a hot summer day)! Just a few minutes to boil the pasta, a whirl of the food processor, and dinner was ready in 10 minutes. The pesto was also great on top of the tomatoes, and it would be equally delicious as a dip for crusy bread. Be sure to save some of the pasta water to help moisten the pasta and distribute the pesto throughout the dish. Bonus: You will definitely be safe from vampires for the night after eating this meal.
If you don't have garlic scapes, just increase the amount of basil and toss in a couple of cloves of garlic.
Dairy-Free Garlic Scape & Basil Pesto
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-4 garlic scapes, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
-2/3 cup packed basil
-1/2 cup olive oil
-salt
Combine pine nuts, garlic scapes, basil, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor. With the processor on, drizzle in remaining olive oil until pesto reaches desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if desired (I used about 1/2 teaspoon salt). Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen.
Last night was mom's night out at Bar Cento. Knowing I would definitely be indulging in their amazing french fries (or as they like to call them, Pomme Frites), I wanted to eat a light and healthy meal before heading down to West 25th Street. I also needed to make sure I used the remaining items from the CSA to keep with my goal of zero waste. I was still sitting on the Luna Burgers (Ohio Veggie Burgers), a bunch of beets with tops, and some green onions. I usually roast beets, but I really wanted to try something different this time, and I really wanted to incorporate the beet greens. What I ended up with was an easy beet relish that can be served as a side dish or even as a topping for burgers. My three-year-old asked for seconds, so I know it must be good.
Sauteed Beet Relish
-1 bunch beets with tops
-1 bunch green onions, sliced
-olive oil
-stock or water
-balsamic vinegar
-salt & pepper
Remove beet tops, chop greens and set aside. Peel and dice beets. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced beets and sautee 2-3 minutes. Add just enough stock or water to keep beets from burning (about 1/4 cup depending on pan size), and cover. Cook, covered, until beets are almost tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove cover and increase heat to medium-high, allowing any remaining liquid to evaporate. Add another 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and the green onions. Sautee 2-3 minutes. Add beet greens and continue cooking until greens are wilted. Stir in a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more vinegar if desired.
My refrigerator is now pretty much empty; a good thing considering tomorrow's CSA pick-up is a big one. Here is what I'm expecting:
-1 bunch of beets with tops
-1 bunch of carrots with tops
-1 head of cabbage
-2 zucchini
-2 squash
-1-2 cucumber
-1 quart of yogurt
-1 head of bibb lettuce
-1.5 lbs tomatoes
-2 lbs sweet black cherries (Oh yeah!)
-1 lb grassfed ground beef
-1 bunch kale
-1 bunch spinach
-1 bunch swiss chard
-1 rack pork spareribs
-1 lb chorizo sausage
Holy food, Batman. It is definitely going to be a challenge to use all this food without letting anything go to waste, especially since we are heading out of town for a couple of days to visit family. I really need to sit down later tonight and create a meal plan. Some of my previous posts should have given you some ideas for using a number of these items, including the chorizo, swiss chard, beets, and yogurt, but I will try to post some new ideas tomorrow when I've had a little time to think about it more. Right off the bat a cucumber salad with mint from my garden comes to mind, and I am definitely going to put those spareribs on the smoker. Oh, and tomorrow night is the night I will finally get to indulge in the Brie. Here's hoping that little Jack has outgrown his dairy sensitivity and I can kick this diary-free diet!
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