Spicy Pesto

This is a pretty non-traditional pesto recipe, but it was so delicious. I saw it of course on Giada's show last week and since I have recently purchased a beautiful new food processor, it was really simple to make. There are so many variations of pestos, and once you see how truly quick and fresh it is, you will have fun experimenting with different ingredients. A traditional pesto usually is garlic, basil, pine nuts, and olive oil. This one uses walnuts instead of pine nuts and adds in the chili and arugula for the kick. If you don't like it spicy, then just leave the chili out. I think an added health benefit is the spinach. It really doesn't add flavor, but its an incredible way to get greens into this pasta dish.

• 1 cup raw walnuts


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 1 (2 inch long) pepper - I used one of Michael's black chilies from the garden but Giada originally used a jalapeno


• 1 cup Parmesan cheese (original recipe calls for 2 cups, but I thought it was delicious with just the 1 and that cut out a lot of calories)


• 2 tsp salt


• 1 tsp black pepper


• 3 cups baby spinach


• 2 cups arugula


• 1/4 cup olive oil

Look how gorgeous that green is! Toss 1 pound of warm pasta (I use whole wheat fusili) with the pesto. If it appears too thick, add a few spoonfuls of pasta water and mix to thin out the sauce. Garnish with a bit more of the Parmesan and serve. I think if you are going to eat pasta, this has to be one of the healthiest ways with the omegas of the olive oil, walnuts, and greens...plus plenty of fiber if you choose a great pasta! I hope you like it.

Love,

Sam

Soba Noondles with Shrimp, Vegetables, and dipping sauces

My husband has been out of town a lot recently so my diet has included a lot of spinach & rice, dinners with girlfriends, and my favorite turkey meatballs from Trader Joes. Obviously not much to food-blog about. But tonight, he was home early so after a long walk (insert romance music here) I cooked him a new dinner. I read this recipe earlier this week from a Martha Stewart cooking magazine. I was curious about the soba noodles. They are made with buckwheat and whole grain flour. Very healthy. This dinner is perfect for summer because its light, quick, yet has a lot of different flavors. And I loved both of the dipping sauces!

Start by buying your favorite veggies and protein. I used carrots, snap peas, broccoli, and bok choy, and shrimp. I steamed the veggies plain but a wok would have been perfect as well. I lightly grilled the shrimp with salt, pepper, and a bit of lime juice.

I was very surprised I could not find the soba noodles at Ralphs... so I had to buy them at Trader Joes. Look for them in the Asian section or pasta/rice section. Cook these according to package instructions, mine took 6 minutes in boiling water.

Peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 3 TBS soy sauce
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 TBS sugar
  
  

Chilli-Hoisin Sauce:

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 TBS chilli sauce
• 3 TBS white win vinegar
• 1 TBS hot water

Serve all items on a place and garnish with lime and cilantro. Keep both of the dipping sauces on the table.

Love,

Sam

Spring Pea Soup and New Salad

This week I made a very very spring inspired vegetarian dinner for my husband and myself. We had eaten terribly all weekend and he was about to leave for a 4 day business trip and asked for something healthy.

So I saw this wonderful fresh light soup on Barefoot Contessa this week and thought it would be perfect. The mint really made it refreshing and was a little surprise of flavor. And of course Michael loves when I use the herbs from the yard he so dearly loves. Ina's recipe:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peas
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche - but I used 2% Greek yogurt instead

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 about minutes, until the peas are tender. Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper. You can use a stick blender or regular blender to then puree the soup. I topped each bowl with a big scoop of the Greek yogurt. It adds the substance you need to make this a main course.

Our big green salad was fresh organic mixed greens, thinly slided fennel, toasted walnuts (10 minutes at 400) and blueberries. Instead of making a vinaigrette, I simply tossed it with this amazing orange infused olive oil (thanks mom!) and red white vinegar. I love flavored oils and vinegars. So much better than bottled salad dressing and so many ways to use them. If you have not used fennel before, it looks like this:

I sliced the bulb part, not the green part. Very thin, like you would slice an onion. It has this great fresh anise flavor. We both loved it and I was happy we started off the week right.

Love,

Sam