Summer Veggie Pasta with Herbs, Bacon and Gorgonzola

It has been quite some time since my last post. We had a 3 week vacation in Michigan and I have been slow to get back to reality! It was wonderful having a break from not only the daily "to do" list, but from technology as well. Our society is overly plugged in these days and as much as I love some of the technologies available today, I noticed that I felt much more relaxed and present without the constant consumption of checking facebook statuses, thinking in blog, reading blogs, and searching, searching, searching for recipes, window treatments, shoes, a diagnosis of weird symptoms, weather conditions, paint colors, decor ideas, hiking trails...sound familiar? 

But now I am back and I am ready to recommit to my blog because I truly believe that sharing healthy recipes, important knowledge about food, and encouraging people to garden is important. In fact, I have 4 friends here in Denver that started a garden this year because of me (and since I'm pretty new here, 4 is a pretty large percentage of my friends!) It is those small influences in life that can make a big impact on the world and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that my passion for cooking and gardening actually inspires others to pick up a spatula or a shovel and literally dig in! Cooking and gardening have become less important to people and I think it is because not only are we way too busy to be bothered by such trivial chores as feeding our families healthy, homemade food, but our country has no food culture. Just about every other culture in this world revolves around the growing and preparation of food and people take real pride in cooking from scratch. So hopefully, in time, we can redefine our generation as the one who took a stand against industrialized food and got back into the kitchen!!!

So this was the recipe that finally got me back to my computer because it was just too good not to share! I am getting more creative and better at cooking without a recipe and one of my favorite types of meals to play around with is pasta! I knew I would be using a ton of veggies and as many of them from the garden as possible. I always use at least 4-5 cloves of garlic in everything I make, but with this pasta, I felt like using even more...8 or 9 seemed about right. I also had 4 pieces of organic bacon leftover from camping and, well, I do have a love affair with bacon so that was a no brainer. I wanted to use a small amount of strong cheese for some flavor. At the store I found an organic, raw milk gorgonzola from Oregon which sounded perfect. I also remembered I had some white wine in the fridge so, why not? And the highlight of the dish is tons of fresh herbs. I went out to the garden and snipped a handful of thyme, oregano, basil, sage, rosemary and parsley. A dash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and viola! Personally, I thought this dish to be restaurant worthy though I might be biased :) Bon Appetite!

Summer Veggie Pasta with Herbs, Bacon and Gorgonzola

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

16 oz pasta (I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spirals)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter or ghee 

1 Tablespoon reserved bacon fat

8-10 cloves of garlic pressed or minced

1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 yellow squash cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 yellow onion sliced in crescents

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 ears of corn, kernals removed

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup white wine

2 large handfuls spinach,  chopped 

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup reserved pasta water

4 slices bacon chopped

2-4 ounces gorgonzola crumbled

1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs

juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, cook bacon reserving 1 Tablespoon of fat. Crumble and set aside. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Tablespoons butter to the pan and heat on medium high. Add onions and cook for at least 5 minutes until they begin to brown. Add the remaining vegetables,  and saute for several minutes. Add the white wine and herbs and let simmer until the majority of the liquid has evaporated. Add drained pasta back into the pot, add in the chopped spinach immediately so it can wilt, the vegetable mixture, pasta water, bacon, gorgonzola, pinenuts, and lemon juice and toss to coat. Serve with salt and freshly grated black pepper.

Green Rice Pilaf

This is a great cleansing meal...filling and chock full of healthy goodness. You can always add some beans or meat to make it a heartier meal or serve it as a side. 

Green Rice Pilaf

3 cups diced veggies (I used mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, green onions, celery and carrot)

1 cup brown rice

3 1/2 cup water or stock

2 large handfuls of fresh herbs (I used parsley, cilantro and 1 green onion)

5 oz container of fresh spinach

4 cloves of garlic minced

juice from one lemon

1/3 cup toasted walnuts or pinenuts

olive oil

salt 

pepper

Dice up your veggies and mince your garlic, saving one clove for the greens

Cook rice according to directions using water or stock. I toasted my rice first.

 Place spinach, herbs, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and 1 garlic clove into a food processor

Add about 1/4 cup water or stock

 Drizzle in 2-3 T of oil while processing

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Throw in the veggies and garlic and saute for 10-15 minutes until tender.

 Once the rice is done, mix into the veggies and add the pureed herbs and greens. Cook on medium low until any excess liquid has cooked off.

Top with toasted nuts and grated lemon zest. Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Spring Pasta

This time of year I cannot get enough of asparagus, peas and other spring vegetables. I cannot actually buy local versions of these yet in Colorado because we have a short, late growing season, but my body just starts craving them this time of year so the grocery store version will just have to do (which is at least a little more local than the rest of year) I have been eating as seasonally and locally as possible for awhile now, and it is funny how my body has learned to respond to that. I was just in FL and my mom was serving watermelon and cantaloupe almost everyday and it felt so wrong to eat for some reason. Those fruits are such a part of the summer tradition, it is hard to eat them any other time of year. Same goes for asparagus. I cook with asparagus at almost every meal during the months of April and May and then, I'm pretty much done with asparagus for the year. And tomatoes!!! Ever since I started gardening 6 years ago there is no way I can eat a store bought tomato!!! Truly fresh produce that literally goes from ground to table puts grocery store versions to shame, not only in taste but nutrients as well! Of course we definitely buy other produce that is not in season or grown locally (if any of you have read Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, they did just that...they ate only local, in season food products for an entire year. Amazing book that is very informative and inspirational but reads like a novel) but I have programmed my body to eat somewhat seasonally and it is kind of interesting to see my body go through physical cravings for certain produce that I have not had for a year...it is kind of exciting! Each time a new season comes around I pull out my favorite seasonal recipes and get so excited to start cooking! Dear asparagus, it is so nice to enjoy your tender, crisp stalks of deliciousness once again!!! By the way, this recipe is super fast and super easy...my favorite kind!

Creamy Garlic Spring Pasta

serves 6

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup of fresh or frozen peas

2-4 garlic cloves pressed, minced or grated

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 -1 cup chopped parsley

2 cups coarsely chopped spinach

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts

1 7oz container plain greek yogurt

12 oz pasta (I use brown rice elbow macaroni)

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

olive oil

salt

feta cheese

Directions:

Put water on to boil. Once you get your noodles in, make the sauce. Mix garlic, 1-2 tsp salt, juice of 1 lemon, yogurt, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir until well combined. Once the pasta has only 5 minutes left of cooking time, add the asparagus and peas to the pot. Once finished, drain and add back to the pot (make sure you reserve 1/2 cup of water) Add in the sauce, water, spinach, and pinenuts. Top with feta cheese and freshly ground black pepper and serve with your favorite salad!

Veggie Tacos

I have finally found a way to cook my corn tortillas without them completely falling apart and hence my love affair with unique, homemade tacos has begun. The method does require a bit of frying in oil but this gardengirl isn't afraid of a little fat...especially the good for you kind! I did use a little cheese in this recipe, but an avocado mashed with a little minced onion, garlic, and cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a dash of salt would make a great substitute to give it that creaminess that cheese offers.  I have developed a real appreciation for vegan cooking and have found great substitutes in many meals to give me the satisfaction and comfort that certain animal products offer because I am not on board with fake cheese and meat which is just soy based, processed crap with ingredient lists a mile long. Not much better in my mind. So I use a dash of meat and cheese here and there when I have a craving. But I do buy sources of these products that are as organic, humane, and environmentally friendly as possible. They are a little pricier but I have a really hard time supporting factory farming and industrial food so I pay the extra money and just use less of the product which is healthier anyway. Just some food for thought...literally :)  So, back to tacos, these were just heavenly and I will post the recipe for the pinto beans we had on the side soon, which were also amazing. Even my two year old gobbled the entire meal up! Leftovers were great for lunch the next day too which I am always a fan of since lunch is usually the toughest meal for me to plan.

Veggie Tacos

serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 mild green chili, chopped

1 jalapeno, minced

1 cup frozen or fresh corn (roasted is extra yummy!)

1/2 to 1 cup salsa

1 t cumin

1 T oregano

corn tortillas

olive oil

salt and pepper

cheddar or jack cheese (optional)

optional garnishes:

sliced avocado

lime wedges

chopped cilantro

cotija cheese (Mexican cheese similar to feta) 

               Cut up your veggies. Really, any veggies would be good here so definitely get creative!

If you are roasting your corn, drizzle it with olive oil, salt and pepper and put it in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat up your olive oil over medium heat then throw in your veggies, sprinkle with cumin, oregano and salt, and saute for 10 minutes or so.

Add in the roasted corn but if you decide to just saute it with the veggies, add it in the last few minutes. Then stir in the salsa. let it simmer for a minute or two, then turn the heat to low. 

 Slice your cheddar and crumble your cotija if you are using.

Heat up oil in a pan on medium high heat, the more you use the crispier the tortillas will get but they don't need to be drowning in it. Let the tortilla cook flat for about 30 seconds. Lay your cheese slices on half and spoon some veggies over the cheese. Fold the tortilla over the veggies and let cook for about a minute. Flip the taco on the other side and cook an additional minute or until desired crispiness.

Pinto beans make a good side. I will share this recipe soon because these beans were awesome!!! 

Enjoy!