Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Here are a few recipes for you to try. The garlic scapes would also work in the gnocchi recipe. I think we will try it tonight, I am sure we have some gnocchi in the pantry.
Arugula is great made into a pesto and then used as a spread on a sandwich or wrap. I sometimes have a quick snack with crackers. Mostly it seems to make it into our large ongoing bowl of fresh salad. Enjoy!


Pasta with Garlic-Scape Pesto (via Franci)
Garlic scapes are the soft, lime-green-colored stems and unopened flower buds of hard-neck garlic varieties. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness, which makes them a prized addition in the kitchen. You can find them in the early summer and midfall at farmers' markets. If you grow your own garlic (which is easy), trim the scapes off before their flowers open. This forces the plant to focus on bulb production and increases the size of the garlic cloves.
 you can also spread it on crostini or use as a pungent dip for crunchy vegetables. If all you have are salted pistachios, forgo the salt in the recipe and add salt to taste at the end.

For the pesto                                                                                                                                                        10 large garlic scapes
    1/3 cup unsalted pistachios  (walnuts, almonds, cashews whichever you have on hand or like)
    1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    Kosher salt and black pepper
    1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound spaghetti

Make the pesto: Puree the garlic scapes, pistachios, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)
In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the pesto and the reserved pasta water and toss with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pasta-with-Garlic-Scape-Pesto-395769#ixzz1wRrp5LxE

Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Ingredients

      1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Vigo)
    2 tablespoons butter $
    2 tablespoons pine nuts or any other you nuts might have, pumpkin seeds would be good
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn   other greens work well also
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation
    1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
    2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts to pan; cook 3 minutes or until butter and nuts are lightly browned, stirring constantly. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Jackie Mills, MS, RD, Cooking Light



 Arugula and Apple Salad
    1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    1 tablespoon    agave or honey
    1 tablespoon   apple cider vinegar
    1 tablespoon    olive oil
    6 cups   arugula greens
    1     granny smith apple, thinly sliced

  In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, agave (or honey), vinegar, and olive oil.
    Add arugula and apple slices to bowl and toss to coat with dressing.
A little cheese crumbled on top is also good . Feta, Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola
From www.foodily.com with permission. © 2010-2012 Foodily.com, Inc.


4-Minute Healthy Sautéed Bok Choy
Enjoy this great tasting recipe and get 375% of your Daily Value for vitamin A, 318% DV for vitamin C, 188% DV for vitamin K and 69% for folate!     Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb bok choy, chopped
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    3 TBS low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
    1 tsp fresh lemon juice
    3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
    5 drops soy sauce
    sea salt and pepper to taste
    Optional:
    1 TBS grated ginger
    2 TBS tofu, cubed
    toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Chop bok choy and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
    In a stainless steel pan heat broth. When it begins to steam add bok choy and healthy saute, Healthy Sauté for 4 minutes.
    Toss with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste and any of the optional ingredients you would like to include.
Serves 2



 Radish Salad with Mint and Pistachios
My father loves radishes. Whereas some parents put out cookies and chips for their kids for snacks, my dad put out radishes for us, and still does. Crunchy and cool, they’re a great snack.
This salad is best eaten fresh. You can prep the ingredients several hours ahead, and even let the radishes marinate in the lemon juice for a couple hours. But don't add the oil, mint, or pistachios until read to serve.
Ingredients
    1 pound of red or pink radishes, cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
    Grated zest of one lemon, about 1 teaspoon
    1/4 cup minced shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
    Juice from one lemon, about 3 to 4 Tbps
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    A heaping 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
    10 large mint (spearmint) leaves, chopped or sliced thin, about 1/4 cup
    1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method
1 Mix the radish wedges, minced shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl.  Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
2 Toast the shelled pistachios by heating a small skillet on high heat. Add the pistachios and heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
3 When you are ready to serve, if there is a lot of excess liquid in the radishes, strain some of it out. Then toss the toasted pistachios, mint, and olive oil in with the radishes.