Arugula Pesto

We had a simple lunch today, grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad made with arugula. I noticed that the arugula only had a couple days left before it went south. After previously reading about a blogger making a pesto out of peas (I have to try that soon!), arugula pesto sounded like a perfect option.

Arugula Pesto Pasta

I only discovered the deliciousness that is arugula recently. It’s sharp flavor really adds to a salad. I researched some arugula pesto recipes online, and I noticed that the great majority of them used some spinach or basil within the recipe. I am assuming it’s to cut the bite of the arugula a bit. I didn’t have any spinach or basil handy, so I decided to go ahead without. As a result, I added some extra veggies to my eventual pasta dish to try to balance the flavors.

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves with skins on

1/4 cup of pistachios

2 cups of arugula, packed

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 cups of pasta

1/2 onion diced

1 cup of peas

1 cup of mushrooms, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a frying pan, brown the garlic over medium high heat. Flip after about 5 minutes, allowing both sides to brown. Remove garlic from heat, allowing to cool. Remove the skin and cut into small chunks.

2. Add the arugula, pistachios, garlic, and salt to a blender or food processor. Slowly add the olive oil over medium-high setting. Allow a few moments to blend thoroughly. Scoop the pesto out of the blender. Set aside.

Blending arugula

3. Meanwhile, prepare the noodles as suggested on the package. When straining, run cold water over the noodles to prevent overcooking.

4. With a little olive oil, cook the onion over medium high heat, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and peas, cooking for a few minutes.

5. In a serving dish, mix the noodles and pesto well. Add the veggies and mix. Serve immediately.

Mixed Pesto

I think this dish turned out to be pretty good. I used brown rice pasta, which I think was a good move on my part. It’s a bit heavier than white pasta. I’m not really a fan of whole wheat pasta, it has a funny taste to me, but in the case of this pesto, I think it would work even better than the brown rice pasta. This pesto can compete with a heavier noodle.

Cost:

Arugula ~$1.00

Pasta ~ $.75

Onion ~ $.30

Peas ~ $.50

Mushrooms $.50

Total ~ $3.05

Hola, Guacamole

So I am not completely cheesy, just mostly so–hence my use of “hola” instead of “holy.”

Guacamole

Guacamole is one of my favorite foods. I think it’s yummy as a dip, it’s yummy as a condiment, and it’s yummy when you open the fridge and stick your finger in the bowl. It’s actually incredibly easy to make. I used to make it with onions and something was always off…then I discovered that shallots were the key! A little less biting than onions, shallots perfect the guacamole.

Guacamole ingredients

Ingredients:

2 shallots

2 garlic cloves

2 avocados

1 jalapeno

1 large roma tomato

1 lime

salt to taste

Shallots and garlic

Step 1: Finely dice up the shallots and garlic. Place them in a bowl big enough to hold about 2 cups of food.

Avocados

Step 2: Cut the avocados in half. Remove the seed and the skin of the avocado. Cut the avocado into medium sized chunks. Add to the shallots and garlic. Smash with a fork and mix well.

Jalapeno

Step 3: Dice the jalapeno. Add to the bowl and mix.

Tomatoes

Step 4: Dice the tomato and add it to the bowl. Mix well.

Step 5: Squeeze the juice of one lime into the bowl. Add a little salt. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Guacamole

Guacamole is typically pretty pricy when you go out to eat, which strikes me as funny, because it’s not terribly expensive to make at home. And it is incredibly easy to make! This is a pretty traditional version, but I’ve modified, adding green peppers or green chile or anything else that might sound good mixed with smashed avocado. I wouldn’t let it sit in the fridge too long, but that’s never a problem at my house.