Garlic Scape Galore

Garlic scapes are delectable vegetables that you probably don't know about if you don't grow them or shop directly from farmers. They are an early summer treat and if you're like me, they are testing my creativity in the kitchen. They are great on homemade pizzas, pasta, breakfast scrambles. However, in order to keep up with the supply of my weekly CSA, I've been coming up with new delicious ways to incorporate these tasty treats into more meals (recipes below). Any other suggestions?

{garlic scape & almond pesto}

10 garlic scapes, chopped

1/2 c of parmesan

1/2 c of olive oil

1/3 c of almonds, chopped

combine garlic scapes, almonds and cheese into the food processor and pulse a few times. Add olive oil, pinch of salt and pulse until desired texture. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Makes about 1 cup.

{garlic scape & basil butter}

this is amazing.

4 garlic scapes, chopped

small handful of basil leaves

1 stick of salted butter, cut into pieces

combine scapes and basil into the food processor and pulse until scapes are broken into tiny pieces. Add butter and mix until well combined. I then transferred butter mixture to a small bowl and sprinkled with sea salt and serve with a good warm bread (i prefer ciabatta).

{summer pasta with scapes}

Note: you can make this pasta with just about any summer veggie. I use whatever is fresh: cherry tomatoes, peas, basil, asparagus, you name it. In the following recipe I used cherry tomatoes and basil.

5-8 garlic scapes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

pasta of choice (i use farfalle)

1 lemon

one basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

handful of basil, chopped

parmesan cheese (i use about 1/4 cup, you can always use more or less)

Saute scapes in olive oil over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. Season with salt & pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of salted water. When both the scapes and pasta are done cooking, transfer both to a large bowl. Add grated parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice of one lemon, basil and combine. I then add olive oil and a small amount of pasta water to help incorporate flavors and sauce. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper and enjoy!

Banana Bread Ice Cream, oh my.

Holy moly, I just woke up and I think I was dreaming about the the banana bread ice cream that my better half made last night. Yep, you read right.... banana bread ice cream. A pregnant ladies dream come true. It was so delicious, rich and bursting with the flavor of roasted bananas. It even had bit of melted chocolate whipped through it {think stracciatella}. You really should make it yourself, pregnant or not.

{Banana Bread Ice Cream}

3 ripe bananas

1/2 light brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 0z. semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (we left ours out and sprinkled on top when finished)

Note: Jon sprinkled some cinnamon and nutmeg on the bananas before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the bananas into about half inch pieces, and toss them in a small baking dish with the butter and the brown sugar. Bake the bananas for about 40 minutes, stirring them around once midway through. Set them aside and let them cool off a bit.

Once they’ve cooled, mix the bananas with the milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a blender or food processor and puree until you have a nice, smooth mixture. Let it cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

When the mixture is nice and cold, just process it according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When the ice cream is nearly thickened to your liking, break the chocolate up into a microwave safe container, preferably one with a pour spout, like a pyrex measuring cup. Melt the chocolate at 10 or 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until it’s melted through and pourable. Slowly pour it into the almost finished ice cream; it will freeze and form small chips throughout the ice cream. Finally, add the chopped walnuts and continue to process until the walnuts are mixed through and the ice cream has reached your desired consistency.

recipe courtesy of The Kitchen Illiterate. Photo.

Garden Harvest

Yesterday was my last day teaching gardening at the public school nearby. We celebrated by harvesting some early spring vegetables and making a meal. We made a mixed green salad and a few other delicious snacks. Hope these recipes inspire you to grab your favorite little one and head to the garden!

{roasted carrots & turnips with herbs}

-cut one bunch of carrots into diagonal pieces

-cut up turnips into 1/2 inch pieces

-add some chopped fennel if yours is ready (ours was too little yet)

Toss ingredients with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I fancy a little cumin powder on mine. Roast the veggies in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables start to caramelize. Remove from oven and add a mixture of chopped garden herbs (we used basil & italian parsley), fresh lemon juice & feta. Stir & enjoy!

{homemade hummus for garden veggies}

We had loads of broccoli & sugar snap peas to harvest. My goal was to get every little kiddo to enjoy their broccoli so I decided to make a dip that they can dunk their veggie into... and viola, it worked!

ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed

2 15-oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

2/3 c of roasted tahini

1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 c of water

1/4 c olive oil

salt

In a food processor, pulse all ingredients until smooth. Add salt to taste. Enjoy. Makes about 3 cups.

photo: Veer

This week's tasty rhubarb treat

Yes, I'm still obsessed with rhubarb. My sister sent me this delicious looking tartlette that she made the other day. She found the recipe via Design Sponge. It's the perfect treat for those of you that prefer gluten-free, as almond meal and rice flour are used in lieu of flour. I'm planning on trying it out myself on this beautiful spring day.

photo & recipe

Granola Snack Attack

On this rainy day I decided to try a new granola recipe from one of my very favorite cookbooks, Lucid Food. I must admit it's pretty darn good... give it a whirl. I decided to forgo the cocao nibs, but not for lack of liking those little devils. I just prefer my granola to be more of a morning snack.

{ingredients}

2 cups raw nuts, coarsely chopped (i use slivered almonds)

2 cups rolled oats

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

dash of salt

6 tablespoons maple syrup

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup raw, unsweetened coconut flakes

3 tablespoons of cocao nibs

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

combine all of the ingredients except coconut, cocao nibs. spread granola evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. stir the granola well, rotate the pan, and bake for 15 minutes more. add the apricots and return pan to oven for another five minutes. add the coconut flakes and bake for 2 minutes more. remove the pan from oven and stir in the cacao nibs.

Weeknight Treat: Rhubarb Crumble

I love rhubarb.... so every spring I find myself cooking up new creations with this tasty veggie-fruit. No matter how many interesting and unique recipes I stumble upon, I always end up fixing the ol' faithful crumble. My crumble topping depends on what's in my cupboard, but I always use brown sugar, oatmeal and flax seeds. The best part of this oh so delicious dessert is that you can't really mess up. So throw in your favorite goodies and don't worry so much following a recipe. However, if you must... here is a good one from Heidi Swanson.

I prefer to make individual crumbles in ramekins, an easy way to satisfy a crumble craving for only two people (scale down the recipe, obviously). Baking this crumble in a cast iron skillet or baking dish, works perfectly as well. The following recipe serves 6-8.

{filling}

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 quart strawberries, blueberries or other berries (optional)

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup raw sugar (any sugar will do)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

{topping}

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons flax seeds

*Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

*serves 6-8