Summertime is a great time for pesto – you can make up a big batch, use it lots of different ways, even freeze it for a treat come wintertime. I can’t tell you the joy we got pulling out a container of garlic scape pesto in the dead of winter, tossing it with some pasta, and reminiscing about summer.

Today’s pesto is an exotic departure from your traditional basil, walnut & Parmesan blend. The Thai basil lends a slight anise flavor, the toasted pecans add depth and richness. Whip up a big batch of this versatile, vegan concoction and keep it around for dipping, drizzling and dressing. It’ll keep in your fridge for about a week – and bonus! The lime juice helps it keep its bright green color.

Thai Basil Pesto (Adapted from Healthful Pursuit)

Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken down, about 30 seconds. Add basil, lime zest and juice, fish sauce and garlic. Pulse to mix, until basil leaves have been incorporated with the nuts. With the processor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube and process until combined and until pesto has reached desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, mixing and tasting after each addition.

Yields about 1.5 cups.

What’re you gonna do with it?

• Great on pasta. Why not try zucchini “pasta”? I used a vegetable peeler to peel long strips of zucchini, heated them up quickly in a frying pan, and tossed them with the pesto. Delicious, a great way to use your zucchini, and a healthful, low-calorie alternative to pasta.
• Slice a tomato, spread the pesto on top, and hit it with the broiler
• Sandwich spread
• Try it over fish or chicken – we ate it over simple baked cod and it was delicious
• Veggie dip
• In a vinaigrette
• Pizza sauce
• Spread on crackers
• Freeze for later – either in small containers or in an ice cube tray.
• More good ideas here!

What’re your favorite ways to use pesto? Have a favorite pesto ingredient combo? Share in the comments!

© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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My CSA has been churning out bok choy this season, and it is delicious. This past week, we also received a big bunch of tatsoi, another Asian green.  To me, these were meant to be used together, so I dreamed up this little number. I know I have a lot of recipes with peanut sauce, but I’m just such a sucker for Asian preps with peanut sauce. A little sweet, a little spicy and a little creamy (I made this with real peanut butter, not PB2, and man, it tasted indulgent). I kept the fat here low by not using any oil except for what’s in the peanut butter – used broth for stir-”frying” the greens. This is a bit of chopping, but not much – all in, about 30 minutes to the table!

Soba Noodles with Asian Greens & Peanut Sauce

For the dressing:

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cool water, drain again and set aside.

Pour approximately 1/4 c. of the broth into a large frying pan or wok. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the tatsoi stems, bok choy stems, scallion whites, garlic and ginger and stir-fry until tender, about 4 minutes. Add more broth if the pan begins to get dry.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together all the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Add the bok choy and tatsoi leaves, along with the scallion greens to the pan with the stems and toss to wilt – again, add more broth if the pan gets dry.

Combine the greens mixture with the noodles and toss with the dressing. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste.

Serves 4.

¿What can these veggies do for you?

Let’s start with bok choy, a cruciferous veggie (like broccoli and cabbage). This nutritional darling provides large amounts of vitamins A, C, and K as well as folate and calcium. A recent study detected 28 different polyphenols – antioxidant phytochemicals – in bok choy. The most prevelent was kaempferol, a molecule shown to have anti-cancer properties. Like all cruciferous vegetables, more cancer-preventive compounds are produced when bok choy is chopped before cooking.

Bok choy is uniquely beneficial for its calcium availability – bok choy is lower in oxalate, a substance that binds up calcium and prevents it from being absorbed, than most other leafy greens. 54% of the calcium in bok choy can be absorbed by the human body – compare this to 5% in spinach, a high oxalate vegetable, and 32% in milk. You can actually absorb calcium better from bok choy than from dairy products. With the bad news on calcium supplements and heart issues, it’s important to try to get your daily calcium requirements from food, not supplements, if you can. Bok choy can help!

What about this tatsoi? I have to admit, this is a new-to-me veggie and I really liked it. Tatsoi, AKA spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy, is another proud member of the brassica family. It has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture, a sweet aroma and a mild mustard flavor. Tatsoi is often compared to spinach because of its similar appearance, and because it shrinks significantly when cooked. The taste, however, is entirely different. Tatsoi’s flavors are sweet and earthy, and it has a more cabbage-like texture which I like for stir-frying. Spinach gets too slimy for my taste. Like other crucifers, it contains phytochemicals that can act as powerful antioxidants, detoxify carcinogenic substances, induce cancer cell death, and block the formation of new blood vessels necessary for the proliferation and metastasis of malignant tumors.

WHAT is not to love about these two? Try ‘em!

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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The other day, I did a group presentation on “superfoods.” You know, nutrient-dense, health-promoting foods? And when we came to a pause, I asked the crowd, “What is your biggest barrier to eating healthy?” “Time” was the overwhelming answer.

The women there talked about not being organized with their meal planning and grocery shopping, their kids not buying into new foods being prepared, about trying to avoid mutiny at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday, etc. And I told them, as I tell anyone who’ll listen, that it’s a misconception that cooking with real, healthful foods must be a time-consuming process. I’m not talking about making your own condiments – I’m talking about throwing together a few healthy ingredients to make a complete meal in a matter of thirty minutes or fewer. I can’t guarantee your kids’ll like the recipes. I can’t guarantee you will, either – but unless you try (and isn’t this what you’re always telling your kids, if you have them?), you’ll never know.

And I assure you: It. Can. Be. Done. We have the technology, my friends . . . and in the case of this recipe, it’s dried whole wheat pasta, pre-cooked lentils and pre-washed baby spinach. This is an amazing meal that tastes fresh, is good  for you, and all you have to chop are a few leeks. My 8-year-old did that part – I KNOW you can do it. Have some faith in yourself!

Now did my 8-year-old eat this? No. I won’t lie, and I didn’t to that group, either. L. picks and chooses what she eats from a range of healthful options, but she almost never eats the meal exactly as I make it for me and D. When I made this, she ate, as usual, a component of the meal – the pasta – and she had it with jarred spaghetti sauce and ricotta cheese slopped on top . Apple and sliced strawberries on the side.

Pasta with Lentils, Spinach & Leeks (adapted from the Power Foods cookbook)

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 c. cooking liquid.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and thyme and cooking, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft but not browned; about 5 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and garlic and a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook for another minute.

Add the spinach and about 1/4 c. of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to the pan. Toss the spinach to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add more water if needed. Add the pasta to the pan, toss to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 2, but easily double for 4.

So how ’bout you? What’s your biggest barrier to eating more healthfully? Did you know that I can help? Email me and learn how I can take you through meal planning and marketing, step-by-step, to help you create a system that’ll work great for your family (kids or no kids) and your lifestyle. I’ll even escort you to the supermarket and help you navigate the maze . . . and/or go through your cupboards and fridge and help you weed out the junk, make room for delicious time-savers and health-promoters and leave you with a customized shopping list so you can do it all on your own. Want to start cooking with some new-fangled ingredients and not sure how? I can show you that, too, and even pull together recipes that’ll meet your taste preferences and dietary restrictions. All with the down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude you’ve come to love from Semi-Sweet!

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Ahhh, leafy greens. SO good for you, full of vitamins and calcium and all sorts of health-producing, cancer-busting stuff. But some of them? Sorta scary. Big and tough looking, and reputed to be . . . bitter. Blech, right? Not if you play ‘em right, my friends.

Case in point: These collards. You get a heck of a lot of collards here and they’re tender and tasty and they add to this dish a certain, well, earthiness that goes so well with the whole wheat pasta. Collards are a nutritional powerhouse – they may have more cholesterol-lowering benefit than any other vegetable in their family, and they’re also known for having exceptional antioxidant properties.

This recipe garnered another surprised two thumbs up from D., who is leery of me putting greens in everything (he is mortified by my every-a.m. giant green smoothie). Use it to satisfy your hankering for pasta with red sauce, and rest assured that you’re getting your fix in a most healthful way.

Pasta With Collards and Tomatoes

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or a vegan alternative, if you like)

Put a medium-sized pot of lightly salted water on to boil for cooking pasta.

Put the collards in a covered, microwave-safe bowl (I love my glass Pyrex bowls for things like this). Microwave for one minute and check to see if they’re just tender. If they are, drain them, rinse them with cold water, drain again, and set aside. If not, microwave in 30-second increments until tender, then drain, rinse, repeat. You don’t want to over-cook these – that’s when they emit that odor you might associate with cruciferous veg. You’re going to cook them for a few more minutes at the end of the recipe, so go light here.

Cook the bacon on a microwave-safe plate, between two paper towels, for about 45 seconds or until crisp. Remove, let crisp, and then chop finely.

Spray a large skillet with oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the bacon, tomatoes and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

As the sauce thickens, cook the pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

Add the pasta, collards and a little of the reserved pasta-cooking water to the tomato sauce. Heat, stirring, until the pasta has absorbed some of the flavors, about 1 minute, adding more reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into pasta bowls, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Serves 2, but this can be easily doubled to serve 4.

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© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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What? How could I not know this? March 26, 2012 is National Spinach Day?? Did you know that my Baby Spinach Salad, 7 Ways is one of the most popular posts of all-time here on Semi-Sweet? Check out scads of other delish spinach recipes right here, right now! Let’s party down, Sweeties.

Spinach is a superfood that’s ridiculously easy to incorporate into your repertoire – whether you like it cooked, raw or both. Baby or mature, it comes pre-washed and pre-bagged for EZ daily use. I “eat” about 4 cups of organic baby spinach every a.m. in my green smoothie . . . what’re your favorite ways to enjoy this lovely leafy?

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© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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What do I miss most when I’m actively dieting? Carbs. Starchy starch starch. Mmmm. Sure, I can always budget some in, that’s why I’m such a big fan of counting calories. But the issue is, I can’t get nearly as much bang for my food buck if I’m eating pasta, or bread, or rice, or, well, you get the idea. That stuff has a lot of calories (it’s calorie-dense, as we nutrition geeks like to say). You can have a “wicked lot” of fish, broccoli, dark leafy greens, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, etc. in lieu of your carbs and you’ll be fuller and more satisfied for waaaay longer. So carbs go by the wayside for me for a time.

But a girl cannot live by tofu and greens alone. And the other day my daughter and I had to bake a bunch of our FAVORITE cookies in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. (These are them. I won’t hate you if you make them, but please, just don’t tell me about it right now, OK?) She had a family history unit at school, and for the open house which (mercifully) closed the unit, we all were to bring in food that was meaningful to our family. My Grandma made these every Christmas. They are my favorite. They are L.’s favorite. I am on a diet. I challenged myself not to taste, lick or nibble one. single. freakin’. cookie. And I did it!

I even blew myself away with this one. I’ve told you, I’m low on “willpower.” So why’d it work this time? Chewing gum, for one – you laugh, but you don’t want to taste cookie dough when you have gum in your mouth. Two, I was making this recipe for dinner, and I knew that it was a little bit of a treat, because THERE IS PASTA IN IT and I HAVEN’T HAD PASTA IN 2 1/2 WEEKS BUT WHO IS COUNTING?

This recipe is easy, light, flavorful, and has a bit of a “spa cuisine” feel to it. It’s loaded with protein and is decent on fiber – especially for a pasta dish. That’s on account of the whole wheat pasta, which you should learn to love. Don’t over cook it. That, I think, is the #1 mistake people make with the stuff and why so many people profess not to like it. It’s nutty and substantial, and actually, in this dish I think it’s better. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a carb-deprived maniac or anything. Honestly. Eat up!

Pasta Salad With Chicken, Raisins and Almonds (adapted from Everyday Food Light - which is an awesome cookbook)

1 T. finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 T. fresh lemon juice

Put the almonds in a small skillet and toast them lightly over low heat, stirring constantly for approximately 10 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely.

Place the chicken in a large skillet or saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken stand, covered, until cooked through, approximately 12-14 minutes. Remove chicken from the water, and when it’s cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the penne until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water. Drain the pasta, then rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well again.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, yogurt, raisings, parsley, almonds, and lemon zest and juice. Thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper. Serve refrigerated (up to one day) or at room temperature. I think it was great at room temp.

Serves 4.

I served this with steamed asparagus spears that were sprinkled with lemon juice and finished with some chardonnay smoked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. The whole shebang was delicious (even the hubs liked it, and in fact suggested a 1st course of carrot ginger soup next time – more spa and more volume to increase those feelings of fullness!). A nice reward for slaying that cookie dragon.

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2012, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Summer tomatoes . . . anything better? But bumper-crops can get you down. You don’t want to waste those goodies, do you? Sure, you can roast them, or bake up a tarte, but what about a ultra-quick weeknight dish that’ll highlight their deliciousness without breaking your back? Check out this recipe – 20 minutes from start to finish. Dinner. Is. Done.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Pine Nuts (adapted from Everyday Food)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 garlic clove, minced (or 1 t. crushed garlic from a jar – even easier! I like Trader Joe’s)
3 T.extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. angel-hair pasta (if you’re GF, consider serving this over spaghetti squash, or of course, GF pasta)
4 T. pine nuts (beware Chinese pine nuts – they may give you “pine mouth,” a terrible metallic/bitter taste that lasts for days)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, and oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 10 minutes.  Cook pasta in boiling water according to taste; drain, and return to pot. Add tomato mixture; toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

Serves 4.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Hi Friends!  Long time, no post here . . . holidays and blog-hackers have kicked my butt these past couple of weeks . . . but never fear, there’s been lots of cooking here at casa Semi-Sweet, and I’m back on the scene to share my spoils with you.  Just in time for a long, lazy New Year weekend.

This recipe is not healthy. Not remotely. It is, however, sublimely delicious.  Young and old alike will smack their lips when you pull this pan of cheesy goodness from your oven.  Plus, you can make it ahead and then bake it off before you guests arrive, and it reheats famously . . . . seriously, what’s not to love?  You can go back to your fiber cereal and vegetables on Monday.  I know I will.

Happy new year, everyone!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (originally from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

Preheat the oven to 400.  Melt 2 T. of the butter and toss it with 2 slices of white sandwich bread that you’ve processed to course crumbs in your food processor.  Set this aside.

Prepare the macaroni according to package directions, but cook only until almost tender, but still firm to the bite – you don’t want it too mushy in your casserole.  Drain the macaroni and leave it in the colander so it will be quite dry when you add it to your cheese mixture.

Wipe the pasta pot dry, add the remaining 6 T. of butter and melt it over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic, mustard mixture and cayenne (if using).  Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the flour and cook until golden, about a minute.  Slowly whisk in the milk and broth.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook, whisking often, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 6 minutes.

Off the heat, whisk in the Colby and cheddar until completely melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the drained macaroni, breaking up any clumps, until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish.  If you’re baking this right away, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.  If you’re making this ahead, store your breadcrumbs in a baggie alongside your casserole in the fridge – cover your casserole tightly with plastic wrap – you can keep it for up to 3 days in the fridge.  Remove it from the fridge an hour before baking, and top it with the breadcrumbs before baking.

Serves 6-8.

For goodnesssake, serve a salad with this, will you??

© 2010 – 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Oh my friends, I’ve missed you so . . . and I’m not happy to let you know it’s going to be a bit longer ’til I’m up and running again here on Semi-Sweet.  This moving thing, plus a series of other unfortunate events, have thrown this blogger under the bus.  I am pining for you though, rest assured.  So much so that I wanted to share a little pasta ditty I threw together tonight, just to touch base with you all one more time before I jump off the diving board into the deep end – our actual move day is Tuesday.

So being that we’re moving, I’m clearing the food decks as much as possible.  We’re only moving a mile from our current place, so we certainly can transfer stuff easily, but really, who wants to transport more food than she has to?  And then there’s that pesky (but fabulous) CSA share that just keeps on giving . . . every week the undertow of greens and veggies threatens to suck me down, but I’m keeping my head above water, yes I am.

Tonight I used up the delicious fresh tomatoes we got on Wednesday, along with a log of goat cheese I had in the fridge and some nice Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese.  You can alter the proportions of this to your liking, and if I’d had it, I’d have used whole wheat pasta for more flavor and nutrition.

Whatever you’re doing or cooking this summer, enjoy yourself for me, will you?  Moving’s exciting, but not so much fun.  I’m SO looking forward to cooking and blogging more in September . . . stick with me friends, the best is yet to come!

Cavatappi with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Spinach

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl and stir to combine – you want this to look saucy – the goat cheese will become smooth and the liquid of the tomatoes will help this.  Don’t be afraid of using a couple good glugs of olive oil – it’ll smooth out your sauce and add great flavor.  Dump the spinach leaves on top of this mixture.  Drain the pasta and while it’s still piping hot (don’t worry about extra moisture, it’ll help make your sauce more spreadable), pour it over the spinach and sauce mixture.  Stir to combine and to wilt the spinach leaves.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Serves 4-6, easily.  Pass the crushed red pepper for the heat-seekers at your dinner table.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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In last week’s CSA share, we got some garlic scapes . . . have you tried these delicious creatures?  All curly and full of whimsy, yet with a garlicky zing that’ll knock your socks off.  I’d had them before, but never cooked with them myself, until Saturday night when I decided to whip up a pesto with them – and wow, were D. and I psyched.  It was garlicky and cheesy and nutty and coated the linguine so well.  A minimum of effort and fuss yields spectacular results here.  A perfect recipe for hot days – all you need to do is pull out your Cuisinart or blender and boil a pot of water.  Whip up a side-salad dressed simply with oil and vinegar (your tastebuds will need a breather after the pesto).  A loaf of nice bread, some fresh berries and cream for dessert, and you’ve got a lovely summer repast.

Garlic Scape Pesto (adapted from Umami Girl)

1 1/4 c. chopped garlic scapes
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, cut into chunks

Combine scapes, cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.

Pulse until well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running.  Process until the mixture is fairly smooth and emulsified. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Makes 2.5-3 cups.

Serve over pasta (you might want to reserve some of the cooking water to thin out the pesto a bit so it spreads over the pasta more easily).  This would also be delicious as a base for a grilled pizza or as a spread for crusty bread. This’ll freeze well – think of how psyched you’ll be in January if you have a pot of this up your sleeve!  I have 2 cups in the freezer right now . . . .

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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