Kale Pesto

The Single Serving

So, now that Lent is over, I have been slowly trying to reintroduce myself to cheese. Last week, I saw some fresh kale at the market and decided to try a version of Kale Pesto. Pesto is the bomb and can be topped with any grated Italian cheese, which obviously appeals to me on several levels- also it's incredibly easy and delicious. Last week also happened to be one of the last holdouts of gloomy cold weather here so a dark sauce(?) like pesto, was the right fit.

Your Ingredients

Chop kale, nuts, and garlic

Remove Kale from boiling water

Blot the water off the leaves

Add all ingredients to blender

Blend like you mean it

Blend to your desired consistency

Et voila!

Save or Serve

I didn't save it, I ate it

Pesto sauce with Fusilli

Brussels Sprouts-Avocado-Lime Recipe: 

Ingredients-

   1/16 cup chopped pine nuts or walnuts
   1 ounces kale, trimmed, rinsed, and chopped
   1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
   1/6 cup extra-virgin olive oil
   1 cloves garlic, chopped
   1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   pinch teaspoon pepper

How-To-
Toast nuts in a frying pan until they’re golden. This happens quite quickly, so make sure to watch for burning. Then chop the nuts and garlic. In the meantime, wash and dry the kale. Remove all the leaves from the stems and chop. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Have a bowl of cold water ready. Drop the chopped kale into the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, swirl the kale around a few times until it becomes limp- will become a rich green color. Drain the kale and plunge it into the cold water. Drain again, then place on a clean dishtowel and blot away the moisture (soggy kale is not good). Place all of the ingredients in the blender. Purée until smooth. You may need to add more olive oil to reach desired consistency.

If not eating immediately, refrigerate by covering with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pesto. Will stay fresh for up to 3 days. To freeze, place desired portions in small containers with plastic directly on the surface of the pesto, or place in plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to two months.

Enjoy!

Thoughts- 
Don't eat on a first date (any dark greens really) but beyond that advice, I thought it was fantastic on my fusilli pasta. I had slightly more than I wanted to so I might use like one less leaf of kale next time.

Chorizo Mac & Cheese

my oven mitt is telling me to drink...

 I got this recipe from DamnDelicious but I modified it slightly.  The recipe calls for macaroni (which I forgot to buy) so I used rigatoni, no loss here as all pasta types are delicious.  Also, the original recipe was a bit spicier, with the addition of jalapeños.  Not such a fan of those, but feel free to add them on your own accord.  I saw this recipe and remembered I had purchased a chorizo (stick? link?) from Eastern Market and froze it two weeks ago so this sounded like the perfect opportunity to make something with it.  This week has been hell and nothing like some comfort food on a Friday night followed by some video gaming!

Attention Ingredients!

Boil Yo Pasta!

dice the onion and pepper

no jokes here please- heat the chorizo in a skillet

stir in veggies

add the dusting of flour

mix in the milk and cheese until it's goopy

pour into baking dish and mix with pasta

sprinkle the panko to make it crispy

The Single Serving

Chorizo Mac 'n Cheese Recipe:

     Ingredients-

1 cup, macaroni pasta

Splash of Olive Oil

1 Chorizo

1 qtr, Red Onion, diced

1/2, Bell Pepper, diced

1 tbs, All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup, Milk

1/2 cup, Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 tsp, Lime Juice

1 tbs, Panko Breadcrumbs

     How To-

Preheat oven to 375 and grease your baking dish. Cook macaroni in a separate pot.  While the macaroni is boiling, chop up the red onion and bell pepper. Place the chorizo in a heated skillet with olive oil, medium heat. Make sure the chorizo is crumbling and gets crispy as it cooks (about 2-min). Turn down to medium low heat. Add onion and pepper to the chorizo and cook until the onion has softened (3-4 min).  Whisk in the flour, stir the milk slowly until fully combined.  Add the cheese and lime juice, then stir until a gooey mass (about 2 min).  Remove from heat and toss in your pasta. Pour into the baking dish and top off with panko crumbs for extra crispyness. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Thoughts:

So delicious man.
Ps. It's pretty spicy with the chorizo so think twice before adding jalapeños if that is your preference