Arugula Dip/Pesto (Nut-Free and Paleo)

Setting aside the excitement around the holidays, I am not a winter person. Mainly because I do not like cold weather. And no matter how many sweaters and jackets I put on, I am still cold. Having my bedroom in the basement of my house probably doesn’t help either. Hmmmm…

It’s a bit pathetic, but after being outside in the cold, my dog and I plop ourselves in front of our space heater and literally sit there until I turn red. I then just turn my body over and roast my other side.

Anyway, main point is: I want summer. But until I can burrow myself out of my blankets, I’ll take summer food instead. Which is how this recipe came to be.

As we no longer have garden-fresh basil (sob), arugula made for an interesting, yet satisfying twist. And the hidden broccoli made it a filling dip as well! I highly recommend serving/bringing this to your New Years Eve party. I’m sure hibernating family members and friends will appreciate it 😉

Arugula Dip/Pesto (Nut-Free and Paleo) 

Ingredients: 

1 spear of broccoli florets (thick stems discarded)

1 cup fresh arugula, packed 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice 

2 large garlic cloves 

1 tsp salt 

Directions: 

Place broccoli florets into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Afterwards, drain of water and place florets in a bowl of cold water for another 5 minutes. Drain from the water again and transfer florets to a food processor. Add in the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to allow dip/pesto to cool and for flavors to set. Serve!

This year’s Sibling Christmas Pic! (I’m on the right)

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Curry Green Oatmeal

Thursday is my late dinner night. I come home from school and work and go right to the gym to lift weights (or attempt to, anyway) and take my spinning and pilates class. I don’t know if that’s considered too much gym time, but it takes my mind off everything that’s stressing me out. Plus, I can daydream for a few hours 🙂 And as sad as it may seem, I daydream about dinner when I get home. My breakfast dinner. At first, my family looked at me strange, but now they all know that Thursday night = oatmeal creations. I’ve tried so many combinations (some good, some not so good) and this is one of my favorites. It’s pretty quick to make (seeing that I’m eating this 10 at night) and it makes a decent portion.

I was going to call this “green curry” oatmeal, but I’m afraid someone will yell at me. Afterall, green curry is green curry and I would never want to falsely imitate it. However, this does contain curry and it is green colored. So, curry green oatmeal seemed fitting.

Curry Green Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats, uncooked

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp pepper

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tbsp minced ginger

1/4 large onion, chopped

1 and 1/2 cups fresh spinach or arugula

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp pine nuts

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Place and mix oats, red pepper flakes, curry powder and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. In a small pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Pour broth over oats, give a quick stir, and place a plate over the bowl. Let oatmeal sit, covered, for 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Afterward, transfer oatmeal into a food processor. Add in minced garlic, ginger, onion, spinach or arugula, soy sauce, and pin nuts. Puree all together until smooth and green. Mix in bell pepper and peas.

Arugula and Pine Nut Cauliflower “Bread”

I love cauliflower. I remember how excited I was to find that you could make pizza bread sticks, crust, and tator tots with it. It took me a bit to convince my dad to buy some though as cauliflower was, for some reason, one of those foods that we never ate. After some cauliflower soup, however, that attitude changed. Anyway, I wanted to use the basis of the cauliflower breadsticks recipe to make my own- and a little more unique- type. Turns out it was a success! Everyone liked this recipe and wished that I had tripled it (as did I). And when my brother likes something, you know it’s good.

Arugula and Pine Nut Cauliflower “Bread” 

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh and uncooked riced* cauliflower

1 cup fresh arugula

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 egg

1 tbsp pine nuts

*In order to make riced cauliflower, simply place raw cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until cauliflower resembles rice.

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x13 loaf pan with cooking spray. Place parchment paper in loaf pan (make sure the parchment is long enough that it hangs over the sides of the loaf pan-this is important for later). In a food processor, pulse together the riced cauliflower, arugula, cheeses, and garlic powder until the arugula is chopped into small pieces. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add and mix in egg and pin nuts. Pour mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Take “bread” out loaf pan by holding the parchment paper and flip it onto a greased baking sheet. Set the oven for 450 degrees and bake for 12 more minutes. Before serving, cut “bread” to the desired size and shape.

I recommend at least doubling this recipe!