We had the coziest weekend. I'm a blue skies and sunshine lover, but Sunday was cloudy and kind of dreary and I kind of loved it. We relaxed, played outside and I started to get the little tickle in my stomach of excitement that the holidays are coming!
When the weather cools off, it's so hard to stay on track with healthy eating because the coziest foods are often the ones that aren't the best for you. All I wanted was a giant bowl of homemade pasta with roasted, earthy flavored mushrooms and a giant pile of freshly grated parm on top. BUT! I came up with this quick and easy farro recipe that totally satisfied that pasta craving, but wasn't quite as bad for us! I also keep quinoa and farro on hand for this very reason. They are healthier grains that we don't feel bad about eating from time to time!
We LOVE farro. I actually prefer it to quinoa as it's nuttier and can stand up to more flavor. I loaded this farro with mushrooms, peas, shallots and a big healthy dose of herbs de provence. This is one of my favorite spice blends and one that I always keep in my cabinet. Trader Joe's sells a giant glass container that's around $5 and pretty enough to leave on your countertop by the olive oil. I put that stuff on everything. I call the mushrooms and peas toasted instead of roasted because it sounds more fun, but really, I just sauteed them until nice and golden in a saute pan on my stove.
Enjoy!
Toasted Mushroom + Pea Farro
1 cup Farro, cooked per instructions on package
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. herbs de provence
olive oil
Cook Farro according to instructions on the package. Set aside.
Coat the bottom of a saute pan with olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they become soft and fragrant, add the peas. Saute for another 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms and shallots are nice and golden and the peas are soft and toasted.
When the mushroom and pea mixture is done, toss with the Farro. Add herbs de provence, a healthy drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Small bites. I love them. And I believe everything tastes better when it's bite size and all you need is one hand to eat it, leaving the other available to hold onto a cocktail. Some nights I just want to whip up a bunch of appetizers, open the wine and call it dinner. This is a perfect girls' night in my opinion and now I'm starting to wonder why my girlfriends and I don't do tapas themed nights more often.
I was looking for a light and fresh starter for Easter and I remembered this sweet pea crostini that has been patiently waiting to be debuted. Crostini is always a crowd pleaser and sweet peas are the perfect Spring vegetable. Mint gives this pesto spread a refreshing finish and prosciutto adds a nice salty punch. This is the perfect small bite for Spring!
Now, who wants to come sit on my screened in porch for a tapas and wine party?
Sweet Pea Crostini
recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis
Sweet Pea Pesto:
2 cups water
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen organic sweet peas
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 ounces finely diced prosciutto
Crostini:
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2" thick slices
Good extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
3-4 cloves garlic
Warm water in a medium saucepan with red pepper flakes until it comes to a rolling boil. Add frozen peas and cook until they are tender, about five minutes. Drain peas in a mesh strainer
Place peas in a food processor with mint, salt and pepper. Puree the pea mixture. Place pea mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to cool.
Meanwhile, for the crostini, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet. Using a kitchen brush, brush olive oil on each slice. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crostini is nice and crisp. When the crostini is done toasting, rub with garlic cloves to give a hint of garlic.
To finish, whip the whipping cream until still peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the pea puree. Top each crostini with about one tablespoon of pea puree and some diced prosciutto. Serve immediately.
