Springy Green Bucatini

I had bucatini for the first time a few weeks ago and fell head over heels. Like, what have I been doing with my life? One might think that a pasta is a pasta is a pasta is a pasta, but this bucatini will prove you wrong. The thicker texture and straw-like interior of the noodles is so fun and brings an arguably superior experience to this pasta dish. After discovering these magical noodles I knew I needed to use them in a version of this super green pasta dish I had been making on repeat. Now, I’m not going back.

The sauce for this dish was born out of a desire to enjoy a bowl of pasta, but also get a LOT of veggies in at once. I happened to have some kale in the fridge, a bunch of peas in the freezer, + some broccoli just begging to be used. To round this pasta dish out I would recommend adding in some protein — salmon, chicken, etc. When you think pasta you probably think heavy and indulgent, but this version will make you think differently. The sauce is bright and refreshing and the perfect dinner for these spring nights.

Springy Green Bucatini

Serves 6

• 1 lb bucatini pasta

• 6 large leaves of kale

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

• A handful of basil

• A few leaves of mint

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 a lemon, the zest and juice

• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan, plus more for topping

• 1 cup broccoli, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• hazelnuts, optional but add a nice crunch

• protein of choice

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boilding, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.

Add the kale to the pasta water. After about a minute, remove the kale using a pair of tongs. Remove 1/4 cup of the pasta water as well.

While the pasta is cooking, add the kale, garlic, half of the peas, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan, and the 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

When there are just a few minutes left of the pasta’s cooking time, throw the brocooli and remaining oeas into the pan to cook. Drain the pasta and veggies in a colander and return them to the pot. Toss the pasta and veggies with the sauce. Serve topped with shredded parmesan and hazelnuts.

Rhubarb Berry Crumble Bars (Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free)

Rhubarb continually steals my heart. The tartness it brings just makes me really, really happy It makes me happy. So when I stopped in a new Micro Market last weekend and saw some rhubarb, I immediately snatched some up and started dreaming up a dessert for some friends that were coming over. Classically strawberries pair really well with rhubarb, but I had a variety of mixed berries on hand so I decided to go that route and it was a great move. These bars come together quickly and feel just indulgent enough to call a dessert, but could easily be excused as a quick breakfast if paired with some yogurt. I hope you all enjoy!

RHUBARB BERRY CRUMBLE BARS

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

For the crust and crumble:

• 3 cups gluten free oat flour

• 2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup coconut oil, melted

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

• 3 1/2 heaping cups fresh or frozen mixed berries

• 1 1/2 cup rhubarb, chopped

• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Make the base + topping: In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the oat flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add in melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and stir until a nice crumble forms and dough begins to clump together. 

Place 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan and place the remaining mixture into the fridge. We’ll use that for the topping. Use your hands to evenly press the dough to the bottom of the pan.

Make the filling: Place a medium pot over medium heat. Add in the rhubarb, berries, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cornstarch and salt. Use a wooden spoon to press down and break down the blueberries just a bit. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 3-5 more minutes until mixture is thickened up and nicely coats the back of a spoon. 

Pour mixture over the crust and use a spoon to evenly spread.

Bringing it all together: Take the remaining topping out of the fridge. By now there should be some nice crumbles that have clumped together. Sprinkle the topping over the rhubarb-berry filling. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden. 

Allow bars to cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge to chill. Bars are delicious served at room temperature or straight out of the fridge. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars before serving.

The bars are delicious served at room temperature or straight out of the fridge. I recommend storing in the fridge for optimal freshness.

Veggieful Cold Noodle Bowl with a Mango Peanut Sauce

Cold noodle bowls are a great option as the temperatures begin to rise and you want something quick and refreshing for dinner. My goal with these bowls is to always balance the noodle content with veggies so that it doesn’t solely become a carb focused meal. Although I personally love kale, any greens could be swapped out to work for this bowl. The same goes for the sweet potatoes and cucumbers. You could use peppers or shredded carrots if you prefer. The real star of this bowl is the mango peanut sauce so if you can whip that up, the possibilities are endless. It’s not super sweet, but it’s incredibly delicious. It pairs perfectly with the veggies and noodles to create a really satiating dish that is easily adaptable with whatever you’ve got in your fridge.

Veggieful Cold Noodle Bowl with a Mango Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 bowls

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped

• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced

• 1 small cucumber, sliced

• 1 avocado, quartered

• 8 ounces of rice noodles or buckwheat noodles

• 2 tablespoosn olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Protein of choice (tofu, chicken, chickpeas, etc.)

Mango peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup frozen mango, thawed 

• 1/3 cup peanut butter 

• 1 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

• 1 tbs olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon cilantro 

• Salt 

Make the Noodles: First, cook your noodles of choice according the the package directions and then run the noodles under cold water to ensure that they don’t continue cooking. Set aside.

Roast the Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the diced sweet potatoes with 1 of the tablespoons of olive oil and then transfer to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender — about 25-35 minutes.

Prep the Kale: Toss the chopped and destemmed kale in a large bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle a little salt on top of the kale. With your hands, begin massaging the kale for a few minutes until the kale feels more tender. This only takes about 2-3 minutes.

Make the sauce: Because I despise cutting mangos and it can be tricky to ensure they are perfectly ripe at the exact moment you need them, I love to use frozen. Prior to making the peanut sauce I would recommend taking the mango out of the freezer and allowing it to thawTo make the mango suace go ahead and Combine all mango peanut sauce ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth.

Assemble the bowl: Place the noodles, about 2-3 tablespoons of the mango peanut sauce (depending how saucy you like it), sweet potatoes, cucumber, avocado, and protein of choice in a bowl.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins with Toasted Pecans

Phew, that may be the longest recipe title I’ve used to date. BUT I feel equally excited about all of those elements of the recipe that I felt like I had to just lay it all out there at the beginning.

These muffins were born out of my necessity to get rid of 200g of sourdough starter as well as 5 very ripe bananas — both common things I find myself in abundance of.

I opted for a muffin, but this could have definitely been turned into a cake with the addition of a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting, BUT to keep the recipe nutrient dense I kept them as muffins and opted to use whole wheat flour. Specifically I used Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat Flour because it is more nutrient dense than traditional whole wheat flours. Heritage wheat is more digestible which is great for everyone, but espeically those who struggle to process gluten normally.

To give the muffins texture I wanted to add some chopped pecans, but once I started chopping them I remember that the only thing better than a regular pecan, is a toasted pecan. So I toasted the pecans in the oven. It only took an extra 10 minutes, but helped build more flavor.

The last thing I did was ferment the batter by leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours prior to baking it. This allowed the batter to build up a more complex flavor profile and break down some of the gluten in the bread — making it easier to digest.

I hope you like this recipe and find it to be a nice option the next time you find yourself with a lot of sourdough starter and a lot of bananas.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins With toasted Pecans

Makes 18 standard size muffins

• 200g sourdough discard, does not need to be active

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 5 very ripe bananas, mashed (It’s imperative that these be really ripe to provide adequate sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups (200g) whole wheat flour, I like to use Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat to maximize the nutritional value

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped - reserve a few for topping the muffins

Step 1) Mash bananas in a bowl until they are smooth.

Step 2) Mix the sourdough starter, 2 eggs, honey, vanilla extract and applesauce in a bowl. Whisk together until well combined.

Step 3) Stir the mashed banana into the liquid ingredients.

Step 4) In a separate bowl mix together whole wheat flour flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.

Step 5) Now pour the liquid ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until just mixed. It’s important not to overmix or the muffins will be tough instead of the nice tender texture we are going for.

Step 6) Place the mixture in the oven overnight or up to 24 hours. This step is optional, but I like the sour flavor that the overnight fermentation imparts to the muffins. I’ve baked it without letting them set overnight

Step 7) Preheat oven to 350F. Place muffin tin liners in a 12 hole muffin tin. Spray muffin liners with avocado oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.

Step 8) Remove the mixture from the oven and spoon into greased muffin tin, filling each muffin tin 3/4 of the way. This recipe will fill a 18 hole muffin (each hole around ¾ full). Sprinkle each muffin with a few of the remaining toasted pecans.

Step 9) Bake at 350F for approximately 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. My oven tends to run a bit hot so yours might not take quite as long.