Broccolini and Red Pepper Pasta

Quick dinners are always great and this one came from me using up leftovers in my fridge and pantry. I had a couple mushrooms, half a red bell pepper, some broccolini, and arugula in my fridge. In the pantry just enough gluten-free pasta for 2 servings. Cooking vegetables until tender and tossing with pasta is simple, healthy, and you can use any vegetables you'd like. Now most recipes I found for broccolini had you blanching them for 2-3 minutes then sautéing. I opted for just sautéing them along with the other vegetables and it worked fine. One less pot to wash. 


Broccolini is very similar to broccoli but its florets are smaller and stalks longer. Broccolini is a great source of Vitamin C so eat up!


Broccolini and Red Pepper Pasta
Serves 2


1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped

4-5 mushrooms, sliced
2 small bunches of broccolini, leaves and 1-2 inches of the stalks removed)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups arugula
juice of one lemon
Salt and Pepper


2 servings of your favorite gluten free pasta (I used a spaghetti shape)


1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to the packages directions. Don't skimp on filling your pot with water. I have noticed most of the gluten-free pastas i've made absorb a good amount of the water.

This is the brand of pasta I really like. Of course I cut the end of the bag that has the
brands name so I can't tell you what it is. Sorry!! It started with a "Sch" and
it's gluten and egg free.

2. While the pasta cooks heat the oil in a large pan. Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add the broccolini, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the broccolini is tender but still has a bite.

4. Add the arugula and lemon juice. Cook for only one minute. Remove the pan from heat once the arugula just begins to wilt.
5. Serve the vegetables over some pasta and top with a drizzle of olive oil.

---------
Today I dug into my fabric bin and found some fabric I bought a while back at Ikea (who knew they sold fabric!). It' totally retro with brown, yellow, and green stripes. I love it and it made a super cute half apron. More apron making tonight and i'll post some pics later.


Tomorrow I shall venture to Whole Foods as I have run out of some key ingredients. I didn't even have enough agave for my tea this morning...it was a real bummer. I'm brainstorming lots of ideas for Valentine's Day (time to pull out the heart shape cookie cutter), thinking of going back to perfect my cinnamon buns, and i'm craving banana bread. Phew! Lots to do before Friday.


I'm also counting down the days until I can start up my garden again, this time 3 times bigger!, and sit back while I sip on lemonade sweetened with agave. Spring just can't come soon enough.