Veg Friday (on Thursday)

I'm posting veg Friday early this week since tomorrow is already spinning out of control and our veggie crisper is already empty. So, hello Veg Thursday…

My favorite veggie combination this week was a salad with white turnips and sugar snap peas. Since the pea shells were almost as amazingly yummy as the peas themselves, I kept them intact and cut them about pea-width so each piece retained a little pea inside it’s comfy shell. I marinated the peas and turnips in an olive oil and rice vinegar dressing for about 10 minutes, then poured everything atop the salad greens. I usually add cheese and/or nuts to salads, but this one was too yummy to fuss with so I just let it be in all its green and white glory.



As predicted (I warned you, I’m predictable), I made pesto with the basil and garlic to use for our beloved pesto mayo on grilled zucchini sandwiches, and then again in a pesto barley soup inspired by this article, although tweaked to reflect real life as I don’t have a fig tree, I’ve never been to the French Riviera and don’t have time to sashay idly through my garden at dinnertime to pick the perfect herbs. Although that sounds lovely.

Practically any fresh veggies work well in this soup, but I used zucchini, fava beans, cauliflower and kale. If you pre-make the pesto and barley and prep the veggies ahead of time, it’s a really quick, easy meal to put together:

Pesto soup with barley

Veggie assortment: zucchini, kale, cauliflower, favas, carrots, peas, onions, broccoli, or whatever ya got.
4 cups Chicken stock – I had some frozen stock this time, but usually use Better than Bouillion
2-3tbsp Pre-made Pesto
1 cup Pre-cooked barley

Prep the veggies:
Shell the favas, then blanch, ice bath and peel the skins off (did this ahead of time, too)
Dice zucchini
Cut ribbons of kale
Section cauliflower into small pieces

Heat up the chicken stock in a large-ish pot

Boil water in a separate pot and add veggies depending on cooking times:
cauliflower first, cook about 1 minute
then zucchini, cook about 30 seconds
then kale and favas, cook about 10 seconds

Drain everything and run under cold water for about 30 seconds, just to take the edge off. By this time the stock should be hot.

Add the pesto, cooked veggies and cooked barley to the stock
Salt to taste and grate parm on top

Holden was less than impressed with the barley, so I poured some soup over leftover whole wheat pasta instead. Esme gobbled hers up. She’s predictable – don’t know where she gets that from [ahem].

Have a happy and safe 4th everyone and i'll see ya next week!