I definitely made the most of this three day weekend. In addition to penguins, grocery shopping, and paper-grading, I got to go for an awesome 14 mile run to celebrate Aron’s birthday.
It was the longest run I’ve done since Boston, and it felt fantastic.
I also did a little kitchen project that should be ready in about 3 weeks.
There are tons of organic lemons available right now so it’s the perfect time to preserve them!
One thing we noticed after buying groceries last week was how much plastic was included with our produce. We were completely disgusted, so this week we made a point to buy everything at the farmers market or the co-op with our re-usable produce bags. The packaging from last week is on the left and this week is on the right. Definitely an improvement.
I also found a great blog about living without plastic.
The beauty of this salad is that everything in it can be bought in bulk so there’s no waste. I know some people have issues with bulk bins, but I’ve been shopping out of them for years and never had a problem. Plus it’s a great way to try just a little bit of something without having to commit to a big package.
As I was making this I really wasn’t sure about how well everything would work together…broccoli, lemon, pine nuts, tortellini, cilantro, mint, sprouts. It all sounded good, but it also sounded like a lot of different flavors. It turned out to be completely delicious (not surprising, it’s one of Heidi’s recipes!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dried cheese tortellini
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cups sprouts
- 1 medium avocado, diced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until almost perfectly tender. Stir in the broccoli, cook for 1 minute, then drain and rinse with cold water.
- Put the garlic clove in a mortar and pestle with a big pinch of salt and mash into a paste.
- Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, and garlic paste.
- Combine the tortellini, broccoli, sprouts, nuts, and herbs in a large bowl and mix gently. Add the dressing to taste, and toss just before serving.
(adapted from Super Natural Every Day)
The salad looks yummy, and great job on the plastics.
I love shopping the bulk bins too, especially for spices! So many spices come in glass jars, so I love that at Whole Foods I can buy a large amount of cumin, peppercorns, etc and just refill my spice jars. And, it’s way cheaper!
I’ve never preserved fruit – I’m dying to see how these turn out.
And now I know what I can put on next week’s “How am I going to cook when I’m so darned busy?” menu. Thanks, Cate!
It was great to see you!! All that packaging is depressing. And I hadn’t realized until I saw the twist-tie for leafy veggies how that is just trash, too
I go through a lot of those with all of Mario’s veggies.
Yum yum! We have heaps of broccoli in the garden at the moment, so I’m always looking for ways to use it. Thanks Cate!
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