Meatless Mondays, Old Camp Songs, and a Recipe

Lots of people are going meatless on Mondays.  Gentle Readers, it's a thing.  Not only is it trendy, it's good for your health and the health of the planet.  Pasta with pesto is an easy and delicious way to get a meatless dinner on the table.  In the time it takes you to heat the water and boil the pasta, you can make the pesto and throw a salad together.  It's also great as a sandwich spread.

I came up with this pesto variation the way I create a lot of my recipes: with what was on hand.  It got rave reviews because the arugula gives it a nice peppery bite, but feel free to tweak it based on what's in your fridge.

By the way... do kids sing the "Comet, it makes your teeth turn green" song anymore?  I don't even know.

Basil Pesto Variation
makes 2 cups

2 cloves garlic, peeled and with the root end removed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup packed baby arugula leaves
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place garlic and pine nuts in food processor and process until finely chopped.  Add basil and arugula leaves and process.  Add asiago cheese and process until everything is combined and finely chopped.  With the motor running, add olive oil in a stream to create a paste.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Crabby (But with Recipes!)

We don't indulge in political rants here at Foodtoons, preferring instead to uplift, nourish, and entertain.  But lately I feel as though if I hear one more politician say one more stupid and completely illogical thing, my head will explode.

Gentle Readers, it's very difficult to draw pictures of happy dancing food when you're worring about your head exploding at any moment.  But I figured if I'm feeling crabby, the least I could do is give you some links to delicious-looking crab recipes.

First up,  a recipe for Crab Mac & Cheese from Closet Cooking.  I found this blog awhile back and his recipes are amazing.  I'm guessing this dude has a very active social life.

Emeril Lagasse will always have a spot in my heart because he's French and Portuguese (as am I, with a couple other things thrown in), he's from Fall River, MA (as is part of my family) and he "drahps his ahs" like a good New Englander should.  His recipe for Crabmeat Crusted Diver Scallops with a warm Chorizo Potato Salad sounds fancy but looks dead easy to make.

For my friends who live far from an ocean and for whom crabmeat is a major investment, here is a recipe from Emily over at Tomato Kumato for Spaghetti with Crab that uses canned crabmeat.  Make it and pretend you're at a seaside resort.

I haven't forgotten to help keep the Deadliest Catch guys in business.  I'll admit that out of a lot of options, I chose Robert Irvine's Alaskan King Crab Tempura recipe because Chef Irvine is seriously sexy.

And finally, these Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli look delicious and easy.  Lolly's Sweet and Savory Treats is a blog I hadn't seen before but I am definitely following despite the fact that I now have "Lolly, lolly, lolly, get your adverbs here" stuck in my head.

Lunch at Keenwah

I had heard good things about Keenwah, the newish restaurant on Broadway, but I hadn't tried it until I went there for lunch on Friday with a friend.

My Edamame Hummus Wrap was delicious.  The hummus had a garlicky, pesto-y quality that I really enjoyed.  The wrap also included grilled sweet potato and red peppers, crispy lettuce, and the surprise of crunchy edamame nuts.  It came with a small side salad that was dressed with a simple (and yummy) balsamic vinaigrette.  Delish.

The sandwich was a little pricey at $8, but everything was organic and I imagine it costs a few bucks to grow organic soybeans with TLC and then propitiate their tiny spirits before they get picked.  (Or at least, that's what organic farmers do in my mind.)  It was worth it.  I've been craving that hummus ever since.