So it’s been awhile, but I’ve got my reasons. Busy starting a new job, joining a running group, being a dog mom, being a human… All that good stuff. It’s crazy how much less free time I have now that I have a job that actually requires me to put in a little effort. Did you know that jobs can be rewarding? That they can actually make you excited to start the day and contribute something to the world? Yeah, me neither. It’s a weird feeling, but a nice one for sure.
Going from a crappy job to a good one is nothing short of life-changing. That combined with working to overcome my fear/loathing of speed workouts thanks to my involvement in RunGR has made for one heck of a summer. It’s been pretty great, I have to say. I’ve made work friends, run friends, seen old friends. I’ve had adventures, eaten all sorts of tasty food, Read book after book, and spent plenty of quality time with my furry child. I’ve run plenty of miles both fast and slow, truly enjoying the actual running without any pressure to meet some arbitrary goal. It’s been wonderful, and I’m even more glad to be back to writing and posting because of it.
I’ve got a few recipes and other good things to share with you! Let’s start with something simple and simply tasty. Another good reason to start with this recipe is so you can still rush off to the farmer’s market for prime ingredients. It’s truly tragic that farmer’s market has an end date, that in the dreary depths of winter we have to settle for pale fruits and limp vegetables. Produce in winter is just adding insult to injury.
But it’s not winter yet! I mean, it’s not exactly summer anymore, but I can still go outside without 20+ layers so I’ll call that a win. We’ve still got (occasional) sunshine and fresh food for a while longer, and it is our obligation as food-loving humans to take advantage of every bit of it. So let’s take a hot second to throw together this pasta dish, shall we?
Zucchini lemon mint pasta is just about the best I-refuse-to-let-go-of-summer pasta dish conceivable. Boil some noodz, saute some zucchini, and mix it all together with fresh mint, parmesan, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, spinach, and fresh lemon juice. Not too bad, right? Super fresh, mighty tasty.
So I added parmesan and nutritional yeast because I thought the dish was missing something when I just added nutritional yeast. Adding both created a really nice flavor without needing to use quite as much parmesan. Feel free to add all of one or the other, but rest assured that a mix of the two works as well.
The key to this dish is freshness. Get yourself some of the freshest zucchinis, lemons, and mint you can find. The payoff will be huge in the final product. Make a ton of this stuff and eat it all. Week. Long.
I hope you all have been enjoying the heck out of your lives. It’s not too late before winter sets in to get out there and make a new memory or two. Or at least make yourself some pasta. That’s usually my favorite type of adventure anyway.
Lemon Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box whole grain pasta of choice
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic. minced
- several large handfuls fresh spinach. chopped
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- olive oil (about 3 tbsp)
- juice form one lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch fresh mint, de-stemmed and minced
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
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While pasta is cooking, heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large pan to a medium heat. Add garlic and zucchini and saute until zucchini begins to turn slightly golden.
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Lower the heat and add spinach. Stir until spinach begins to wilt.
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Combine mint, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl. While whisking, add a few drizzles of olive oil.
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In the pasta pot over a low heat, combine pasta, zucchini mixture, parmesan, nutritional yeast, and lemon-juice mixture. Season to taste if needed. Serve warm.
