recipe journal // 1

I am back... again. This will be the third time I am coming back to this space. With that I have learned that I am not a very habitual person when it comes to routine. The excitement of "new" wears off quickly and I am on to the next thing. I don't know if I like this about myself or not, but I do know it is true. So blogging and me have had multiple break ups and make ups.

My plan for this space this time looks different than has before. I just want this to be a recipe journal, where I give you a recipe I've just recently made and tell you it's story. Think an extension of instagram... the picture + the recipe and story. Simplicity is key because I know if this starts to feel like a burden, I will stop doing it real quick.

So friends, I give you

CHICKEN PESTO ZUCCHINI NOODLES

I made these last night at this little house on Springdale Street in Athens, GA where a lovely group of Young Life leaders live. Directly across the street live a group of Young Life leadin' boys and their house is known as "Springdale". So the girl version (which is much cleaner and prettier) is called "Ladydale". In short, it's a good place to be. I had been studying there all afternoon with my friend Sophie, who calls Ladydale home. We got to talking about dinner at some point and I said I had chicken and pesto and she said she had sweet potatoes. We figured we could make that work. I went home to my house (only a couple of streets over) to grab my ingredients, came back, and got to work. I forgot my noodle peeler, but luckily Catherine had one in the upstairs apartment of Ladydale. After a little chopping and chatting with Dory and Laura, all of us nibbling along as we lingered in the kitchen, dinner was served. Sophie scarfed hers down before I could get a picture of both of our plates, but that means it had to be good right? No offense taken Soph' :)


// pistachio kale pesto (adapted from Edible Perspective and Sprouted Kitchen)

1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup shelled roasted, salted pistachios
1/2 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup packed parsley
3 kale leaves
1/4-1/3 cup good quality olive oil

-- bring a few cups of water to boil. submerge the kale leaves into the water for about 30 seconds, then run cold water over the leaves to stop the cooking. shake the excess water off the leaves and place in food processor.
-- add the rest of the ingredients except for the oil into the food processor. pulse the ingredients a few times to get things chopped up. turn the processor on and stream in the oil. scrape down the sides frequently. the consistency should be thick but spreadable. makes enough for 4-6 servings of noodles.

// zucchini noodles
-- use 1 zucchini for serving 2 people. you will need a serrated peeler or a zucchini spirilizer to make the noodles (i found my peeler on amazon for 7 dollars).

// baked chicken
-- use 1 chicken breast for serving 2 people (i just cooked 2 breasts at once and use the leftovers later). rub the raw chicken breast with oil, salt, and pepper. bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. let cool. shred the chicken using a fork and knife or pull apart with hands. alternatively, you can dice the chicken.

// ASSEMBLE
toss noodles and chicken in desired amount of pesto. serve alone or roast some veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, onions) in the oven while the chicken is cooking.

Enjoy!