rainbow swiss chard + scape fettuccine

there is nothing better than letting the Saturday morning farmers market inspire you.

beautiful bunches of rainbow swiss chard, curlicue scape's, freshly baked breads, gooseberries, blueberries, currants and baby lettuces all at the ready for you to scoop them up and take them away.

the past two Saturday markets, i have come across the most beautiful organically grown rainbow swiss chard. i swear it calls to me, i cannot not buy it- that would be a shame.

scape's & literally the best garlic ever from picnic rock are lightly sauteed with olive oil and chard.

not sure what a scape is? they're not as scary as they seem and not just for pesto either. the scape is basically a flowerless plant stalk, in this case the garlic scape is removed from the garlic plant to focus all its growth to the bulb - pretty cool huh! i love sauteing them in stir Fry's or with pasta and adding them to soups. so next time, don't just eyeball the garlic scape's during your trip to the market, pick some up and get creative! naturally, garlic scape's have many of the same health benefits as garlic - so eat up!

are you wondering about the green pasta yet? let me tell you.I have been eyeing that green pasta for months now at my local health food store, sunflower. for one reason or another i pass it up (laziness?do i really need another pasta in my pantry?)so i did the next best thing; bought it for my vegan foodie pen pal Melissa, over at the vegan fling (who is absolutely amazing and you should go and check out her blog today! like right now!).then this past weekend i caved, a bag wandered its way into my shopping basket.let me tell you. it was the BEST fettuccine i have ever had. Bona Chia Spinach Fettuccine is vegan cooks in just 3 minutes - super fast & super good. I really loved the way the noodles held their shape and cooked perfectly - firm yet tender. did i mention they are made with chia flour too!

the chard & scape's are tossed with fettuccine & a tad bit of cooking water.

a good flaky sea salt is sprinkled over the finished dish.

fresh basil from the garden is added in at the very end - i love the way fresh basil adds such a earthy "greenness" to the overall dish. come august, i have a feeling basil will be added to everything in my kitchen, the basil plants are exploding along with the oregano.do you have a favorite early summer pasta dish?

Justin and i made a variation of this the other night using a wider variety of veggies with a splash of balsamic and fresh lemon juice - equally amazing.

however, i really love the simpleness of this meal as it is.

Rainbow Swiss Chard & Scape Fettuccine

serves 2

you will need:

1 large bunch rainbow swiss chard, the very ends trimmed

2 garlic cloves

3-4 garlic scape's

olive oil

good flaky sea salt

bona chia spinach fettuccine or your favorite pasta

handful of fresh basil leaves

assembly:

slice the stalks of the swiss chard into 1/2"/bite sized pieces

roughly chop the swiss chard leaves

finely chop the garlic

slice the garlic scape's into 1/4" pieces

in a large saute pan, drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a pan. over medium high heat saute the swiss chard, garlic and scape's, sprinkle with a bit of salt.  while sauteing veggies, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. cook 2 servings of pasta for 3 minutes - remove from heat, drain & reserve 1/4 cup or less of cooking water - set aside.

once the veggies are cooked to your liking transfer the pasta to the saute pan, toss the pasta and veggies together adding a bit of the reserved cooking water if needed.

transfer pasta to 2 plates or bowls, top with basil and sprinkle with a healthy pinch of flaky salt.

enjoy!