Literally. I run now. It's a key component of a couple items on my list - "Finish a race," and, "Finish a half-marathon." Wait, you don't know about The List? Don't worry, it's only one post back. Check it out. I'll wait.
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Anyway, I know what you're thinking: running is a weird thing to be afraid of. It's not that simple. The thing is, I'm not a great runner. Never have been. I have just enough form to not hurt myself, but not quite enough to look functional. I was always the last one picked for relay teams in grade school. "We like you," the other kids assured me, "But you're slow." I almost - almost - would've preferred that they just not like me.
So the running stuff...it got onto The List not so much because I was too afraid to try it, but because I had told myself I couldn't do it. Sometimes moving past your fears means reminding yourself that you are, in fact, capable - even if you'll never be anywhere near the best.
Which is all well and good, except that I do not like running. The joy that I find in cycling, that I've started to find in hiking and (indoor) rock climbing, isn't there. I get bored. Sometimes I get angry. Turns out, when I'm around other people, I get competitive. Kind of viciously. Only in my mind, of course, but I discovered during my first 10K that Mind Me can get mean. Please forgive me - it's the Call of the Wild, guys. We do what we must to survive.
I'm trying to learn to love it. Well, I say, "love"...I probably mean, "like." Well, I say, "like"...I probably mean, "mostly not hate." Because 13.1 is a lot of miles, and I've got a little over a month of training left.
Let's transition into the kitchen-y bit. A side effect of training for the race I've committed to running in the nearish future that it's way too late to back out of now what was I even thinking has been a change in metabolism. Or something. Look, I'm not a doctor, I just know that now I'm hungry basically all the time. Which is fine - I've hit a point where I'm more active now than I've been since I played sports. I'm trying to respond by staying nutritionally balanced and surrounding myself with a myriad of healthy but exciting snacks so that I don't end up hangry and confused and eating pizza all day, everyday for a week. Note: That actually kind of happened once, though, and you know what? The world didn't end.
Sometimes, though, all your life force wants is something quick and cheap and filling. "Pasta," the wind whispers to you, "Make pasta."
Pasta is great for all the reasons I just listed, especially if you've added a new rigorous activity to your routine that makes you borderline ravenous during most of your waking hours. A medical professional could probably list some reasons why you shouldn't have it all the time, and that medical professional is probably right. But that doesn't mean we can't want it all of the time and have it some of the time, am I right? (Yes.)
Another great thing about pasta is that it's basically a glorious foundation for whatever you decide to put on it. I like to toss big, bright veggies into the mix - broccoli is a favorite - and improvise a not-quite-sauce to pull it all together.
I say not-quite-sauce (a very professional term) because, while it serves the purpose of a sauce, I feel like it doesn't really count. It's not quite as...saucy. You'll see, if you try it out.
This recipe works with pretty much any kind of noodle. I usually opt for a long, thin noodle - an angel hair or a capellini works great - so that's what I'll be listing in the ingredients here. But I am not the boss of you. If you buy/make your own fresh pasta, congratulations. You are fancier than I am. Want to use spaghetti squash? Great idea! Now your dish is a littler healthier and gluten free.
Ingredients
1 16 oz. package angel hair pasta
5-6 medium Roma tomatoes (this will serve approx. 4 people)
1/2-2 lbs. broccoli
3 cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion
Handful of fresh basil (optional)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Let's start with a pro-tip from me to you: pasta cooks quickly, so leave that for last. Put your water on to boil at the very beginning and it'll be ready when you are.
Mince your garlic, chop your onion, and saute together in a pan with your olive oil over medium heat (lower the heat if necessary - as always, you don't want your oil to smoke) until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent - about 1 to 2 minutes. With a serrated knife, roughly chop your tomatoes and add them - seeds and all - to the pan. If you prefer a more traditional sauce, I can't hold that against you. Just give your tomatoes a quick spin in a food processor.
Now, it's going to look like there's a lot going on at first, but those tomatoes are going to cook down. For reference, check out these photos (I was just cooking for myself, so you're seeing about half the amount listed above).
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| Before! |
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| After! |
Now, you can prepare your broccoli however you like - roast it, saute it with the onion and garlic at the beginning and incorporate it into your sort-of-sauce, whatever makes you happy. Just adjust your time for that. I like to steam it. Cut the broccoli into florets - I also slice up some of the stem. Place it in a steamer basket and steam for about seven minutes. Any longer and it will start to get mushy. It should be bright green and awesome when you're done. Set it aside.
Cook your pasta according to the instructions (or rebel against them if you know better). Another pro-tip from me to you: if you drain your pasta and see that it's sticking or clumping, just run some cold water over it.
Put your nourishing puzzle pieces together. Celebrate.
Other awesome thing about pasta: even if you plate it horribly, it still looks pretty appealing, because pasta.
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| Not the most hideous thing I have ever made. |
Not a fan of broccoli? Use whatever veggies you want - zucchini and yellow crookneck squash work really well too, and the colors keep it looking awesome. Love 'em all? Use 'em all! Go nuts! Enjoy!
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