Wednesday, February 29, 2012

All Kale Bacon!

Okay, I have had some exciting things happen to me in the last couple of weeks.  First, I got this beauty:

Yes, that is a cup holder.


I finally got to go Stand up Paddle Boarding with my friend Joyce:

Me working those abs!  They are there somewhere.... I swear.


Then an even MORE exciting thing happened to me:
That's right it is Girl Scout cookie season!   I can't resist those cute little girls at the grocery store who say "Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies ma'am?"  I ignore the ma'am of course and then buy myself a couple of boxes that magically disappear*.


*Since I couldn't stand to post a close up picture of me on the paddle board I realized I had to lay off my cookie eating (don't judge).  I was super pumped to discover that you can now buy them and the Girl Scouts ship them to the troops!  This way I can still buy them and feel good and not consume them, you know one or two at a time......


I decided that I should actually cook a meal for myself before I turned from "ahhhh, poor Megan" to "um, that is pathetic and I can't read anymore".    I have to tell you this was a struggle for me to do.   I am now going to be eating the bag of kale I bought for a week.  This would be fine since I love me some Kale except that means dirtying some dishes and having to turn on the stove.  I have the Pinterest bug like several of us beauties.   I have had my radar up for anything with Kale in it.  I am also cheap these days.   I have to admit some of the reason for my lack of cooking at home is that I have to buy every single ingredient.   It gets expensive!  I finally found both an easy and cheap meal to throw together:

Kale Carbonara

You can find the original recipe on a different blog: Kale Carbonara.  This was really delicious.   It turned out exactly like I was hoping for: cheap, easy, and good (nobody comment on that please).  How can you go wrong with some top food favorites: pasta, bacon, cheese, and red pepper flakes?


Kale Carbonara


Ingredients
1 lb whole-wheat thin spaghetti
3 pieces thick-cut bacon, diced
1 bunch Lacinato Kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
2 eggs
Garlic
1 cup grated parmesan chees
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of mushrooms
red pepper flakes
  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat
  3. Add diced bacon, and saute until crispy
  4. Remove half the fat from the pan, and add the kale, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan with the bacon
  5. Saute kale until wilted
  6. Whisk eggs together in a bowl with the cheese and some salt and black pepper (and red pepper if you want spicy)
  7. Once pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the kale and bacon.  Turn off the heat
  8. Immediately add the egg/cheese mixture to the hot pasta, kale and bacon.  Stir to combine.  If it appears too dry, add some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up a bit.
Fun Beauties Fact:  Rachel, Jolie and I shared an apartment for 3 years in college.  Rachel and I would  often make pasta, throw in some butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic and eat it right out of the pot.  When I graduated college, I had to throw out several of my shirts due to the butter stain in the exact same spot.  That is how I roll!  

5 comments:

  1. Why has everyone else in the world (well on facebook) had girl scout cookies this year and I can’t find them anywhere? All I want is one box of Samoas! Oh and who are we kidding? I want Thin Mints too!
    Your kale carbonara sounds and looks amazing! There’s just something so delicious about bacon with dark greens. I can’t wait to try this!

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  2. Carbonara is one of my all time faves - Rob and I used to make it at least once a week!! (back story here is that Rob had NEVER had carbonara before meeting me. (I know! Can you believe that? He also thought he "didn't like" blue cheese?!?!) So, when I made it for him the first time he was obviously hooked and requested weekly after that! We've cut back a bit on our bacon consumption but I'm thinking it is time for a come back! I love the idea of adding the kale to make it healthier!! :) ps: I loooooooove your new beauty!

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  3. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!! I will definitely be trying this - as I mentioned in my post last month, the baby loves pasta :) Haha I still eat noodles out of the pot Megan!

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  4. Love the bike!! I'm with Emily, where are those little saleswomen this year?? I want a box of Thin Mints!

    Bacon, garlic, red pepper flakes -- this recipe is right up my alley.

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  5. The bike is awesome! Glad you took the time to cook yourself a meal. Sometimes that is one of the most indulgent and fabulous things you can do for yourself.

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