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Friday, April 18, 2014

Basil pesto, shrimp pasta, and some container gardening

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gro-ables. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's spring and it's snowing. Welcome to high-altitude Colorado, where we're likely to get snow in mid- or even late-May. Yes, I'm not kidding.

I started the Gro-ables pods that I wrote about here, so I could harvest some herbs for a recipe, but let's be honest here. It's SNOWING.

I considered planting them outdoors, but then decided that wasn't a good idea.

So, I started the pods indoors in pots, and I'll be moving them outside as soon as the weather becomes a little less hostile to tender green growing things.

They can stay in the pots I planted them in, since the basil, dill, and lettuce aren't going to need tons of space to spread. They'll be just fine.

This sprouted after just a few days!
When I got the herbs, I planned on making a basil pesto to go along with shrimp. Since my little herbs are, at this point, still itty-bitty babies and I needed quite a bit of basil for this recipe, I bought some.

And then I added pasta. Because it sounded good.

I have to say that I like the idea of having home grown herbs waiting for me outside - so much more convenient than running to the store when I need a spring or a snip of something.

The basil, according to the Sprout It site, is easy to grow, and likes full sun and normal watering.

All of the plants varieties are listed on the site, with tips on growing, and suggestions on how many plants per household are recommended. It's handy information for new gardeners who might not know the average yield from different plants.

But meanwhile, dreaming of summer and swaths of fresh herbs and produce, we have this:

Basil Pesto

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon macadamia nut butter*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove black garlic
Pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. It's fine if there are tiny bits of basil leaves, but you want it as smooth as possible.

*You can use any nut or seed butter you like here. I thought the macadamia nut butter was fun.

Shrimp and Pasta with Basil Pesto

1 pound shrimp, cleaned and peeled, and cooked as desired
1/2 pound rotini pasta, cooked
24 grape tomatoes, halved
12 kalamata olives, halved
Basil pesto (recipe above)

Combine the shrimp, pasta, tomatoes, olive, and pesto.

 Serve warm.

Drizzle with olive oil for serving, if desired.

Want more info on the Gro-ables? Check out the video!



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