Whole Wheat Penne with Broccoli Rabe Pesto

   Remember when your Mom always told you to eat your vegetables? Well this Mom is telling you to still do it! But now I'm helping you to find great ways to eat them without even realizing it! I've always been intrigued by Broccoli Rabe, but a one-time experiment with it prior did it noooo justice and I vowed to stear clear for awhile.

   Until I stumbled upon a recipe for Broccoli Rabe Pesto. AHHHHHH, now it makes sense! I was planning on using freshly cut Arugula from my veggie garden but I knew I had the BR ready to go in the fridge I needed to use. So this just made sense. And who doesnt love a good pesto?

   Although I have been eating mainly gluten-free products for some time, it is not necessarily a dietary restriction for me, so I went ahead and used Whole Wheat Penne with this recipe. So unless you absolutely have to go gluten free with a Brown Rice Penne, then use the WW. I use Hodgson Mill which is just 100% whole wheat flour, pretty tasty, and clearly inexpensive. But to be honest, I do feel significantly better when I don't overload with processed foods, let alone ones containing gluten. I totally recommend a whole foods diet and hope that you feel the same!

Recipe:

1/2 bunch Broccoli Rabe, stems cut off
1/3 cup walnuts, plus 1 tablespoon for serving
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup expeller pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated plus more for serving
1/2 box Whole Wheat Penne
Sea Salt to taste

Heat oven to 350 degress. Toast walnuts on pan for 10 minutes. Blanch Broccoli Rabe in boiling salt water  for 3-5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water. In food processor, pulse walnuts and garlic until well chopped.  Squeeze remaining water from Broccoli Rabe and add to food processor. Add in 1/3 cup olive oil and red pepper flakes. Add additional olive oil if necessary to make pesto moist. Add in 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese until well blended. Toss well with whole wheat penne, adding additonal olive oil and seal salt to taste. Top with remaining Pecorino Romano Cheese and walnuts.