Cod & Green Veggie Quinoa Brown Rice Pasta

Years ago, my dad used to make this pasta with broccoli, fish, and olive oil. Or so I’m convinced he did, because he doesn’t remember. While somehow simultaneously craving salad and pasta (am I the only one this happens to?) I remembered my dad’s disputed pasta, opened up the fridge to an abundance of green. Thus, this cod & green veggie pasta.

BEST FOR- times you want healthy and hearty food FAST. It’s a similar idea to the shrimp scampi(sh) I posted awhile back, but this one incorporates a lot more greens.

MUSICAL PAIRING- “The Way We Get By” by Spoon

INGREDIENTS
(serves 4)

1 box of pasta of choice (brown rice and quinoa fusilli)
3 cups broccoli florets
7 spears of asparagus
3 cups of Tuscan kale
1 lbs. Atlantic Cod
4 tbs. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
cheese (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. If your fish is frozen, your first step is to defrost the fish. You can cheat by breaking apart the icy fish and microwaving it briefly. Once finished, set aside the fish.
2. Prep your vegetables. Chop the asparagus into ½ to 1 inch pieces. Cut off the broccoli florets. Set aside the kale. Mince your garlic. 
3. Boil water for pasta and follow instructions for cooking your type of pasta. The pasta cooks the longest so you want to boil the water first. Once finished, strain water and set aside.
4. Heat up 1 tbs olive oil in a large frying pan. Add in garlic and stir so it doesn’t burn. Once fragrant (about 1 minute) add in asparagus. 3 minutes later, add broccoli. 5 minutes later, add in kale. Sprinkle vegetables with water and cover. Make sure to stir frequently. The vegetables should be done in roughly 3 more minutes.
5. Heat up 1 tbs olive oil in another smaller pan. Add garlic and stir. About a minute later, add fish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover, but stir frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes, monitoring closely so not to overcook.
6. If serving to everyone immediately, put all ingredients in pasta pot and stir. Then add in another 2 tbs of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. If serving individually, combine ingredients in personal bowls rather than the pasta pot and drizzle with a much smaller amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

NOTES

1. You can use whatever pasta you’d like. I’m not gluten free, but I saw this organic brown rice & quinoa fusilli at Trader Joe’s the other day and thought it’d be cool to try. I really couldn’t taste the difference! Any shape or type of pasta would work for this recipe, however.