Summer is officially underway! Our markets are opening & bursting with really fresh fruits and veggies.  Get the freshest fruits & veggies with your SNAP dollars!

Our farmers accept SNAP, WIC, EBT and offer NYC HealthBucks.  Find a market in your neighborhood HERE for that really fresh taste you’ve been missing.  Sweet juicy strawberries, crunchy radishes, crispy lettuce & kale, velvety spinach, summer squash, tender asparagus, succulent cherry tomatoes & fat, juicy peas bursting from their pods.  They have a fresh-from-the-garden taste because they are picked and delivered directly to our markets by the farmers who grow them.  They ripen naturally in local sunny fields, not on a truck coming across the country. That why they taste so much BETTER. Plus, they have more nutrition!

Use those SNAP dollars to create Pasta En Primavera, a summer pasta dish with a lighter taste, made fast so you can spend more time outdoors. Quick & Easy.  The pasta & the veggies cook together at the same time. (See directions below.) In 30 minutes, you’ll create the mouth-watering taste of summer….not to mention it’s low in calories!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of corkscrew pasta like fusilli

• ½ pound of sugar snap peas or broccoli florets (or both)

• 2 carrots cut in small strips

• 1 yellow or orange pepper, cut in thin strips

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• ½ cup of roughly chopped fresh mint or 2-3 Tbsp of your favorite herb

• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

• 3 ounces of goat cheese or feta

Cool as a salad or warm as a summer pasta.   It’s a SNAP to celebrate summer!

RECIPE: Pasta en Primavera

RECIPE:  

How to To Make Pasta en Primevera

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fusilli, rotini or any corkscrew pasta and cook for the time given on the label

• Add veggies (the sugar snap peas and/or broccoli, carrots and bell pepper) to the boiling water during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

• Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pot.

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet . Add the garlic & cook until just golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes & 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until the tomatoes begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

• Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta & veggies. Add the mint, parmesan & goat cheese.  Toss to combine.

• Add more water if sauce is too thick.

• Serve warm

Cooking Tips: 

• Make a timetable for adding ingredients: take the cooking time for the pasta, subtract the time to cook the veggies and you’ll know exactly when to add them.

• For crisper veggies decrease the time; for softer ones add another minute.  Cook them however you like.

• Add any veggies you like. Figure out how long to cook them and add to your timetable. Carrots take longer to cook than broccoli or sugar snap peas. Add chopped greens for about 2 minutes..  

• Mint adds a light refreshing taste. Use what you like Match your herbs with the veggies you choose. For fresh herbs, use ½ cup; for dried use 2-3 Tablespoons

• Any pasta will work.  

Nutrition: What you get

• Chopped spinach adds iron, more color and flavor

• Goats’ cheese contains calcium that is easier for us to absorb, better for strong bones

• Asparagus, has antioxidants & vitamin E for your immune system

• Peas have antioxidants for stronger immune system and energy plus vitamins C & E

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