Sneaky Vegetables

 Our vegetables are growing like crazy now that it is getting hotter. Check out those Mustard Greens, they are HUGE!

 The Swiss Chard is pretty big, but I am not sure why the leaves are funky. I just tear off the funky parts when we eat it.

 The herbs... not quite big enough to use yet, but hopefully soon.

 The part I'm most excited for...the broccoli. I can finally see a little floret starting to grow.

 So I have been trying to come up with ways to use our lettuce in ways that the kids will eat it. Last night I tried adding it to pasta sauce and it was delicious.

I took 3 or 4 of the largest leaves of the Mustard Greens and Swiss Chard, tore off the thick stems, and ripped it into several smaller pieces and steamed them for about 5 minutes or so. Then, with an immersion blender, I mixed it into some spaghetti sauce (I just used some from a jar) along with some minced garlic. I served it over some rotini noodles with a little parmesan cheese and the kids LOVED it. My daughter is really picky and she asked for seconds.  I thought the lettuce taste might be a little overpowering, but it really made the sauce taste really good and I loved the color that it made the sauce.

 The biggest evidence is this little man's face. We don't even bother with a bib on spaghetti night...it is so much easier to just strip him down and stick him in the kitchen sink when he is done.