Ahh, March. The month that tells us, despite a lingering chill in the air, that Spring is right around the corner. The month where we focus on all things green for St. Paddy’s Day. And the month when broccoli rabe shows up! I found some just this morning at my local natural foods grocery store … and it was on sale! You know I love a good bargain. 😉

Green is clearly the color of the March, so I’m going to center this month’s recipes around a few of my favorite green veggies. There are so many great ones to choose from, but since broccoli rabe is only around for a small window of time, I wanted to do a repost of my absolute favorite broccoli rabe dish. I will seriously eat this at least 4 times in the next 2 months with absolutely no regrets. It’s just that good.

—-> Linguini with Broccoli Rabe & Sausage <—-

Fun Fact: Broccoli rabe is an absolute power house of a green. It’s super high in vitamins A, C, and K; contains fiber for digestion, lutein to aid eyesight, and sulfur to help out your liver; and it has some great anti-inflammatory nutrients, like folate.

Aside from the recipe in the link above, you can also do a simple sauté with a little olive oil, S&P, onion & garlic powders, plus a splash of chicken stock – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  Serve as a simple green side, or get creative!

One idea: Try adding it to a sweet potato hash with some red peppers for a beautiful contrast of sweet and bitter.

Another idea: Make a “risotto” using quinoa instead of arborio rice, folding in finely chopped broccoli rabe, diced tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese. Let the heat from the quinoa and sauce mix wilt the rabe and sweat it down. The result is a flavor similar to horseradish from the rabe, combined with the creaminess of the Parmesan cheese and acid of the tomatoes. This pairs amazingly well with steak or lamb!

Keep trying new things or sticking with the old … until the rabe runs out!