National Garlic Day April

National Garlic Day is today. Since I’m a foodie; today is the perfect day to share my love of garlic with you. So, today is a great reason to eat as much garlic as you want without having to worry about your breath.

National Garlic Day

First and foremost, my first taste was in a garlic bread, I had as a little girl. From my first taste, began my love affair with this yummy vegetable. Usually, garlic isn’t eaten on its own. You can find garlic in many recipes for flavor.

Because there are so many ways to cook garlic, I’m going to share my favorite way of preparing this vegetable. Although many peel off the skin before roasting, I tend to do this step last.

Next, I put the garlic in aluminum foil and in a baking dish. And, than I drizzle olive oil and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Yes, you read this correctly. When you add a drizzle of balsamic to your garlic, it gives it a hint of a tangy flavor. Finally, I broil my bulb for approximately 40 – 60 minutes.

Since garlic is a popular ingredient used in many recipes; be sure to check out my Celebrate National Chicken Month and Farmers Market Pasta Recipes posts for some recipe ideas.

Celebrate National Garlic Day

Celebrate this fun food day by visiting a Farmer’s Market and selecting various types of garlic products. You can find wild garlic, bulbs and elongated garlic scapes. In my opinion, the garlic scapes are one of the best vegetables. Usually, you can find scapes in the late Spring and throughout the Summer months.

My favorite way to use garlic scapes is to cut them into small pieces. Usually, I use this as a pizza topping. Another way I use the scapes is to make a simple pasta Aglio e olio. To make this recipe, all you need is a small saute pan, a tablespoon of olive oil, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and scapes. Saute all ingredients together until you get a hint of a golden brown color and serve with your favorite pasta and voila – the perfect meal.

In my opinion, one of the most delicious ways to prepare garlic scapes is to make a pesto sauce. You slice the scapes into small pieces, add a tablespoon of olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt, either pine nuts or walnuts, a tablespoon of water, and blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Serve with your favorite pasta. For a healthier alternative, make Vegetable pasta using a spiralizer. From Amazon, the spiralizer below is easy to use to make the perfect shape and size of any type of vegetable noodles.