Garlic Trifecta with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach #NationalGarlicDay

Happy National Garlic Day!

Garlic is wonderful. It's included in most of my dishes. It's one of my favorite ingredients. I can't imagine cooking without it. It's often thought of as a spice, even though it's actually a vegetable. It's health benefits are note worthy: it boost your immune system, contain antioxidants, good for your heart, has anti-inflammatory properties, repels mosquitoes...and the list goes on. Not to mention....the flavor.

Oh, the flavor!!

In honor of one of the most popular vegetables, I am sharing an incredible dish with you that includes garlic that has been cooked 3 different ways....roasted, fried and sauteed. I'm also participating in a blog-wide GIVEAWAY with several other food bloggers who have some amazing garlic recipes (listed below) and we're giving away some fantastic garlic related goodies! Scroll down to participate. Meanwhile, enjoy this dish in celebration of garlic!

Garlic Trifecta with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach
Inspired by Three Garlic Pasta by Martha Stewart

1 head of garlic plus 8 cloves
2 TB olive oil
8 oz quinoa pasta
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups fresh spinach
Salt and Pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish

Preheat the oven to 425' F

Wrap the whole head of garlic in tin foil and roast in the oven for about an hour, or until soft. Let cool then slice the head of the garlic off and squeeze out the soft buttery roasted garlic. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Take 5 of the 8 garlic cloves and slice into thin slivers, set aside.. Finely chop the remaining 3 garlic cloves.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic slivers and saute until crisp and golden brown, stirring frequently. Watch them carefully as they go from almost done to over done very quickly and you do not want bitter, burnt garlic. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the chopped garlic to the pan and saute over low heat until translucent, about a minute.

Add the creamy roasted garlic, chicken broth and vermouth. Stir to combine. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted and the liquid has reduced slightly.

Toss in the pasta, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with the garlic slivers, parsley and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Note: if you are sensitive to spicy heat, you may want to reduce the amount of red pepper flakes or omit all together.

Here is a list of some amazing dishes shared by other garlic lovers in our food blogger community:

Black Garlic Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream from girlichef

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Easy Garlic Infused Olive Oil from MarocMama

Garlic and Herb Lamb Chops from Healthy. Delicious.

Garlic Bread from My Catholic Kitchen

Garlic Dill Roasted Potato Wedges from From Gate to Plate

Garlic Fried Rice from Crazy Foodie Stunts

Garlic Soup with Cheese & Garlic Olive Crunch Bread from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

Garlic Trifecta with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach from Peaceful Cooking

Gnocchetti with Asparagus and Garlic-Gorgonzola Sauce from The Spiffy Cookie

Heart Healthy Roasted Garlic Chicken Recipe from It's Yummi!

Roasted Garlic Butter from Basic N Delicious

Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza Pockets from Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Slow-Roasted Lamb with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Food Lust People Love

Vampire Garlic Dip from Kudos Kitchen By Renee

Giveaway
In honor of National Garlic Day and our love of the stinking rose, we are giving away a Garlic Lovers Prize Pack (valued at over $100) that includes:

The Garlic Farmers' Cookbook

One-year membership to the Garlic Seed Foundation

5 Garlic Button Covers

OXO Good Grips Garlic Press 

The Ultimate Garlic Peeler

Tumbleweed Pottery Garlic Clove Canister Keeper with Vented Lid

Terra Cotta Garlic Roaster

2 Bulbs of Whole Black Garlic

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post (mandatory) answering this question: What is your favorite GARLICKY dish (or one that you'd love to try)?


After you've answered the question for entry into this contest, be sure to record that you did so inthe rafflecopter widget below; doing so will unlock many more optional ways to earn entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the Continental USA. Entries will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, April 24, 2014. All entries will be verified. A winner will be chosen from qualifying entries via random draw, and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest. The winner will have 24 hours from the time the email is sent to respond with their complete name and mailing address (no P.O. Boxes). If no response is received within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Prizes provided by The Garlic Seed Foundation, Food Lust People Love and girlichef. Prizes may vary slightly from images shown and are subject to replacement with comparable items if ones pictured are no longer available at the close of this contest. Items may be shipped separately.