Giada and Yoga!

I just wanted to follow up with my last post about Giada’s book signing here in Houston. Her publicist told me she was too busy to fit in an interview : ( BUT, I was able to ask her about yoga when I went to the book signing yesterday. Of course, I didn’t get to chat for very long, but I told her I’m a trainer here in Houston and was wondering if she still does yoga. She said that she actually does yoga quite a bit and she loves it! I think she even had her yoga instructor do an episode of “Giada at Home” with her one time and I read that she does regular sessions. I had a blast at the signing and it was so cool to chat with her, even just for a second.

By the way…I made her Pea Pesto Crostini (from the book) when I got home and it was amazing!

For the recipe see below…

Pea Pesto Crostini

*Cari’s TIP: To reduce calories and fat…you can reduce some of the olive oil in the mix and also use cooking spray on the crostini/bread.

Ingredients

 

Pesto:

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Crostini:

• 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread, preferably day-old, * see Cook’s Note
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, diced

 

Directions

For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.

Top with tomato halves and serve.

*Cook’s note: If you don’t have day-old bread on hand, you can dry out fresh bread by putting the slices in a preheated 300 degree F oven until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes.