Goat cheese pasta with lemon-garlic sugar snap peas

Well, the wedding is over. And I- being one of the honored yet exhausted members of the wedding party- have deemed the next six days a "recovery week." I truly believe that everyone in the wedding- groomsmen, bridesmaids, parents of the bride, etc- should all take a honeymoon. We all deserve at least a week of vacation after the wedding and events leading up to it.

It was a gorgeous affair. The weather held up (miraculously).

The couple was jubilant.

All attending were excited to be sharing in their joy.

Everything went perfectly.

But, I am spent.
This week is going to be all about resting. My kind of relaxing means sticking close to home and cooking.

I finally get to catch up with all the recipes I have been jotting down ideas for but never carrying out. This recipe is one of them.

I made the snap peas this way and then threw them in with pasta and some beans a couple weeks ago. The dish was unimpressive as a whole, but the snap peas were crunchy and flavorful. I decided they needed to be paired with something that would complement them, but not overpower. Aha: goat cheese! The result is delicious indeed, and very easy to throw together. Also, if you are like my husband and you don't understand how a meal is complete without meat, simply add a few pieces of grilled chicken.

Goat cheese pasta with lemon-garlic sugar snap peas
feeds two hungry people
1 1/2 tbsp butter
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb trimmed sugar snap peas
juice of 1 large lemon (plus lemon wedges for serving)
2 cups whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)
salt and pepper
about 3 oz goat cheese
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large sauce pan. Add garlic. When garlic begins to brown, add snap peas. When they are beginning to brown, add lemon juice. Toss snap peas in lemon juice until coated and the juice is starting to evaporate, about 1 minute. Then reduce heat to low and cover.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in case you need to add it to the pasta later) and add to snap peas. Add goat cheese and toss to coat as cheese melts. Squeeze in another 1/2 lemon juice and/or add cooking liquid to pasta until you achieve desired consistency. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper.
Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy.