Pumpkin Seed and Spinach Pesto

Pumpkin Seed and Spinach Pesto

I have made lots of pestos.  Here are links to Light Basil Pesto, Kale and Walnut Pesto, and Avocado Pesto.  While all similar, they're unique enough to make at different times. 

This recipe is great for a dip - as I did with carrots this afternoon while watching Harry Potter 2 with Brennan.  Also good with pasta, as a spread for a sandwich or baguette, on top of sauteed vegetables, and as a dip with crackers.

I wish I could give credit where it's due, but someone gave me a copy of this recipe.  I'm pretty sure it's been in my to-make folder for a long, long time.

Heat the oven to 350* and toast raw pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes until golden.

While the seeds are toasting, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the spinach, garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs for 1 minute.  Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let the spinach cool.  Then squeeze out any excess moisture, and pull the leaves from the thyme sprigs.

 

Combine the spinach, thyme, garlic, slightly cooled pumpkin seeds, grated Parmesan and olive in a blender or food processor and season with lemon juice and sea salt.  Blend until smooth.

 

This recipe makes a "dry" pesto, so if you want a more "wet" one, add more olive oil.

 

 



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Enjoy!

Simple Sauteed Vegetables

Simple Sauteed Vegetables


This recipe is long overdue for my sweet friend Emily who is learning to cook and is wanting to introduce more vegetables into her family meals.  She had sauteed squash at a meeting luncheon we attended in April and thought it was amazing.  I assured her it was simple, simple, and I would provide more specific instructions.  Here's what I do (this time with Brennan's help).

These are the beautiful vegetables that Mary brought to Brennan and me last week (along with fun family movies!).  We sliced everything up kind of thick - organic squash, zucchini, kohlrabi (my first time!), and peppers. 


You can either spray the hot saute pan with olive oil spray or pour a little olive oil into the pan with the vegetables.  Spread them out and cook them on each side about 5 minutes.

We sprinkle them with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper for a little flavor.

The red potatoes I did separately because the other vegetables had already started and I knew these would take a few minutes longer, being thicker.  We sauteed them with fresh rosemary from Mary's garden.  

 

Then we tossed all the vegetables together, added a little fresh parsley and a touch more sea salt and served.  We also microwave the leftovers the next day.

 

 

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Enjoy!

Lentil Salad

Lentil Salad

I found this recipe in the April/May 2013 Vegetarian Times.  I thought it sounded like a great dish to make ahead of time and take to the lake this weekend.  It was really great - I will make this again and again!

I started by cooking a bag of lentils in broth.  They only take about 15 minutes.  I drained them and scooped out 4 cups worth, keeping the rest for another use.

While the lentils were cooking I asked Brennan to make up the vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (you could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar), olive oil, Kosher salt, and pepper.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped vegetables like carrots, fennel, celery, or radishes.  I went with carrots and radishes, dicing them somewhat.

Add the lentils, vegetables, diced cucumber, fresh parsley, and season with Kosher salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for up to a day and top with more fresh parsley before serving at room temperature.

 

It was a great accompaniment for the brats, sweet corn, fruit salad, tomato salad, chips, and Gouda and apple appetizer that Brennan made for us! 

 

 

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Enjoy!

Sauteed Mustard Greens

Sauteed Mustard Greens

 

This recipe comes straight from Anne Burrell at foodnetwork.com.  I was looking for a healthy, simple way to cook greens like mustard, collard, and turnip and found this one that I liked a lot.

 

Start by washing the mustard greens and remove the hard stems.  Cut them into 2 inch pieces.  You don't have to dry them thoroughly.

 

 

 

Heat olive oil (a Tbsp or so) in a large pan with halved garlic and red pepper flakes.  Allow the garlic to brown slightly and get really fragrant.  Discard the garlic.

 

 

Add the greens and cover, cooking until they are wilted.

Stir in the red wine vinegar, and season with Kosher salt.

 

Serve hot.
 

I didn't have red wine vinegar so I used Balsamic and it was too vinegar-y.  The second time I used red wine vinegar and it was much, much better.

 

I'm going to try this dish again with other greens.  But it certainly worked well with mustard greens!

 

 

 

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Enjoy!

 

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

 

This recipe was featured on Smitten Kitchen this week, and I realized I had all the ingredients so decided to try it right away instead of putting it in my well-meaning, ever-growing folder full of great sounding recipes that I really want to try.

 

Pickled vegetables have all sorts of nutritional properties, and they are really versatile.  I decided to pick up some containers and try it out.

 

This is a refrigerator pickling method - not the heated canning method, so any glass jar with tight lid will work.  You'll see I've started with plastic containers until I find the right sized glass ones that I'm looking for.

 

Deb from Smitten Kitchen suggests any firm, crunchy vegetable, but Deb's tip - she wouldn't use red radishes again because they turn everything pink. 

 

Suggested Vegetables for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

Radishes

Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers

Carrots

Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

Kirby Cucumbers

Cabbage

 

But the list is really chef-preference.

 

 

Suggested Uses for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

On Sandwiches

Alongside Grilled Anything

As a Side Dish

On Top of Salad

On Top of Rice or other Whole Grain

 

 

I started with a mandolin but mine was not working well, so I just julienned the vegetables with a good knife instead.  Then I split them up into my 3 containers.

Next I brought distilled white vinegar, sugar, Kosher salt, and yellow mustard seeds to a simmer until the sugar and salt dissolved.  Then I added cold water and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Poured the pickling mixture over my vegetables, made sure they were all covered, and refrigerated them for 24 hours.  They can be eaten within 1 hour though.  They last up to a month in the fridge.

 

So far I've just eaten them by themselves, or with lunch.  But I think they'd be great on a pulled-pork sandwich - julienned even thinner.

 

Very tasty - slightly addictive!

 

 

 A big thank you to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for the recipe!!

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

 

This recipe comes straight from the July 2013 Southern Living, and is a really good recipe for a Meatless Monday, or if you want leftovers for a couple of lunches.  David really liked this dish, which always helps :)

 

My very quick iPhone photos don't do the beauty of this dish justice, but here they are.

 

 

Start by mixing up a Texas Vinaigrette of olive oil, fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, hot sauce of your choice, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and black pepper. 

 

Then drain and rinse a can each of black-eyed peas and black beans.  Place in a bowl (or a saucepan like I did) and add 1/3 c finely chopped roasted red bell peppers, and 1/4 c finely chopped poblano pepper (I skipped this).  Add half of the vinaigrette and let sit for awhile (20 minutes or so).

 

 

 

Make up Basmati rice.  I had brown Basmati so I followed the direction, but any rice would work well in this dish.

 

Heat the beans on the stovetop (the recipe suggests doing it in the bowl in the microwave - either way), then serve.

 

 

 

Options for serving with this rice and bean caviar:

Chopped Romaine

Warmed Tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Remaining Vinaigrette

Halved Grape Tomatoes

Chopped Cilantro

Thinly Sliced Celery

Thinly Sliced Green Onions

Salsa

Pickled  Jalapeño  Peppers

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Lime Wedges

 

 

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Romesco Sauce

Romesco Sauce

 

I was very excited to see this recipe in Southern Living this month.  It's similar to the Red Pepper Dip that I made a couple of months ago, but I think I like this one a little better.

 

When I traveled to Nashville, TN for work, I stayed for a week at a hotel near a Whole Foods.  I usually stopped by Whole Foods to get dinner each night - and my favorite was a made-to-order vegetarian sandwich that they made in the deli area on a fresh baguette with Romesco Sauce.  I loved the sauce, but had never made it.

 

I love any recipe with one line of directions - process all ingredients in a food processor. 

 

This recipe calls for a drained jar of roasted red bell peppers, toasted pecans (8 minutes in the oven on a baking sheet), 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, red wine vinegar (I used Balsamic), and a dash of sugar, sea salt, and pepper.

After the dip set up in the refrigerator, I drained it before taking it and a bag of pita chips to Wine Club on Saturday night.

 

 

The recipe says that it is great served on all things grilled (chicken, fish, steak, etc.), as a sandwich spread, or served as a dip with vegetables or pita chips.

 

It was a big hit, so this goes out to all my wine club friends!

 

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Enjoy!

Brown Rice and Beans with Ginger Chile Sauce

Brown Rice and Beans with Ginger Chile Sauce

My friend Mary sent me this great Bon Appetit recipe that she had recently tried and loved.  Any rice and beans combo goes over great in my house, so we tried it out last week!

 

You start by cooking brown rice, and then tossing it with fresh cilantro.  I had rice on hand so I re-heated 2 cups worth and added in the fresh cilantro and a little sea salt.  It smelled great!

 

Then I cooked a little chopped onion in olive oil, added in cumin and coriander and let it cook through.  Then added in rinsed & drained black beans, vegetable broth, and a little salt and pepper.  I brought it to a boil, then let it simmer about 8 minutes until the beans were thickened.

 

I somehow didn't get a photo of the ginger chile sauce.

It's very simple - in a blender pulse 2 chiles that have been seeded, a garlic clove, 1 Tbsp of chopped ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and a little bit of onion together to make a flavorful salsa. 

 

 

In addition, I had some sweet peppers so I roasted them in the oven to serve with the beans and rice.

 

The original recipe doesn't call for serving on corn tortillas, but I had some so we made little burritos with ours.  Top the cilantro rice, black beans, salsa, and roasted peppers with halved cherry tomatoes, Cotija or feta cheese crumbles, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.

 

Really, really great - the beans disappeared completely.  They were so good!

 

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Enjoy!

Endive Avocado Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Endive Avocado Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

 

So first off I have to ask - what is a salad dressing that is made from herbs, citrus, & oil but contains no vinegar?  Is it still a Vinaigrette?  Let's go with that for now, OK?

 

I saw this delicious salad on Andie's blog Can You Stay for Dinner? 

 

And because I had most of the ingredients on hand, I decided to make it to go with pasta and basil marinara I was already planning last night.

 

It was so, so good, and fresh.

And a very simple recipe, perfect for the spring with all the great produce out.

 

Whisk up the Vinaigrette of fresh lemon juice, a minced garlic clove, olive oil, shredded Parmesan, salt, & pepper.  Then toss the lettuce with the dressing and plate it for each person.  I used endive because it's what I had and was tired of romaine.  Andie's original recipe calls for arugula.  Your pick!

 

Top with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and a sprinkling of Sea Salt and black pepper.

 

I had a big avocado so we all got generous portions of sliced avocado.  Win-win.

 

Brennan and David felt like it might be a little too lemon-y so you can play with the flavor as you're making up your dressing. 

 

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Enjoy!

 

Red Pepper Dip

Red Pepper Dip

 

I found this dip in a magazine, and I wish I could tell you which one!  I ripped it out and didn't keep the bottom of the page where it tells you which magazine.  My guess is Good Housekeeping, Fitness, or Real Simple since I never rip out the pages of my Southern Living's or Mississippi magazines!

 

Regardless, this is a great dip that works well with pita chips and vegetables.

I was concerned that I made too much last night and that we'd never finish it up, but we ended up eating most of it at supper.

 

I prefer it with cut vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower were what we had), but David and the boys liked it just like they like their hummus - with pita chips.  I have to admit - it was good with pita chips too.

 

And who am I kidding, Brennan doesn't eat peppers. 

But David, Thomas, and I really liked this recipe.

 

And it couldn't be easier.  Or healthier.  Score.

 

Simply drain a jar of roasted red peppers, and puree in a food processor or blender with cumin, Balsamic vinegar, and walnuts.

 

I think it would be great on a baked potato too.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Orecchiette in No-Cook Spinach Sauce

Orecchiette in No-Cook Spinach Sauce

 

This sounded like a great way to serve pasta - and I was looking for something other than marina sauce or broccoli to try. 

 

Kroger unfortunately doesn't carry orecchiette.

 

 

So we went with shells.

 

In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package in salted water. 

With 5 minutes to go, add green beans (I used frozen) and frozen lima beans.

Drain and set aside.

 

In a food processor, process spinach, garlic, oil, water, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper to taste.

Combine pasta, beans, and sauce together.

Serve warm or cold!

 

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Buon Appetito!

 

Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

Another couple of good recipes to share with you from my latest cookbook read.

 

 

I didn't set out to fool my family into eating vegetables, so I was surprised when my 3 boys thought this dish was just potatoes. 

They almost seemed disappointed when they found out parsnips and cauliflower were also involved.

  They never did taste the parsnips.

 

This is a good side dish that heats up well the next day too.

 

Start by roasting a bulb of garlic in the oven.

Remove any loose garlic paper, then snip off the pointed end of the bulb, exposing the cloves.

Wrap the bulb in foil and roast for 30 minutes.

 

While the garlic is roasting, peel and chop 2 russet potatoes, 2 parsnips, and chop up a head of cauliflower.  Boil the vegetables in generously salted water, then reduce to medium and continue cooking until tender.

Drain the vegetables and return them to the pot.

Squeeze the garlic juice and cloves over the vegetables, and add a little butter (or margarine or olive oil), milk or vegetable stock, and sea salt to season.

 

Mash well.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve warm.

 

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Enjoy!