Rosemary Pesto

On the first day that truly feels like winter, I have a little throwback to summer for you. 

Remember those herbs we talked about preserving at the end of the harvest this year? Dig those rosemary sprigs out of the freezer and let's get started. 

If starting with frozen sprigs, simply let them sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so, until they are easy to strip off the stem. 

Pesto can be the basis for so many wonderful dishes- I love to have a few different types in my freezer, ready to be pulled out for a quick dinner. Trying varying the herbs for some new twists.

Try this one instead of tomato sauce on a flatbread, with caramelized onions, fresh chèvre, and a sharp cheddar. Or tossed with some pappardelle noodles with blanched broccoli and toasted pine nuts. Or folded into a quick frittata with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.

Rosemary Pesto

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 cup packed rosemary leaves- from fresh or frozen
1 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Zest of one lemon
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Peel garlic, and mince in food processor. Add rosemary through lemon juice and continue to puree, drizzling olive oil and scraping down as needed in to achieve desired consistency.

Store fresh in the refrigerator, or freeze in ice cube trays to be used later.

Relax. Eat Well.

Curried Coconut Squash Soup

As the weather continues to turn towards fall, I have been getting back into soups and stews, and it was one such craving that inspired this Curried Coconut Squash Soup. Simple, with a creamy decadence from coconut milk and flavor-bursts from curry spices, it is my ideal weekend lunch.

I happen to know that it freezes well, as I made a big batch to hand out to a few friends who could use the spare time these days.

Side note: did you know that grilled cheese freezes well too? I gifted the soup with a bag of frozen Grilled Cheese Croutons (grilled cheese smothered with scape pesto and cut into bite sized cubes). Pop the thawed soup in a pot and the croutons on a baking sheet, and you have a comforting meal ready in no time flat.

Curried Coconut Squash Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 tbs. coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1 tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2 carrots, sliced in half moons
1 medium red kuri squash, unpeeled, cubed (mine was about 3.5 pounds whole, 10 cups cubed)
1 can coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tbs. tamari
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional, for heat)
1/2-1 tsp salt (optional, to taste)

Directions

No need to peel the squash- it will puree smooth and you will benefit from the added fiber and time on your hands.

Heat coconut oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add minced ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin and coriander and continue to cook, stirring often, for 1 minutes, making sure not to burn spices. Add carrot and squash cubes, as well as coconut milk and vegetable stock. Turn up heat and bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer for 20 minutes. Check to make sure squash cubes are completely cooked. Remove from heat, add tamari and blend with an immersion blender. Once smooth, taste and adjust seasonings by adding more salt and/or cayenne pepper for heat.

Notes: Other winter squash varieties would work here as well- try buttercup, butternut or blue hubbard.

Fresh Herb Sea Salt and a Basil-rose-ita

Its my favorite time of the year. By far. The farmers markets are exploding with every fresh ingredient on my list, garlic is out of the ground and curing on my deck and the kitchen gardens are pumping out basil and culinary herbs galore. Ooo la la.

Last weekend I harvested tulsi (holy), purple, Thai and Italian basil and put up over 8 pounds of pesto. I keep it simple- fresh garlic, good quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, sea salt, ground pepper, toasted sunflower seeds and a dash of nutritional yeast. Not only does this avoid the cost of pine nuts and parmesan, it also make my pesto very low-allergen, so that I can use it year round, no matter who I am feeding. 

I freeze mine in ice cube trays, so it is easy to thaw in small amounts in the coming months.

But I digress- this post offers another way to preserve your herbs. Herb-infused sea salts. So simple, and SO tasty.

This is a great way to preserve the fresh herbs that don't dry so well, or at least lose all of their personality when they do (I am looking at you, parsley and basil). 

Grab a bunch of your favorite herb- try basil, thyme, parsley, dill etc. - and 1 cup of your favorite sea salt (something a bit coarse) and you are ready to roll. I had some garlic scapes hanging on when I first tried this recipe, and threw a few in. I would highly recommend it, if you are in that glorious season.

So far, I have been enjoying this salt sprinkled on roasted potato wedges, on morning eggs, on Montreal-style bagels smeared with butter…. you get the picture. Oh wait- and in Basil-rose-itas (don't worry, I'll share the recipe below).

Herb Sea Salt

Makes roughly 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients 

1 bunch herb of choice (I used about 1 cup of Italian basil)

1 cup good quality coarse sea salt

Optional- a few tablespoons of a second herb (examples: rosemary, thyme, oregano, or a few garlic scapes)

Directions

In a food processor, pulse herbs (and scapes if using) until finely minced, but not pureed. If using a hardier second herb, you may need to mince these by hand, as the blade of the food processor doesn't always catch them. Add sea salt and continue to pulse until well incorporated and very green. By this time, the salt will be much finer as well.

Spread entire mixture out into a thin layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let sit out at room temperature for 24 hours, so that the moisture in the herbs has enough time to be absorbed by the salt.

Place in small mason jars and store in a cool dark place. Although this has not been verified yet, it is rumored this salt could last upwards of a year. 

Annnd….. now on to the fun stuff- a garden inspired cocktail for your summer happy hour: Basil-rose-ita

Basil-rose-ita

Makes 1 drink

Ingredients

3 tbs (1.5 oz) silver tequila

1 tbs. rose water

2 tbs. fresh lime juice

1 tbs. raw honey 

4 ice cubes

Basil Herb Sea Salt

Directions

Pour basil herb sea salt on a small plate. Prepare your glass by wetting the rim and twirling it upside down in the salt. If your don't enjoy a salted rim, I highly recommend at least throwing a pinch of salt into the mix as you make the drink- it really does amp up the flavors. 

In a shaker, combine tequila, rose water, lime juice and simple syrup with 2 ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into prepared glass and serve with 2 additional ice cubes. 

Relax. Eat Well.

Wild Dandelion and Ramp Pesto

Wild ramps and spring dandelions are out- and ready for the picking! Don't you just love free food?

Dandelion greens are best from young, vibrantly green plants, found in any nice field not frequently used for walking. After snipping the greens and washing with cold water, they can be enjoyed as a bitter component in raw salads, or cooked like any other hearty green.         

Ramps, or wild leeks, typically grow in wet areas, often by rivers. Part of the allium family, they smell distinctively like onion and have an earthy scallion-like flavor. Go hunting with a small trowel and gently dig up the roots to preserve the whole plant. The general rule of thumb is to take no more than 10% of the patch you find, as they will not grow back the next year after being harvested. 

The leaves are milder than the roots, and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. This year, I made some leaves into pesto and pureed the rest simply with olive oil, then froze them in ice cube trays for convenience. With the more potent roots, I pickled some in a sweet and spicy brine and chopped and froze the rest to use throughout the year. 

Packed with omega-3 fatty acids as well as loads of vitamin C and chlorophyll, this pesto can be used on pasta, baked breads, pizzas, or the like. I love a little scrambled in my morning eggs.
     

Wild Ramp and Dandelion Pesto

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
3 cups dandelion greens, washed and chopped

2 cups wild ramp leaves, washed and chopped
1 bunch basil, washed and chopped
1 cup arugula
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon flax seed oil (optional)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Directions
Process the garlic and walnuts in a food processor until well ground.  Add all of the greens, hempseeds, lemon juice, miso, and yeast and process to combine, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.  While the motor is running, add oils until the pesto is holding together.  Season to taste with salt as needed and refrigerate until serving.

Relax. Eat Well.

Eggplant Manicotti with a Creamy Pesto Filling

I love the flavors of Italian cooking, but I am not a huge fan of bland pasta or hyperbolic cheese. This is my version of manicotti that utilizes the texture of eggplant to hold a lusciously thick and satisfying pesto-spiked cashew cheese. I served it several weeks back alongside a much more traditional dairy-based filling and the overwhelming consensus favored this version. Since the filling is nutrient-packed and filling on it's own, this dish stands up well as a main course. Today I served it alongside roasted spaghetti squash with a brown-butter sage drizzle and sauteed broccolini and shallots. Not a bad little Monday.

Soaking the cashews and sunflower seeds neutralizes their phytic acid, an anti-nutrient found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, which can inhibit proper digestion. Luckily, in this recipe, it also softens the nuts and produces a much creamier filling.  Try to plan ahead and set them out to soak the morning before you make the dish, but if you forget and it becomes a last minute project, no worries. If you have a half an hour to let them soak, great. If not, the dish will work without any soaking at all.

For this recipe, I love Heidi Swanson's Five Minute Tomato Sauce. I make it with Muir Glen's Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, which is a wonderful line of canned tomatoes. The generous olive oil carries ample fresh garlic and a hint of spicy pepper flakes, resulting in a rich and pungent sauce. You don't need more than a few spoonfuls to be completely in love.

Eggplant Manicotti with a Creamy Pesto Filling


Ingredients
1 large eggplant
2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 4 hours
1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
2-3 tbs. pesto
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 cup chunky tomato sauce


Directions


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice eggplant into about 12 thin slices lengthwise. Drizzle baking sheet with olive oil. Line up eggplant slices in a single layer on sheets (may take two trays) and drizzle the tops with oil as well. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until eggplant is very tender and golden brown.






Meanwhile, drain cashews and sunflower seeds from their soaking water and rinse again. Add cashews through black pepper through to a large food processor and blend until smooth. Add additional water as needed to reach a ricotta-esque texture. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.

Taking an eggplant slice, spread 1 tbs. pesto filling

along the fat end vertically. Starting at that end, carefully roll eggplant into a small (but plump) cigar. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Place rolls back on a baking sheet and stick back in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until warm. Remove and plate (3 rolls per plate), topping with your favorite chunky tomato sauce.





Relax. Eat Well.

Summer Wheat Berry Salad

I hate to start off with an apology, but I do feel a bit neglectful not having written in so long. We had a long and wonderful journey home, filled with loads of camping, climbing, marathon driving, one-pot meals and beautiful sunsets. It was the kind of trip that you look back on with a smile, as you sip your hot coffee and appreciate your clean feet. But we are back, and excited for the next chapter in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont.

I always like to bring a dish when invited to a gathering, especially when I know the majority of the people there aren't so plant-based. It is a fun way to share my style of eating, and guarantees I will have something to enjoy without the hosts having to worry about accommodating my diet. This week we have been eating with family quite a bit, and this was the dish I brought for Gregg's mom's birthday celebration.

It was inspired by the golden wheat berries I found at Waitsfield's farmers market on Saturday, as well as the flavors of my mother's herb and vegetable garden I have been pillaging since being home. It involves both a fresh basil pesto as well as a quick balsamic vinaigrette, which soak into the wheat berries nicely for a flavorful bite. I enjoy the pop that comes with each mouthful of wheat berry, but you could substitute another grain as well, such as farro, spelt or an interesting wild rice mixture for a gluten free option. All provide ample fiber as they are unprocessed whole grains containing both the bran and germ. This salad will leave you satisfied if enjoyed as the main course with a leafy green salad, or as a side dish to anything off of the grill.

Summer Wheat Berry Salad

Serves 6 as a main course or 12 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 cups wheat berries

2 cups basil leaves

½ bunch kale, blanched (optional)

2 tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup raw walnuts

1 tbs. lemon juice

1 tbs. nutritional yeast

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 tbs. olive oil

½ tsp. honey

Salt to taste

freshly ground pepper

½ cup currants

2 tbs. pine nuts, toasted (optional)

2 summer squash

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

If possible, soak the wheat berries in enough water to cover overnight. Rinse, drain and place in a medium saucepan covered with water or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are soft but maintain a pop. If unsoaked, increase cooking time to 90 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

To prepare pesto, add basil leaves, kale (if using), olive oil, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a food processor and pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.

Place cooked wheat berries in a large bowl. Add currants, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes. Using a peeler, slice the summer squash into ribbons and run your knife through them several times to make bite size pieces. Add to the bowl with the small bowl of balsamic dressing and toss to coat. Add half the pesto, toss and taste. Continue to add pesto until you reach your desired flavor. Season to taste.

*This salad can be served immediately, or made earlier in the day and refrigerated until serving. The wheat berries do tend to absorb the dressing nicely with a little time to rest and marry together.

Relax. Eat Well.

Green-up your kitchen

In a time when we are all trying to "green-up" our footprint, I can't think of a more appropriate place to look than the kitchen. The room that is dedicated to consumption can actually generate a sickening amount of waste, if we let it. But with a little effort, your kitchen can be impressively efficient. And the truth is, you can actually save time and money in the process.... do I have you yet??

Here are a few ideas on how to reduce your impact while shopping, storing, cooking and CONSUMING!!! Waste not, it has never tasted so good.

Buy and Store Your Food in Glass Jars

Create a collection of glass jars, and they will become the cornerstone of your kitchen. Not only is glass safe for hot liquids (unlike plastic), it is easy to clean and will last forever. Old peanut butter jars, mason jars, jelly containers, salsa jars, keep them all. Bring them to your local grocery store, ask them to weigh each one and write the weight on the bottom in permanent marker. When shopping in the bulk section for grains, beans, nuts, seeds etc. (which really helps keep the wallet fat), simply fill your jars and write the codes next to the item on your grocery list. No plastic bags, no extra twisties, no transferring to storage when you get home. Simply bring them home, throw them in your pantry and DONE. These same jars will come in extremely handy for storing leftovers in the fridge as well. Look for used mason jars at church sales (canners love to sell their old jars), yard sales or in bulk at hardware stores.

Make Vegetable Stock

Use up unwanted vegetable scraps to make a fresh vegetable stock each week. Simply keep a medium container in your fridge at all times and collect applicable scraps, such as onion and celery ends, carrot butts, potato peels and mushroom, cilantro/parsley and broccoli stalks. Throw the lot into a large pot at the end of the week along with a strip of kombu, a few bay leaves, a tablespoon of peppercorn and a few smashed garlic cloves. Add enough water to cover the vegetables (about 2 quarts) and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a very low simmer and cover, letting it cook for one hour. Turn off the heat, cool and strain your stock into a large glass jar, to use in the upcoming week to cook grains, add to sauces or make soups. Not only will your trash be slimmer, but your dishes will benefit from the depth a fresh stock adds, as well as the boost in vitamins and minerals salvaged from those unwanted scraps!

Wash and Reuse your Plastic Bags for Produce

There are plenty of mesh and fabric bags out there on the market for purchasing produce, but let's face it, none of us have enough money for all that (especially due to the copious amounts of produce that goes into our shopping cart each week, RIGHT?). The good news: those plastic bags you find in the produce aisle are extremely resilient and will last for months if washed and reused. Rigging up a bag dryer isn't too hard with a few rods and a central pole (those exist out there for sale in consumerland as well... but come on...). Simply rinse and dry each bag you use, and stick it in your grocery bags to use next week. Super easy, and super green.

Buy Fresh

Centering your shopping around the produce section and farmer's markets will reduce packaging, encourage local and seasonal ingredients, and promote health. You will end up saving a significant amount of money as well by purchasing food grown by your neighbors, rather than processed, packaged, shipped and resold across the country. It seems like an obvious one, but I think we can all pay a little more attention to filling the cart with products that are best when fresh.

Here is a wonderful pesto recipe that will help you use up any fresh herbs and greens starting to look a little wilty in the fridge. It is high in anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids (hemp seeds, walnuts and flax oil), detoxifying bitter greens (dandelion and arugula) and fresh summer flavors!!! Use it as an outline and swap ingredients depending on what is in season (or needs to go!)

Dandelion Pesto

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup walnuts

1 bunch dandelion greens, washed and chopped

1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

1 bunch basil, washed and chopped

1 cup arugula (or spinach, mixed greens etc.)

1/4 cup hemp seeds

Juice from 1/2 a lemon, about 2 Tablespoons

1 teaspoon miso

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tablespoon flax seed oil (optional)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Directions

Process the garlic and walnuts in a food processor until well ground. Add all of the greens, hempseeds, lemon juice, miso, and yeast and process to combine, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. While the motor is running, add oils until the pesto is holding together. Season to taste with salt as needed.

Relax. Eat Well.