basil pesto

From Loveandlemons.com   https://www.loveandlemons.com/pesto-recipe/

I had a lot of fresh basil that I wanted to use up quickly.  I didn't have pine nuts so I used sunflower seeds and chopped walnuts, and I used nutritional yeast instead of Parm.  The recipe was very good and extra lemony before the nutritional yeast was added.  I'd probably add just a teaspoon or so of the yeast, if any.  

I ended up plating tomatoes (Camparis cut in half) with a dab of pesto on each, and it looked like it could make a great appetizer.  (11/8/22)

Ingredients

Basic Basil Pesto:

• ½ cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups basil leaves
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for a smoother pesto
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional  (or 1 tsp nutritional yeast)

• Instructions

• In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper and pulse until well chopped.
• Add the basil and pulse until combined.
• With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Add the Parmesan cheese, if using, and pulse to briefly combine. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.

 

Vitamix tomato spinach mint pesto

Love using my new vitamix.  Just trying out recipes to get used to the best settings to use.  Good thing it comes with a tool to push all the ingredients down while chopping, without risk of getting the 'pusher' in the blades.

This recipe is good - a little heavy on the garlic but I guess that's what its supposed to be.  The fresh basil stood out.  I was happy to use almonds (raw slivered) instead of the usual pine nuts, as I usually don't have those around and they go rancid rather quickly. 

Might add nutritional yeast next time, since pesto often has cheese in it.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large (730 g) tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup (20 g) fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup (15 g) fresh spinach
• 6 small garlic clove, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt, optional
• 1 cup (145 g) blanched almonds
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place olive oil, half of tomatoes, basil, fresh spinach, garlic, salt, almonds, and black pepper into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.
2. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed, using the tamper to press ingredients toward the blades.
3. Blend for 10-15 seconds. Stop machine and remove lid.
4. Add in remaining tomatoes and secure lid. Select Variable 4.
5. Pulse 10-15 times using the tamper to press the ingredients towards the blades.

Roasted Tomatoes - taste like sun-dried

From Forks Over Knives Cooking Class - Roasting without oil

This was delicious.  I used water with oregano and thyme as the liquid.  Used a little salt and pepper. After a few hours  I added fresh herbs - fennel fronds and cilantro that I had already cut up.  I roasted them for 3-4 hours; can go up to 6.  I turned the once, but you probably don't need to.  These won't last long, so I'll be trying them again!  Good to do when you'll be around for the day.  Also, can try to use a toaster oven if only doing a small batch.  

Ingredients

• 12 ripe Roma tomatoes 
• 1/4 cup stock (or water) 
• herbs or seasoning blend of choice 

Photos 5/23/2021

Description

Preheat the oven to 250° F (120° C).

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking tray, cut side up.

Spoon a bit of the stock over each tomato and then garnish with your favourite spice blend, such as Herbes de Provence. 

Bake the tomatoes for 4 to 6 hours. The longer you bake them, the more concentrated their flavor will be. The tomatoes can be served hot, warm or they can be refrigerated and used in other dishes for added flavor. 

Notes

When tomatoes are in season and are juicy and full of sweet flavor, you can make a big batch. The great thing about these tomatoes is that they will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Also, note that these tomatoes can be dehydrated using a dehydrator in place of an oven. 

Tomato, chard, and spinach with toasted almonds

From Ottolenghi SIMPLE -

Very good.  I treated us to fresh caraway seeds from Fresh Market - much stronger taste than from my old McCormick's container.  

If not using right away, recipe recommends only 1 day in fridge, and add almonds when serving.  Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 tsp paprika

1.5 tsp caraway seeds

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 x 14.5 oz cans plum tomatoes

1 lb 2 oz swiss chard, stalks thinly sliced and leaves roughly chopped

salt

4.5 oz / 130 gm spinach, roughly shredded

2 limes finely zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 2 Tbsp

1.75 cups/ 35 gm mint, roughly chopped

1.75 cups / 35 gm dill, roughly chopped

8 green onions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup/ 80 gm)

Directions:

1) Place a large saute pan with a lid, over medium heat with 2 Tbsp oil, almonds, paprika.  Fry for 2-3 minutes until the almonds are golden brown, then transfer to a bowl, discarding the oil.

2) Return pan to medium-high heat with remaining 2 Tbsp oil.  Once hot, add the caraway and garlic and fry for 1 minute, until start to sizzle and brown.  Add tomatoes with their juice, chard, and 3/4 tsp salt and stir through, crushing the tomatoes as you go.  Cover the pan and continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until the chard wilts and the tomatoes break down.  Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach, lime zest, lime juice, mint, dill, and green onions.  Serve with the almonds sprinkled on top.

Green beans (or peas) and cherry tomatoes with pesto

Seriously adapted from Amy Riolo :  The ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook  2015

I made so many changes in this, that it actually isn't the same recipe.  But I did start out looking at it, was missing key ingredients, but wanted my potatoes!  I'm not sure about the health benefits of pine nuts, and tend to buy them for one recipe, then toss the rest months or years later when they taste stale.  So I substituted walnuts and sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts.  I didn't have any string beans, so I used peas, which I prefer anyway.  Love the idea of a vegetable that supplies protein!

Oh, and I also changed parmigiana-reggiano cheese to nutritional yeast to keep it vegan.

The dish looks much prettier immediately after composing it, but as with most dishes, tastes better the next day.

So here's my very own version:

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds baby yellow potatoes or Yukon gold, washed and cut into 1" chunks
1 pound peas (or green beans cut in half on the diagonal)
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup walnuts
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
3 cups lightly packed basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, unfiltered if possible
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
~1/4 tsp salt
~1/8 freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
1)  Steam potatoes over a pot of boiling water for ~ 8-10 minutes.  Add the green vegetable and continue to steam for ~4 minutes.  Check potato texture to make sure they're ready.  Drain and immediately plunge into an ice bath if possible to cool.

2) Make the pesto by combining the nuts, garlic, basil, and olive oil in a food processor.  Process until a smooth paste forms.  Using a spatula scoop pesto out of the processor and into a bowl.  Add the nutritional yeast.

3)Transfer the steamed vegetables to a large serving bowl and add the cherry tomatoes.  Add the pesto to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Baked Farro with Tomatoes and Herbs

From The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Veganomicon, 10th anniversary edition   2017

For vegans, who don't eat cheese, a frequent substitute to get a cheesy taste is nutritional yeast.  The benefit of using this is that it also supplies a good amount of vitamin B12, which is usually found in animal products.  Although supplements are not recommended in general, for  those who eat a broad variety of foods, vegans are encouraged to take B12 vitamins to avoid deficiency.  Nutritional yeast may suffice for part of the daily B12 supply.

Farro is one of my favorite grains - it's chewy and a little nutty. It supplies 6 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving - and who can stay with 1/2 cup?   I also love wheat berry and bulgur.  In a dish like this, you can use fresh herbs that look like they've seen better days, since they're baked before anyone sees them.  I also had some zucchini left over from our gleaning last week, so I added about 2/3 cup chopped as well.  You know I don't like to waste food!

This smells and tastes delicious.  The mouthfuls with a lemony taste are a little more special, so adding more lemon zest to the topping may be helpful.  I'd like more veggies in it, I think, and probably more herbs.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups uncooked farro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1 bay leaf
2 cups vegetable broth, or water
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme or basil
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil (I had cilantro, so I used it w/ parsley & basil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

TOPPING:
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish with 1 Tbsp olive oil
2) Sort through the farro to remove any broken grains and rinse in a colander.
3) In a large saucepan, over medium, sauce the garlic and shallot in 1 Tbsp of olive oil for 2 minutes to soften the shallot
4)Stir in the farro and the bay leaf and sauce for another minute, then pour in the vegetable broth and the tomatoes.
5) Increase the heat to high and bring to a rapid simmer.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add oregano, thyme and salt.  Remove bay leaf.  Taste and season with a little more salt, if desired, especially if using water instead of broth.  Then stir in the parsley and nutritional yeast.
6) Pour the farro mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the farro has absorbed almost all of the liquid.
7) Pulse together the topping ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor (or pound with a mortar and pestle) into coarse crumbs.
8) Take the casserole out of the oven, remove the foil, and cover the top evenly with the walnut topping.  Drizzle those 2 Tbsp of oil on top and bake for 10 minutes, to lightly brown the top of the casserole.
Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.  Serve warm.  It tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have blended more.  Try with tofu or tempeh for a complete meal.

Corn, edamame and tomato salad with sesame dressing

Here's a refreshing summer side dish.  Corn on the cob is delicious on its own, but this is a protein-containing blend for vegetarians, since it contains edamames.  And it's quick to throw together.  I would have added zucchini, but I would increase the dressing in that case.  Have fun exploring!

Ingredients:

Dressing:
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar (or regular vinegar)
2 tsp Tamari or soy sauce
Juice of ~1/2 lemon


Salad:
1 cup shelled edamames - defrost under hot water or add to boiling water.
2 corn cobs
10 or so cherry tomatoes or fewer plum tomatoes in 1/2" chunks
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Salt to taste

Directions:
1) Add corn cobs to lightly salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until you see the kernels on the edges separate from the other kernels.  Run under cold water to stop the cooking and make it possible to work with them.

2)Whisk the dressing ingredient together in a medium bowl.

3) Remove the corn kernels from the cobs by running a sharp knife down each edge of the cob.  If some kernels remain in chunks of up to about 9 kernels, it's fine.  Separate larger chunks.

4) Toss all ingredients, add lime and/or salt as needed.

Roasted Tomatoes

From epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

1. • 4 large plum tomatoes (1 pound), trimmed and halved lengthwise
   • 1/2 teaspoon salt
   • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. 1. DIRECTIONS: 
   2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
   3. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in an 8- to 9-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   4. Roast until skins are wrinkled and beginning to brown, about 50 minutes. Keep warm, covered with foil, until ready to serve.

Each serving (2 tomato halves) contains about 22 calories and less than 1 gram fat.

Zucchini spaghetti with eggplant, tomato and basil

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zucchini-noodles-with-eggplant-and-tomatoes

This summery play on ratatouille includes a bright mix of zucchini and summer squash turned into "noodles" along with quick pan-seared cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

The lemon dressing for this really brightens up the 'vegetti'.  Alternatively, a red sauce of your preference would probably do well, and save you time.  When we see Rao's sauces on sale, we buy them for a quick meal.  They are made with natural ingredients and are lower in salt and sugar than most of the alternatives.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

Dressing:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (packed) basil leaves, chopped, divided

For the skillet:
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 large long Chinese eggplants (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/4" slices on the bias
2 cups cherry tomatoes, divided

1/4 cup pitted cured black olives, halved, divided (optional)
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:

1) Place zucchini and squash in a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes, then shake in strainer, pressing gently, to remove any excess liquid.

2) Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, honey, pepper, 1/2 cup basil, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

3)Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with dressing.

4) Increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant and 1 cup tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned and cooked through and tomatoes begin to burst, about 6–8 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer to bowl with dressing.

5) Cut remaining 1 cup tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add zucchini and squash; gently toss to combine.  I prefer to throw the zucchini and squash into the pan that is still warm, without the heat on, just to dry it a bit more.

6) Add 3 Tbsp. olives and 2 Tbsp. basil, then transfer with tongs to a platter, letting extra liquid drain and remain in bowl. Lay mozzarella on 1 end of platter and drizzle with oil. Top dish with remaining 2 Tbsp. basil and 1 Tbsp. olives.