Homemade Pesto

Sorry this is the only photo I have of the pesto I made...I actually froze the bulk of the recipe to use at a later date.  I scooped out just enough to have for lunch the other day!  It was so delicious and easy to make.  You can use a food processor or blender, even the mini food prep works just fine!  I didn't believe that sunflower seeds could be a good substitute for pesto but I'll tell you I might even become a convert and use them all the time!  For one they are cheaper than pine nuts, and don't alter the flavor much.  Plus you can give it to kids with nut or any other type of allergies!  

Homemade Pesto Sauce

(Makes enough pesto for 1 pound of pasta)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup pine nuts (sunflower seeds can be used instead if you have allergies)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 handfuls fresh basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
a pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place garlic, pine nuts or seeds, and parmesan cheese in a food processor.  Process until ingredients form a crumbly texture.  Place cheese mixture into a small bowl.  Place basil leaves into the food processor and chop leaves finely.  Add the cheese mixture into the processor along with the basil and process while slowly adding the olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Pour over cooked pasta, eat and enjoy! Or freeze for a later time!!  

Other uses for pesto:
Spread on your favorite sandwich, drizzle on a caprese salad, use it in a cold pasta salad, brush on your corn on the cob, brush on your grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp, the ideas are endless!  Please share ways you use pesto in the comment box below!! I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions!!

Dairy-Free Pesto

I finally ate my Simple Potato Gnocchi that I made from scratch last week!  Let me tell you they were delicious and went great with this pesto recipe, that's actually dairy-free!!  I use it to make pasta salad, on fish, chicken, and now on my gnocchi!!

Dairy-Free Pesto

(makes about 1 cup)

1 bunch basil, leaves only

4 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper (taste and add more accordingly)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 pine nuts (optional)

a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

the zest of 1 lemon(optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and pulse until smooth and well combined!  Freeze for later use in an air tight container, or pour over you favorite pasta, fish, or chicken dish!! ENJOY!

I had some ricotta cheese in the fridge and thought it could be yummy to add it to the gnocchi.  It was!!!  Obviously, this bowl isn't dairy free!!

Double Duty

A few days ago I conducted an experiment that ended up being a huge success!! I had bought a pound of turkey to try making stuffed peppers, but decided that since I'm only one person and live alone I don't need to make a whole pound of turkey worth.  So I bought only 4 peppers and figured that I'd use half of the turkey for the pepper stuffing.  The other half a pound of turkey I decided I'd make some sort of turkey meatloaf.  I really wanted to make them small so I thought I'd use my mini muffin tin.

Well, when I started to look and see what I had around in the apartment to mix up for the stuffed peppers I thought to myself instead of rice (which I didn't have anyway) I'd use quinoa.  We all know I love love love quinoa!  I mixed up 1 pound ground white meat turkey, uncooked quinoa, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sauteed onion, egg, and salt and pepper in a bowl and that was the filling for my stuffed peppers!   I stuffed as many of the peppers I had into the small pot I had and then filled my mini muffin tin up with the rest of the meat filling.  I baked those off in the oven, and VOOOIIILLLLA before the stuffed peppers were done I had 12 mini meatloaf bites that were delicious, healthy, and filled with protein!!!

Turkey and Quinoa Filling 
(for meatloaf or stuffed peppers, see recipes below)

1 pound ground white turkey meat
1 large egg
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed
1 small onion chopped small and sauteed in olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 handful of basil leaves, about 1/2 cup

Place turkey meat, salt, pepper, egg, red pepper flakes, and rinsed quinoa in a large bowl.  In a mini food processor chop the garlic and basil together, until finely chopped.  In a pan saute chopped onions until soft and translucent, let cool.  Mix basil garlic mixture and sauteed onions into the bowl with the turkey mixture and combine ingredients together using a fork or your hand.

This is the Turkey and Quinoa Filling

Use the filling to prepare the following recipes:

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites
(makes 24 mini meatloaf bites)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of turkey and quinoa filling into each section of your mini muffin tin and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.  Enjoy! Freeze leftover bites and save for a snack or lunch another time! Serve with some marinara sauce, yum!!

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites

Stuffed Red Peppers in Tomato Sauce

(makes about 8 stuffed peppers)

2 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 tomato can filled with water, you may need to add more as the peppers cook to prevent sauce from drying up.

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste (in the sauce)

8 large red bell peppers

Cut off the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds.  Stuff each pepper to the top with turkey and quinoa filling.  Place stuffed peppers along with crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and water in a large deep pot.  (Make sure the pot you are using has a lid.) Be sure that all the peppers are covered in sauce, if you need more liquid add more water.  Let simmer on low-medium heat, while continuing to watch and stir the pot so that the peppers do not burn on the bottom, for about 45 minutes to an hour, the peppers should be soft enough to pierce with a fork and the meat should feel firm inside.  Serve with roasted veggies or a nice salad! ENJOY!

Here are the peppers simmering in crushed tomato sauce and bay leaves.  DO NOT LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED, BECAUSE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WILL BURN!!!!!

 Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Every time I travel by train or plane I buy one or two food magazines to keep me busy. Last week when I traveled home for the holidays I purchased a magazine I never had before, Everyday Food, the Martha Stewart publication.  I always saw it on the shelves but never bought it, probably because of it's small size.  Well I was totally wrong about that one!  Although small is size, it's big in the recipe department.  I found at least 10 easy recipes that I wanted to try out.  The first one I decided to try was this tomato and goat cheese tart. 

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 tablespoon fat free plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

2 leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

2 plum tomatoes sliced

2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons chopped basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and unfold thawed pastry on it.  In a small bowl stir together yogurt, mustard, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture over the puff pastry evenly.  Fold over 1/2 inch border on all sides and press edges to seal.  Refrigerate while preparing the leeks and tomatoes.

Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise, rinse well, pat dry, and slice 1/4 inch thick.  Saute leeks in a large pan with melted butter or olive oil.  Season leeks with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 6 minutes.  Arrange the leeks evenly on the puff pastry.  Top with the tomato slices and season with salt and pepper.  Bake until pastry is golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes.  Let cool slightly and top with crumbled goat cheese and basil.  Serve warm or at room temperature, ENJOY!

If you have any extra ingredients, use them to make a great omelet the next morning!  That's what I did...I even mixed it all up in a container so that all I needed to do in the morning was pour the egg and veggie mixture into a heated pan and cook it up for breakfast!  It's as easy as that...two meals in one!

Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

The last time I made macaroni and cheese was on Valentine's Day. I had tried something new. I normally always just follow Ina Garten's recipe for mac and cheese but that day I tweaked it just a bit by adding white truffle butter to the roux and to the bread crumbs that topped the mac.

It's been a few months and it's time for another dose of mac and cheese! This time I'm going to change it even further. I've been to restaurants where they prepare a herb mac and cheese and it's usually good. I'm going to kick it up another notch, sorry I had to say that, by adding in some herbs and garlic.

Remember a few days back I posted a recipe for potatoes?? Well, I am going to use the greeen garlicky herb oil with the addition of 1 tablespoon chopped basil and add it to the cheese sauce before I add the cooked macaroni. I think it's going to be super delicious!!! Just in case it's not as delicious as I think it sounds, I decided to make two separate mac and cheeses. I made one small ramekin of the herbed mac and cheese and then made a bigger one of the regular truffle mac and cheese that I always make, I know that one would be good. As for you weird people who don't like green foods, I know a couple of you folks, yes you....just omit adding the green garlicky herb oil and your mac and cheese should turn out green-free!

After eating the ramekin of the mac and cheese with the herbs it is safe to say that it's my new favorite. It's a more mature macaroni and cheese, for us adults. The mixture of truffles and garlic gives the dish a fantastic aroma and taste. Serve this meal along with an arugula and tomato salad and it is sure to be a hit!

Here's the recipe...

Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

(serves 8 people)

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated

2 tablespoons white truffle butter

½ cup flour

1 quart skim milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

8oz shredded sharp Cheddar

12oz shredded gruyere cheese

1 cup green garlicky herb oil (with basil added)

1 ½ cups bread crumbs

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender but still firm. Drain well and set aside.

In a deep skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter (5 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) over medium heat. Add the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, to remove any lumps.

Pour in the milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Add in the green garlicky herb oil. Off the heat, stir in both cheeses and stir until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and stir until macaroni is well coated.

Melt the remaining butter (1 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) and combine with the breadcrumbs, sprinkle on top of macaroni.

Transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Real Easy Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

I saw this recipe on a blog called Rachel Eats. It originally was adapted from Marcella Hazan’s The essentials of classic Italian cooking. I adapted it a tad further, see recipe below.

Serves 4

• 28oz tinned whole San Marzano tomatoes (used chopped tomatoes)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion cut in quarters
• salt to taste
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 5-8 basil leaves julienned

Peel the onion and chop it in quarters.

Put the tomatoes, onion, and butter in a heavy based saucepan and put the pan on a modest flame.

Allow the sauce to reach to a gentle simmer, adjust flame if necessary so the sauce cooks at a slow but steady simmer for 45 minutes. You need to stir every now and then, gently squashing and crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. (I didn't have to do this step because I used crushed tomatoes. The original recipe says to discard the onion after the sauce is cooked but I left it in for extra flavor!)

Add salt, crushed red pepper, and basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and use on your favorite pasta dish.

I imagine this would be great for a pizza sauce, an eggplant parmesan recipe, etc. The ideas are endless!