Pesto

/

Where in the world did this week go? I'm not going with "Friday Favs" today because I promised I'd share my Pesto recipe THREE weeks ago and I haven't done that yet. We've had way too many other things to talk about, right? Anyway, my 'deck garden' is still plentiful of all-the-herbs. Especially my little friend, basil. I have 3 giant basil plants that have been very good to me, but, there's only so much caprese a girl can eat, right? I need to use ZE BASIL! What's great about pesto is that it can be frozen and used for future months. Let me tell you, when the dead of winter hits and you've shoveled your billionth snowflake, there's nothing better than whipping up a quick bowl of pesto pasta. Not only is it delicious, but, it also serves as a reminder that yes, the summer will come and the color green does exist.

Now, let's get to that recipe, shall we?

I've shared a pesto recipe in the past. Admittedly, this one is not that much different but, that's kind of the point. In case I don't say it enough, adapt recipes as needed. If you're missing an ingredient, try something new. In this recipe, I've replaced pine nuts with pecans. My reasoning: 1) I don't often have pine nuts in the house 2) I've read some bad things about pine nuts 3) Pecans have more antioxidants than any other nut 4) They taste good.

The ingredient list is simple:
- 2 cups of basil
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbs (or so) of pecans
- 1/4 cu or so of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 cu of Parmesan cheese

Throw it all in the food processor and let it spin until it's the right consistency. Be sure not to overblend.

And that's all, my friends. 

That night, I made a bowl of zoodles with sautéed organic chicken, tomatoes and used the pesto as the sauce... delish!

Have a great weekend! xo

ZOODLES!!

/

I think I've mentioned before that there are a handful of Australian vegan bloggers I follow on Instagram who post the most beautiful smoothie bowls, salads, fruit mash-ups that I have EVER, EVER seen. It's like they're all professional food stylists. Here's a few if you're interested --> lonijane and onehungrymami and thefitfoodieblog

So, I've totally tried to replicate some of their smoothie bowls, but, lately I've been super jealous of the ZOODLES they've all been making! Zoodles are basically noodles made from zucchini or other types of squash or eggplant. I've never used any other blade on my cuisinart food processor besides the standard one, but, I asked my mom if there was another blade that might make something that at least shreds these vegetables into something like a zoodle. Alas, there is! Hooray!

So it definitely shreds the zucchini more than noodles it, but, whatever. It's still cool.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what to do with them so I figured pesto might be good. I defrosted one that I made a few weeks ago and mixed around the zoodle shreds in it with some fresh organic tomatoes, diced basil from my garden, parmesan and....

Oh... some pea and prosciutto raviolis. You know, I wasn't sure if it would be good on it's own....

Love raviolis.

IMG_2254.JPG

And, yes, this was SO GOOD! So pesto-y and flavorful! A nice, light, healthy Italian dish! 

So tell me.... ever made zoodles? Do you have a zoodle-maker? What's the consistency? I'm so intrigued!

Have an awesome week! xo 

Weekend in Review & Pesto "Spaghetti"

/

I love 3-day weekends and this one was a great one (and so necessary)! I feel like the weekends have been flying by WAY too fast lately so a 3-day is exactly what I needed. We kicked off Valentine's Day with a delish meal at Gather... drinks, yummy apps, meals, & tiramisu for dessert. Can't go wrong!

On Saturday, one of Rob's best friends got married in the blizzard. We had a blast! The blizzard just made it more fun - we were locked inside with transportation to and from the hotel, great food, loud music, and most importantly, FUN people. That's all that really matters. The bride and groom exchanged their own vows and it was extremely touching and beautiful. Yesterday, I deemed myself the laziest person on the planet and so today was dedicated to getting myself back in order. Whew!

IMG_5884.jpg

I've been on a smoothie kick lately!  I haven't been posting them on here since the recipes are so simple... so I put them on all insta if you want to check them out here. Kale bores me on its own but, it's a nutrient powerhouse so I put it in all of my smoothies - can't even taste it - promise! This was today's lunch.

Cup of Kale, Half an Avocado, 3-/4-1cup of Frozen Mango, Couple-Few dashes of cinnamon and ginger, and Vanilla Almond Milk. So good!

I went to boxing 6 times last week so I thought it might be smart to go for a run and give these New Balance Fresh Foam kicks a test drive. They are so light and comfy! (Even though it was freeezingggg)

Time for dinner! I picked up a spaghetti squash at Foodies today and figured since I've been on such a kale kick, I'd try making kale pesto. Disclaimer: This kale-avocado pesto came out awesome, however, I'd go basil all day errryday moving forward... not worth the effort hiding the bitterness.

How to cook spaghetti squash you ask? Easy.

- Poke holes all over the dang thang

- Pop it in a 415 degree oven for a half hour (or less depending on the size of the squash)

- Flip it, and cook for another half hour

Cut it in half and let it cool for a little bit (or else you'll burn your hands). Then take forks and pull out all the "spaghetti".

For the pesto: 1/2 cup of Kale, Whole Avocado, 1/4 cup or so of Parmesan, 1 garlic clove, 1/3 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1-2 lemons, salt & pepper to taste. Mix it up in the food processor.

(I used more o/o and Parmesan than I usually would if I had just used basil instead of kale - see what I'm getting at? Not totally worth it. And, basil is healthy! I just wanted to try something new and didn't have any basil in the house)

Take a couple tbs of the pesto and add it to a saute pan with crushed red pepper, a pad of butter, shredded chicked (I baked chicken that I marinated in o/o, lemon, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper - shredded it and added it to the mix), and half of the spaghetti squash (or all of it if this meal is for two).

Top with Parmesan and crushed red pepper and serve. DELISH!

Have an awesome week! xo

 

Disclaimer: New Balance does not compensate me for reviews on their gear, however, they did provide me with that pair of fresh foam kicks. All reviews are my own.