Posts Tagged ‘cloves garlic’

Pesto Sauce with a Twist

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

I have wanted to share this recipe with you all for a while now. Two things happened that provoked me to finally share it. First off the basil in my garden is ready to rock. And secondly I was stoked to find organic, gluten-free penne pasta at Costco. The brand they carry at my Costco is truRoots and check out this ingredient list: brown rice flour, corn flour, quinoa flour, and amaranth flour. All organic! I have been missing pasta soooo much since going gluten free several months ago. Discovering this package of penne pasta at Costco made me giddy! And I wanted to enjoy them in various special ways…not just with a traditional marinara sauce. Pesto sauce is a fun alternative to marinara…plus you can make it in mere minutes!

Most of you know I adore kale and am always looking for new, interesting way to prepare it (however a simple raw kale salad remains my favorite way to enjoy kale!). This pesto sauce uses kale in it! And no pine nuts. Don’t get me wrong…I love pine nuts. Love them! But man, those little dudes are pricey! Plus they are not really a staple in our diet so it is hit or miss if I will actually have them on hand when I crave pesto. However the ingredients in this Pesto Sauce with a Twist are almost always readily available in my kitchen/garden. 🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts

1 – 2 cloves garlic

1 large bunch of kale, de-stemmed

generous handful of fresh basil leaves

3/4 cups olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

1 + tablespoons of water (if needed to thin out sauce)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until desired constistancy. Add water as needed.

ENJOY!

Sarah
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Tasty Tuesday: Mixed Potato Soup with Roasted Red Pepper

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

My hubby made this soup on a whim the other day. As usual he whipped it together without using a recipe and simply making use of whatever we had available in the fridge/pantry. Luckily we had just purchased a brand new high-quality vegetable peeler because there was a lot of peeling involved. The soup turned out sooo yummy that I asked him to write it down so I could attempt to repeat it. I made it again last night for dinner served with a side of cashew nut quinoa and a spinach salad. My kids totally licked their soup bowls clean. Our dinner guest also raved at the deliciousness of the soup.

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil (or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon of curry

1 Tablespoon of ginger

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1 Tablespoon of soy sauce

1 Tablespoon of sesame oil

3 cups of water (depending on how thick you want it)

1/2 can of coconut milk

salt, to taste

Directions:

Sautee onions and garlic in coconut oil. Add currry and ginger and saute one minute stirring to evenly coat onions and garlic. Add all remaining veggies and saute for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and water. Bring to a boil. Then cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes until carrots are soft. Transfer to blender and blend smooth. Return to pot and mix half a can of coconut milk and salt to taste. Simmer funcovered or 10 more minutes. ENJOY! 🙂

Quick Tips:

  • You can easily roast your own red peppers at home for WAY cheaper than buying jarred roasted red pepper. I usually roast more than one at a time…might as well do a couple at a time if you are going to heat up the oven. I have also roasted them in a toaster oven and on the grill.
  • There is a lot of peeling involved in the preparation so be sure you have a good peeler to make this step quick and easy.
  • You can roughly chop the veggies since you will be blending everything anyway. However if you chop vegetables into large chunks, it might take a tad longer for them to soften.
  • Be sure to use a high quality curry…it makes a world of difference in the flavor.

Would love to hear your feedback if you give this recipe a try! 🙂

-Sarah