Shannon’s Four Greens Pesto

My sister-in-law made this delicious pesto for us when she was here visiting from her home in Brazil.

 It was October and we spent time up north where we rented the most glorious house for a few days. Can you picture the very tip of the Leelanau Peninsula?  Not sure what I’m talking about? Well, can you picture the very tip of the pinky finger in the imaginary “Michigan Map” that your left hand makes? The very tippy tip? That’s where we were, mainly dodging rain drops and battling cold Michigan wind.

There is a wild beauty in the outdoors in October as you can see from my photos. You can also see that I tried to capture all the shades of color that I saw in a 5 minute period out our window.

Can you read the recipe and figure it out? Basically, put it all in the food processor and serve over fettuccine, garnishing with the obvious things.  I didn’t think using all four greens would be good ...that it would have too many flavors. But I was wrong. This is a super pesto! 

Zucchini Tart with Basil Cashew Cheese - VeganMoFo

Poesy and Plate
 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(check out the hundreds of VeganMoFo blogs HERE)
My goal: cook and blog about vegan food 20 times
  during the month of September. 
My theme: words and food

What is Green? by Tracy Wood

-slime, mold, scum and bacteria

-life, fresh air, grass and tomatillos

Green is a shamrock on top of a cupcake

                a lucky gold coin at the end of a rainbow

                a Tennessee river

Can you see spring’s first crocus poking its insistent tip through the frost?

Can you smell freshly cut football fields?

                How about a tummy ache – that’s green too

Cold air on a March morning

The 1^st step into Lake Michigan

A bite of a sour apple

My birthday



For the basil cashew cheese recipe, click HERE. For the zucchini tart recipe, click HERE.

ps - slather the basil cheese on the pre baked pie crust underneath the zucchini. :) 

Vegetable Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheese

I give this recipe all the best superlatives. It originally comes from  Oh She Glows blog , which is loaded with excellent food and photos. I tweaked it a bit by adding hot pepper flakes. Killer. !! I am going to put this outstanding Basil Cheese on a pizza soon….. dreaming and drooling. Double Killer!! 

Here’s what you need:

Olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 onion, diced

2 zucchini, cubed

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large handful spinach

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 ½ jars marinara sauce

1 box oven ready lasagna noodles (no boil type of noodle…. I love Barilla brand)

1 recipe Basil Cashew Cheese (see below)

1 ½ C non-dairy cheese (Daiya Shreds or Go Veggie Cheese)

Here’s what you need for the Basil Cashew Cheese:

1 c raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

¼ C vegetable broth or water (or more as needed)

¼ C lemon juice

½ C nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper

1 T Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves

1 ½ C fresh basil, loosely packed

Here’s what you do:

Soak the cashews in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain them. Place all the ingredients for the Lemon Basil Cheese in a high powered blender (like a Vitamix) and watch what happens! Amazing! I had to add a bit of water to help it along. Set aside.

Saute the onions in a bit of oil until soft but not brown. Add the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute the huge amount of veggies till nice and tender. Be sure to season them liberally with salt and pepper. When they are ready, add a big handful of fresh spinach and cook for about 5 more minutes.

I split my lasagna into two pans: one for dinner and one for the freezer. 

To assemble the lasagna: Pour about ½ C sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Layer uncooked noodles over sauce. Spread basil cashew cheese over the noodles. Spoon ½ of veggie mixture over noodles. Pour more sauce over veggies. Repeat, being sure to end with sauce. Make sure the sauce is tucked down in and around the noodles.  End with a layer of non-dairy cheese. I used Go Veggie brand and it was super.

Cover with foil, make a few vents in the foil with a sharp knife, bake for 40-45 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  Remove foil and broil for a few minutes, watching carefully. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before slicing.

(printable recipe) 

Tuscan White Bean Pizza with Roasted Tomato Aioli - Vegan

(recipe  based on Vegan on the Cheap, by Robin Robertson, Wiley, 2010)

Garlic. Canned beans. Store bought thin crust. Roasted tomatoes. Pesto. Beer. Friday night. Happiness.

Here’s what you need for the pizza:

One good quality store bought thin pizza crust. (I swear by Boboli brand.)

I actually have two homemade pizza crusts that I also swear by, one of them is on my other blog……

did you know I used to write another blog?

That’s ancient history, now, but there’s some great stuff over there.

Click here and here to see my favorite homemade pizza crusts.

Olive oil

Fresh garlic

15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Salt, pepper

1/3 vegetable stock

2 T nutritional yeast

Roasted tomatoes (mine came from the freezer)

Pesto (mine came from the freezer)

    (Olives, artichokes, spinach, fresh basil - the sky’s the limit when it comes to pizza toppings, right?)

Here’s what you need for the aioli:

1 pound Roma tomatoes

1 C water

½ C raw cashews

1 clove fresh garlic

Lemon juice

Salt, pepper and ¼ t liquid smoke

Here’s what you do for the aioli:

Quarter the tomatoes, remove the seeds, place cut sides up, drizzle with olive oil. Roast under the broiler until soft, but not too charred. Place all aioli ingredients in a high speed blender and watch what happens! Heat it over low heat.

I had my doubts before I put this in the oven,
 but now this pizza is in my regular dinner rotation. Try it! 

Here’s what you do for the pizza:

Mince and sauté the garlic until tender but not brown, over a very low heat. Add the drained and rinsed beans and stir around a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetable broth and nutritional yeast. Smash the beans with a potato masher or fork.

Spread the bean layer on the crust. Top with the beautiful tomatoes and pesto. Bake. Spoon the Roasted Tomato Aioli over the slices. Eat. Drink beer. Enjoy Friday evening.

Spice Rack Challenge : Basil

Chapter One:

Search around for a great way to use basil – of course it must be paired with other summer essentials: tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant.

Chapter Two:

Settle on Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart…… directly from Food Network website and Ellie Krieger (one of my favorite TV personalities)

Chapter Three:

Go to the garden and see that there are only TWO basil plants this year…… spend some time wondering how that happened. Not enough for homemade pesto, sigh……. Will I have to purchase basil?? Horrors…..Is there still time to plant more? 

Chapter Three and a half:
Looking for a super way to use tons of basil? click here for my pesto recipe.

Chapter Four:

Make a trip to the health food store for corn meal.

Chapter Five:

Gather the simple ingredients and study the recipe. (Ellie Krieger’s recipes sometimes have way too many steps, but they are always worth the effort.)

 Chapter Six:

Make the crust.

Chapter Seven:

Bake with foil and beans.

Chapter Eight:

Bake longer without the foil and beans.

Chapter Nine:

Sautee shallots.

Chapter Ten:

Thinly slice all the tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant. 

Chapter Eleven:

Slowly roast the veggies.

Chapter Twelve:

Allow everything to cool.

Chapter Thirteen:

Layer all the goodness - veggies, cheeses, basil– beautiful really…. 

Chapter Fourteen:

Bake and serve with couscous salad.

Review:

We absolutely loved the layered veggies in this tart, but did not enjoy the crust. It was too dry and ‘corny’ for our taste.  This recipe only calls for 2 T butter and 2 T oil in the crust, whereas in other crusts there in an entire stick of butter and sometimes even more fat (cheese, or whatever.) So, if you’re looking to curb calories, this crust is fine. If you’re looking for a flaky bite, search for a different crust. If you want a delicious combination of roasted veggies, look no further.

  

Epilogue:

When the recipe says use 1/3 of an eggplant and a medium zucchini, you are left with these sad leftovers….. what to do? Roast them and put them on a pizza?

One Year Ago:
Oatmeal Bread - I make this all the time
Tomato Appetizer Pie - a summer classic

(printable recipe can be found here)

pesto

Pesto

If you have a garden full of basil and if you have a food processor, then this is the sauce for you! Very versatile, pesto can be used on pasta, pizza, chicken, garlic toast, etc. At my house, we only use it on pasta with lots of great Parmesan cheese. This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan. I am going to admit that I no longer have that cookbook (but wish I did!) I only have two pages that I tore out of the huge book before I gave it away...... sad, I know. I kept the recipe for homemade pasta and I kept the recipe for this pesto. I guess if there were two recipes to keep from classic Italian cooking, these would be the ones.....

Here's what you need:

2 C tightly packed fresh basil - wash and dry it carefully. I use my salad spinner.

1/2 C good olive oil

3 T pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

1/2 t salt

Here's what you do:

While the blade of your food processor is running, drop the garlic in and it will chop into very fine pieces. This is a really great method! In the picture above, you can see the garlic in the bowl of my processor under all the basil and it's the perfect size. I did not have to chop any of it...

Add the basil, pine nuts, salt and olive oil.

Run the machine and scrape down after a bit.

That's it!

If you are going to serve it right away, add 1/2 C good Parmesan cheese and 3T softened butter. If you sometimes add the hot salty water that your pasta has boiled in, please do not do it for pesto because your beautiful green sauce will turn an unpleasant brown.....

Do plan to eat it right away or freeze it so it stays this vibrant color - beautiful, really.
You can easily freeze pesto without the butter and cheese.
My freezer now has these five lovely bundles of pesto, ready for a quick winter pasta dinner. Very satisfying!

pizza burger

Pizza Burger

The actual name of this burger is the 'Barack Obama Pizza Burger.' It was published in a Food Network magazine right next to the 'John McCain Chicken Queso Burger.' I posted the chicken queso burger yesterday, in case you missed it - have to give equal time to 'both sides of the aisle' as they say! Whatever your politics - try both recipes because they are equally good! We have been making both burgers in our house for about a year - depends on our mood - beef or chicken.... There is a bit of prep work to these burgers, so be sure to plan for that.

Here's what you need for these burgers:

great buns

1 stick butter

1 head garlic

fresh parsley

champagne vinegar

ground beef (enough for nice large patties. I like to use ground round, but of course ground chuck would be excellent too)

marinara sauce (jarred is fine)

lots of fresh mozzarella cheese (in the picture above we used regular mozzarella, but fresh is much better)

fresh basil leaves - a definitive taste to these burgers and one which must not be overlooked.

Here's what to do for the buns (the secret ingredient in this burger):

Roast a head of garlic by removing the outer paper, slicing off the top just a bit to expose the cloves, drizzling with a tiny bit of olive oil, placing the entire thing in foil and baking for 45 minutes at 350.

When it's done, you should be able to squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Mix it with about 1 stick of butter, 2 T chopped parsley, 1 t champagne vinegar and salt.

Smear this garlic butter on both halves of the buns - these you will grill and toast to perfection.

Grill the meat to medium rare. After you have flipped them, add about 2 T marinara sauce on top of the burger and then place on slices of mozzarella.

Cover the grill, watch the buns, melt the cheese....

Serve with more marinara sauce and fresh basil.

These really taste like pizza! There's no need for mustard, ketchup, pickles or the other standard burger condiments. These stand on their own just as is.

I wonder which you will make first? The John McCain Chicken Queso Burger or the Barack Obama Pizza burger?

I also wonder which other politician will get a burger named for him or her?