Walnut-Basil Pesto

My Mom's garden is absolutely loaded with fresh basil, so I figured for my afternoon de-stress session I'd put it to good use: a walnut-basil pesto. It is very fragrant and tasty, as well as very quick and easy to make. Absolutely perfect on a slice of toasted bread or to toss some pasta in!

What you'll need:

• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 3 cups fresh basil (loosely packed)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or omit for a dairy-free vegan option)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Place the garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse till minced. Add the walnuts and pulse until finely chopped, but not ground into a powder.

2. Add the basil and pulse. Add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, to taste. Pulse again.

3. While the food processor is on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The pesto with thicken and become creamy.

Serve with your favorite grain or eat with a spoon :]

Summer Creations

Zinnias from my Mom's Garden

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while... been having quite a lazy summer! To prove that I haven't stopped cooking (lord knows I haven't stopped eating), here's a few photos of things I've done lately. Recipes to follow, once I get myself back on track!

But first, here's a glimpse for you to see where my inspiration and ingredients have come from this summer: my mom's beautiful garden.

So many watermelons!

Zucchini flowers... absolutely delicious fried!

And now for the creations:

Spiked Blackberry Ginger Coolers

Alaskan Salmon Rolls

Classic Caprese

Vodka-spiked Strawberry Lemonade

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Homemade Pancakes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

Homemade Peaches 'N Cream Waffles

Prosciutto Tomato & Basil Omelet

Vegan Walnut Brownies

Cucumber Rolls

Many, many more to come!

Raw Coconut-Lime Cookies

My mom and I work a booth at the farmer's market here in Snellville selling a variety of baked goods, and vegetables and fruits from our garden, and it's been really fun in terms of expanding my creativity. I've been able to test out new things (some of which don't always pan out and my family members end up eating the rejects) but this was one of the recipes that I'm really happy with! These cookies are completely raw as well as grain, dairy, egg, and soy free. They are also sweetened with agave instead of added processed sugar. They are wonderfully reminiscent of a margarita, and a perfect snack you don't have to feel guilty about eating!

What you'll need:

Equipment:

• Food processor
• Dehydrator

Ingredients:

• 2 c raw walnuts
• 1 c unsweetened dried coconut flakes
• 1/2 c agave nectar
• Zest of 2 limes
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

What to do:

Place the nuts in the freezer to chill for a few minutes. In a food processor, pulse together the walnuts, coconut, and lime zest until mixed but still chunky.

Transfer the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Combine well. Drop tablespoon-sized scoops of the mixture onto parchment paper-lined dehydrator trays. Press the cookies down with a flat utensil (I used as a spatula) with a piece of parchment paper between the two so the batter doesn't stick.

Dehydrate for about 5 hours. Then flip the cookies and dehydrate for another 5 hours. You can adjust the dehydration time by how chewy or crunchy you want your cookies.

Let the cookies cool, and then enjoy!

Not feeling up to making these yourself? Come buy a pack from me at the Snellville Farmer's Market! Saturday's from 7-12 in front of City Hall :)

Vegan Mediterranean Bread

Hello long lost food blog! I haven't posted in a while, and now I've got food how-to photos accumulating like crazy... so you can expect a few daily posts from me :]

I recently picked up a vegan baking book from the library, and decided to try out a few recipes. Unfortunately, I'm on a grain-free diet right now and wasn't able to actually try this one! But luckily, I've got a plethora of family members to test recipes out on. The bread comes out of the oven moist and fragrant, looking so rustic and beautiful. This is also a quick-bread with no yeast or rising time, so it's very easy to make!

What you'll need:

• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1/2 c water
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c whole-wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp each chopped fresh rosemary and basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/3 c finely chopped walnuts
• 1/3 c chopped olives (I used black, but I would recommend kalamata instead)
• 1/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking stone or loaf pan with canola oil. 

 

In a food processor, whip the flaxseed and water together until it becomes thick.

 

 

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and chopped herbs. In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed mixture, almond milk, and olive oil.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold until three-quarters of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Add the olives, sundried tomatoes, and the walnuts, and fold until all of the dry ingredients are fully moistened. Don't worry, the batter is supposed to be sticky.

Scrape the batter into a loaf pan or onto a baking stone for a more artisan look. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack.

Serve with olive oil and enjoy!

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

This fun twist on chips and salsa is a family favorite! I have been making it for a few years, usually for special occasions (like Easter today!) and it's always a hit. If you aren't the biggest fan of dicing and dicing and dicing, I don't recommend this one for you. But it will definitely improve your knife skills :)

What you'll need:

For the Salsa:

• 2 medium apples
• 1 8 oz package strawberries
• 1 4 oz package raspberries
• 3 kiwis
• 1 Tbsp jelly or preserves of your choice

For the Chips:

• 14 small flour tortillas (regular or whole-wheat)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• Canola oil spray

What to do:

First you want to dice your fruit- this can be tricky if you don't have much experience with dicing, so I'm going to walk you through it step by step. First, cut each apple in half, and place each one cut-side down.

Slice your apple into thin slices

Place the slices flat on your cutting board, cut them into strips, and then cut in the other direction to form small cubes. Place in a medium-large bowl.

Use the same method with the strawberries. Roughly chop the raspberries, or halve them if you like. For the kiwis, cut off both ends and stand the kiwi up on your cutting board. Work around the kiwi with your knife, cutting off the skin.

Lay the kiwi back down, and cut into slices

Use the same method as the apples: lay the slices down and cut into strips, and then into cubes in the opposite direction. Combine all fruit in a medium-large bowl. Add the jelly and mix thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stack your tortillas and then cut into fourths. Spray each with canola oil, and place on a cookie sheet. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Sprinkle a little bit of the mixture on top of each tortilla chip. 

Bake the chips for about ten minutes, or until crisp. Let the chips cool, and serve!

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

I decided to do a little baking this afternoon! These are super moist and delicious, and also vegan! A friend in one of my classes made them and passed along the recipe, and I just love them. Try them out as muffins or add vegan cream cheese icing to transform them into cupcakes. Very easy and quick recipe!

What you'll need:

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 c sugar
• 3/4 c canola oil
• 1 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 c shredded carrots

For the Icing: 

• 1/2 c vegan cream cheese (or regular cream cheese if you aren't vegan!)
• 2 c confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts, to garnish
• 2 Tbsp shredded carrots, to garnish
  
  
  

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers. Combine all dry ingredients and whisk. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients (excluding the carrots). Combine the wet with the dry ingredients. Mix with an electric mixer, and then fold in the carrots. Pour the batter evenly into 12 cupcake tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Cool on a wire rack.

or until they look like this!

While your cupcakes are baking/cooling, make your icing. Cream the cream cheese until just softened. Add the confectioner's sugar in increments. Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep covered in the fridge until you are ready to ice your cupcakes until ready to use. Once your cupcakes are cool, ice your cupcakes.

Garnish with the chopped walnuts and shredded carrots!

Loaded Buffalo Joes

Sometimes cravings get the best of you, and all I could think about at the gym yesterday was what I was going to do with my ground buffalo when I got home! Sloppy Joes are one of those things from my childhood that I love, but now realize they just aren't good for you. So I decided to try my hand at creating a healthier sloppy joe -- using bison and a ton of veggies! I promise they are just as delicious (and just as messy!) as the regular kind :)

What you'll need:

For 4 Buffalo Joes:

• 1 lb ground buffalo
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 3oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 6oz package of mushrooms
• 1 6oz can no salt added tomato sauce
• 3 Tbsp no salt added tomato paste
• 1 can red kidney beans 
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A pinch of each:
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme
• garlic powder
• red pepper flakes
  
  **You can sub in Italian seasoning for these spices, I just didn't have any!

What to do:

Chop/dice the onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms.

Sauté the chopped vegetables over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the spices and mix well.

Add the ground buffalo and the cherry tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned.

Add the kidney beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and vinegar. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve on a whole wheat bun and enjoy!