Pesto

I grew up in a world free of food allergies. It wasn't until I started college that I was introduced to people who had to food allergies. My first college roommate had Celiac disease, allergic to a variety of nuts and was also a vegetarian who at the time didn't like green vegetables. From that point on I seem to find more and more people who have various food allergies. I try to be accommodating as possible when I am cooking for people with allergies. I will also accommodate vegetarians if I am cooking for them. I haven't made up my mind on vegans yet (to this point I haven't had to make this decision). 

So what does any of this have to do with Pesto? Pesto for those who may not know is traditionally made with pine nuts, basil, olive oil and salt. This means if you are sensitive to tree nuts pesto may have to be avoided! This past weekend I had a ton of basil (thank you Trader Joes) and a worry that it would go bad before I got to eating all of it fresh. The best solution was to whip up some pesto, and considering ESFSW and I were planning on making pizza Saturday night. ESFSW is allergic to peanuts and while peanuts (which are legumes) and pine nuts (tree nuts) are not the same thing I felt like once upon a time I heard that these allergies can track. I decided since I had almonds I would try making pesto with almonds instead. As it turns out my roommates were also going to be making pizza so I was extra glad I decided to make pesto with almonds instead of pine nuts. 

Here is what I did:


In a blender or food processor. Process 1/4 to 1/2 cup of slivered almonds until you have almond crumbs

About 1/2 cup slivered almonds

 Pulsing the blender for approximately 1 minute resulted in course crumbs.

Coarse almond crumbs

 After another minute the almonds were in fine crumbs

Now they are done - fine almond crumbs

Added several cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt at this point and pulsed again til the garlic was indistinguishable.

Add olive oil - not too much about a 1/4 cup and pulse again.

Gorgeous!

Almond garlic paste

 Next add at least a cup of fresh basil leaves that have been rinsed and dried.

 Pulse until the basil is well chopped and incorporated. Add more oil if the mixture is too dry. Now add a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar and pulse again.

What a nice looking paste!

 Pulse til you have achieved your desired consistency. If you need to add more oil or vinegar please do. Make sure you taste a little bit and adjust the ingredients to satisfy your palate.

Finished!

The pesto was a great base to the pizza ESFSW and I made that Saturday night. I also had enough left over that I am hoping to have with some pasta and shrimp some time this week for dinner.

~ Happy Cooking! ~

Spinach Tomato Potato and Egg Salad

Dinners that are fast, fresh, cheap and delicious are not always the easiest to come up at the drop of the hat, but is the holy grail of week night cooking. In the winter the solution is easy - stews and soups that I make in big batches and freeze. In the summer I usually just make big salads, but I was craving something a bit more creative than just a salad recently and then I had a brain wave! I had spinach, eggs, tomatoes and potatoes!

What I present here is by no means fast since I had to roast the potatoes! But, with a little fore thought you could easily roast a batch of potatoes on the weekend!

Spinach, Tomatoes and Eggs, Oh My!

Here is what I did:

Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Clean and cut up 3 small red skinned potatoes (single serving). Toss potatoes in olive oil, sea salt, pepper and other herbs (as desired). Arrange on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes (until soft). You should probably stir them around half way through the roasting time.

Meanwhile, put a pot of water on high heat. Once the water is nearly boiling add an egg. Boil for 15 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and chill in ice water (will help the shell peel off easier and the yolk from turning grey).

Tear up desire amount of washed spinach leaves. Half some grape tomatoes. Chop up the egg and add to the spinach and tomatoes in a bowl. Once the potatoes are done roasting add them while still warm to the partially assembled salad. Drizzle a little red wine vinegar and olive oil on top and enjoy. If you have crumble bacon on hand this goes well one top as well! Or grated cheese!

Obviously - when I made this salad it was not quick because I had to roast the potatoes. But I have repeated this when I had all the ingredients fully prepared and on hand and it took less than 5 minutes. I would like to point out the well balanced nature of this meal as well. Wouldn't you rather eat this for dinner or lunch than grabbing food out somewhere? Planning can be a busy cooks best friend during the week!

Happy Cooking!