Basil Pesto

My fresh pesto is one of my proudest moments. It’s wickedly delicious. Try this pesto on pasta, rice, bread, crackers, or pizza. It is spectacular simply spread on bread, with Parmesan cheese and fire-roasted red peppers on top, then heated up in the toaster oven. The scent of basil triggers the brain to experience joy, so have a whiff and rejoice.

Ingredients

3 cups packed fresh basil, cleaned and de-stemmed
3 cloves of garlic
¼ -½ cup olive oil (see how it goes)
¼ cup pine nuts
5 oz. Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese
¼ tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whirl until creamy smooth. Be careful with the olive oil, don’t add too much. Start out with about ¼ cup and add more if needed to get the consistency right. Here is the secret to exceptional pesto: basil flowers. The most tasty pesto is made from fresh basil, picked straight from the garden, cleaned, and thrown directly into the food processor. There is nothing finer. I have found that adding some basil flowers into the mix does something indescribably special to the flavor. It’s the taste of summer.

Basil can be frozen in Ziploc bags and tastes surprisingly fresh when defrosted months (and even a year) later.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Summer Garden Risotto

Use a medley of vegetables from the summer garden or your local Farmer’s Market to make this fresh veggie dish sparkle. In my house, this risotto reflects the daily harvest. Here is a standard version with red peppers, tomatoes, onions, and zucchini.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked exotic rice blend
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
¾ cup finely chopped red peppers
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
2 cups finely chopped zucchini
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup dry red wine (e.g., a merlot)
5-6 cups soup stock (or hot water with a dissolved vegetable bouillon cube)
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. fresh thyme
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt to taste

Directions

If you have some vegetarian soup stock set aside (or care to take the time to make some), use it in this recipe, otherwise warm the water and dissolve a vegetable bouillon cube in it. Chop the vegetables so that they are ready to go when you need them. The onions, garlic, and red peppers will be added together. The tomatoes and zucchini will be added later.

In a large deep dish frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, and red peppers for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Add the rice and continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently so that all the rice is sautéed. I like to use a rice blend of long-grain brown rice, red rice, black rice, and wild rice. Next add the red wine and stir until it is all absorbed. Turn the heat down to a simmer.

Add the soup stock ½ a cup at a time, stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed before adding another ½ cup. Keep adding stock (and stirring occasionally) for about 20 minutes, then add the tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs, except for the basil (save that out awhile longer). Continue to add soup stock and continue to cook (and stir occasionally) for another 20 minutes. Then add the basil.

Now it is up to your taste. The rice should remain a bit crunchy (not turn to mush), but just how crunchy depends on what you perceive as done or not done. You can continue cooking the risotto, adding small increments of water/stock for as long as it takes for the rice to reach your idea of “done.” Be careful not to add too much water/stock (you don’t want it soggy). Once you are satisfied with the rice, turn the risotto out into a casserole dish and add the Parmesan cheese, stirring it in well so that it melts throughout. The vegan version of this dish is, of course, without the cheese.

Other vegetables that go well in this dish are green beans, fresh corn cut off the cob, asparagus, peas, carrots (for a bit more sweetness), and green peppers. Mix and match for delightful variations.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Tomato, Feta, and Kalamata Olive Salad

This salad is an all-time favorite among my friends. In the summer, when I grow heirloom tomatoes, I eat a version of this salad every night with dinner. If I could grow only one thing in my garden, it would be tomatoes. I grow an assortment of heirloom tomatoes in a range of colors, oranges, yellows, reds, purples, and green zebras. My daughter recently told me that they sell this kind of salad as an appetizer at fancy restaurants for $15 a plate and call it by some upscale name that I can’t remember. I find that hilarious. For a party or barbecue, try making this recipe with a colorful array of heirloom tomatoes. It will be the most popular dish on the table!

Ingredients

6 large heirloom tomatoes, assorted colors
1 c. crumbled Feta cheese
1 c. pitted Kalamanta olives
2 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
4-6 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
½ c. chopped red onions (optional)

Directions

Slice the tomatoes and lay them in a deep serving platter. Crumble the Feta cheese over the tomatoes. A note about Feta: this cheese can be made from cow milk, sheep milk, and/or goat milk. I like to use the purely goat milk Feta because I prefer the flavor. Scatter olives across the salad. Top with finely chopped basil leaves (and chopped onions if desired). Just before serving, sprinkle the olive oil and red wine vinegar onto the salad so that all parts receive a sprinkle. How much oil and vinegar? It varies depending on how many tomatoes you have (what sizes they are). You don’t want the salad to be too soggy, but you can be pretty generous with the oil and vinegar. I like to chill the tomatoes in advance for this salad.

This recipe is for the royal treatment version of this salad. I frequently make it with just the tomatoes, basil, oil, and vinegar. Left-over tomatoes (that have marinated in the oil and vinegar overnight) are terrific on a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Pan-Fried Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes

If you have a habit, like me, of growing a bit too much zucchini squash in the summer, then you probably have your own zucchini repertoire. This is one of my favorite simple zucchini recipes.

Ingredients

3-4 cups sliced or cubed zucchini
2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1 cup chopped red peppers
½ cup chopped onions (or 1 tbsp. onion powder)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 cloves crushed garlic (depending on size of cloves)
3 tbsp. fresh chopped basil (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano (or 1 tsp. dried oregano)
½ tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Cut up the vegetables. Put the tomatoes, onion, and olive oil into a deep-dish frying pan and heat over medium heat until the juice starts to bubble (a couple of minutes). Then turn the heat down to low and add the squash, pepper, and the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the mixture on low to medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently for approximately 15 minutes. The squash should be soft when poked with a fork but not soggy. If you cover the pan, the vegetables will steam and become soggy so leave the lid off. You want the squash to be just cooked, still a bit crispy, but not at all raw.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Gluten-Free Cornbread

The biggest challenge to giving up gluten for my husband and myself was finding satisfying bread. We both love bean dishes and nothing goes with beans like a good cornbread. So I developed this cornbread recipe that’s gluten-free. Many of my friends prefer my gluten-free cornbread to the traditional variety.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour
3 tbsp. maple syrup
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
½ cup water
¼ cup melted butter

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Beat the eggs. Melt the butter. Combine the wet ingredients. Put the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend just until moistened and no dry pockets of cornmeal and flour remain.

Put the batter in an eight-inch square baking dish. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425º for 20-25 minutes. Insert a knife to see if it’s done and continue to bake for a few more minutes if the inside is still wet.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously.

Hummus Dip

I once cooked for a dinner party that I called “Food from the Land of the Bible.” It was all Middle Eastern delights. A good hummus is the centerpiece for such a meal. I like to put a little tahini in my hummus and then serve it with Greek olives. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

16 oz. can of chick peas (or 2 cups soaked and cooked chick peas)
¼ c. tahini
¼ c. olive oil
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large clove crushed garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
½ tsp. cumin powder

Directions

Whirl the ingredients together in a food processor. Adjust the texture to your liking by adding small increments of olive oil. If you are a big fan of garlic, add more to your taste.

Serve with olives (of course) and whole wheat pita breads, crackers, or sliced vegetables (e.g., celery, carrot, jicama, cucumber, red pepper, raw asparagus). The best companion for hummus is falafel. And by-the-way, in my experience, children love a good hummus. I have even been able to get vegetable-haters to eat hummus on sliced vegetables.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!

Cucumber Dill Salad (With or Without Tomatoes)

This is an exceptional summer vegetable dish that goes well with barbecue and is unbelievably easy to make. Great for those hot, hot days.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
1 tbsp. dried dill or 3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/3 c. mayonnaise (for a vegan version, use a vegan mayo substitute)
3 tomatoes (optional)

Directions

Scrape the skin from the cucumbers. Slice thin. I think this salad is even better with sliced tomatoes, but it also works well without them too. If you want to include tomatoes, slice them (and be sure to capture their juice in the salad). Toss the cucumbers (and tomatoes) with the mayonnaise and dill. Refrigerate the salad (covered) for at least an hour before serving. This salad needs to sit for awhile to let the vegetable juice(s) mingle with the mayonnaise so plan ahead.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!