How can I roast thee? Let me count the ways…

Posted on July 13, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

I’m sneaking under the wire here to share one of my simple cooking favorites. Weekend Herb Blogging rules are changing so that we use exotic veggies and expand our horizons…and cauliflower doesn’t fit the bill!

Cauliflower has a bum rap, no way around it. Some people don’t like it raw or boiled, and so they assume that they don’t like it at all. But roasting gives a totally different dimension to the flavor, and there are so many great spices you can add. I thought I first read about roasted cauliflower with paprika in Joy of Cooking, but I looked back and it’s not there, so I have no idea where I first got the thought, but there are so many other flavors that work as well (or better, I think). I didn’t even offer it to my DH for a while, and then I got him to eat a piece. And gradually over months, he’s stealing all my cauliflower! I’ve had more success getting him to be a cauli-convert than I have with any other veggie.

So you can’t really go wrong as long as you roast. You can do high heat for a shorter time and stir more often, or lower heat, and get busy doing other things. I’ve tried it as low as 350, which takes a long time, and I’ve seen recipes as high as 450. However, the higher temperature you use, the bigger issue of development of acrylamide, a chemical which is cancer causing in high doses. I usually opt for lower and slower because I always have a ton to do and hey, I’m a nutritionist. What do you expect??

You can really get creative for spices, from cumin seeds, to panch phoron, to rosemary, to chili powder, to lemon and dill. Just use sea salt, the texture does matter here.

It’s hard to give an exact recipe, as caulis come in all sizes, and it depends on how much of the stems you use and all of that.

1 cauliflower, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-3 Tablespoons of oil
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1 bulb (not clove) of garlic
pepper, to taste

Cumin: add 1.5 teaspoons whole seeds
Panch phoron add 1.5 teaspoons whole seeds and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Rosemary: add 3 Tablespoons or so fresh rosemary needles or 1 Tablespoon dried
Chili:Add 1 T chili powder
Lemon dill: squeeze juice of one lemon and add 3 Tablespoons fresh dill or 1 T dried. Omit garlic.

Preheat oven to 375-400*. Remove the biggest garlic bulbs from the garlic ‘paper’ but leave the small ones. Chop cauliflower and toss with salt and seasonings. Spread out on a cookie sheet LINED with parchment (you’ll be glad you did.)

Roast until nicely browned around the edges, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

Rediscover cauliflower…isn’t it good?!

*see discussion above

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging, a fabulous way to celebrate the herbs and produce of teh season, and our hostess is Simona from Briciole.

Posted in recipe, side dish, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Chocolate Rose Parfait–Adopt a GF Blogger

Posted on July 6, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

Adopt a GF blogger is the brainchild of Seamaiden of Book of Yum. I love it because I’m someone who is often inspired by the recipes I see on other websites, but I tend to morph them into my usual style and flavorings. This gives me the opportunity to sample someone else’s tastes and styles, which is great. And I’m happy to be the hostess of the July edition of Adopt a GF Blogger! More info is here.

I’ve always been a fan of things seasonal and tasty, and so I was happy to discover the Gluten Free Hippie’s recipe collection. It’s a combination of vegan and mostly raw dishes, although there’s a gorgeous looking cardamom grilled mango that will hopefully be in my near future! I like her approach of real, whole foods, beautiful colors, and vibrant pictures.

For “Adopt A GF Blogger”, I decided to go for the Chocolate Rose Parfait. I do love rosewater, but have never paired it with chocolate before, and now I wonder why! I wanted to garnish it with rose petals, but alas, my bushes have been petal-less since a big storm a few weeks back and are just starting to bud again. However, the raspberries really paired beautifully with the rosewater and brought a real richness of taste, and are a great way of starting off with the ingredient of the week for menu plan Monday.

The pudding was simple yet very creamy, satisfying and indulgent. It does seem that rosewater is a matter of personal taste, though. DH doesn’t like rosewater, which doesn’t make sense to me. I like it so much that I keep giving him things with rosewater and am surprised when he’s not a fan. However, his comments about the rosewater didn’t keep him from devouring his parfait, so they should be taken with a big fat grain or two of salt.

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Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger

Posted on July 6, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

Seamaiden of Book of Yum is on her way to Japan, so I’ll be the host for July’s edition for Adopt a GF Blogger. It’s pretty simple:

  1. Choose a GF blogger or someone who features GF recipes on their site.  The only hard part is choosing just one!  And this is on a first come, first serve basis.  Email me your adoption requests to cheryl(at)eharrishome(dot)com, or you can leave a comment.  Please let me know your name, the address for your blog, and the address of your desired blogger, too.
  2. Make one of the recipes and blog about it between July 28 – Aug 11.
  3. Don’t have a blog?  If you’d like, I can always post a page up on my site.  We’re an inclusive GF family ’round these parts.
  4. Send me a link to the post and a purty pic, and a few days after the 11th, I’ll post a round-up.

For more info and history, check out the main adoption headquarters.

Let the fun begin!

  1. I’m choosing Ricki, of Diet, Dessert and Dogs, because…Ricki rocks, and I can’t wait to “have” to try her recipes!
  2. Mary Francis of GF Cooking School just couldn’t wait to adopt Kate, of Gluten Free Gobsmacked.
  3. Terri at Faking it GF Style is adopting Tiffany at Life After Gluten.
  4. Kimberly of Living Free will be be adopting for the first time, and her pick is Sally of Aprovechar
  5. Thomas from the GFCF experience is adopting the lovely Lauren of Celiac Teen.
  6. Hannah has adopted Mrs. GF
  7. Anna, of Gluten Free Anna, will be joining us for the first time and adopting Mary Frances from Gluten Free Cooking School

and you?

Posted in adopt a gf blogger | 18 Comments

Menu Plan Monday–July 7th

Posted on July 6, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

Gluten Free Menu Swap MondayThis is my first time as the happy hostess of Menu Plan Monday, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to participate! Please email me at cheryl(at) eharrishome (dot) com with your entries.

And, by chance, if your menu involves dining out, I just put out a newsletter on Dining out GF.

The food of the week is raspberries. As you can see, I’m fortunate to have lovely raspberry plants, and this is one of their last weeks. However, the problem is my arrangement with the birds. See, I was quite naive and misguided and offered to share my berries, meaning they get half of the berries, I get half of the berries. However, they took my offer quite literally and have eaten half…of each berry. Neither DH nor I are crazy about eating berries that are partially pre-munched, so as of late, the berry patch has been largely for the birds. I’ve covered it with tulle and everything, but somehow they mange to wriggle their way in. Part of the problem is that there is a family of rabbits living in the maze of the canes, and they tend to move things around as they hop through. It’s not really a problem because the babies are too cute and I’m glad that they’ve been nesting at our house for the last 4 or 5 years. But I would like to get a larger share of the raspberries!

This will be a raspberry-heavy week for me! We had a raspberry tart, which is tasty, but not yet blog worthy. I plan to make almond cookies filled with chocolate and rasp jam from one of my favorite farmers, and will be using raspberries in the Chocolate Rosewater Parfait, too.

Monday:
Grillin’
Lemony-thyme chicken kabobs with grilled sweet onions and peppers
Sorrel soup with a walnut “cream”
Tues:
East Indian inspired:
Curry turkey cutlets with Cabbage Curry (Kobi Nu Shak) and plain papadams

Weds:
Easy!
Baked trout almondine with steamed broccoli


Thurs:
Vegan
Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Saturday:
Thai
Spring rolls with Thai dipping sauce, grilled chicken skewers, Spiced black rice pudding (I will post the recipe this time!)

Weekly Harvest
From my garden:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Parsley
Oregano, basil, thyme, etc.
Tomatoes!
Ground cherries

From the Farmer’s Market:
Raspberry Jam
Raspberries
Onions
Sorrel
Lettuce
Peppers

Baked good of the week: Almond cookie variations–probably with raspberry jam, white chocolate, dark chocolate and dried orange.

And check out the plans around the web!

Kimberly, at Living Free of Gluten is joining us with a fabulous looking Blueberry/Raspberry Cobbler.  She’s got a fabulous menu of vegetarian treats, including a breakfast for dinner, which is a great one to have in the rotation.

Karen, of GF Sox Fan has been concentrating on blackberries rather than raspberries, and tempts us with the mention of Creme brulee, my DH’s fave!  Maybe she’ll share her recipe if we gently hint?  And she’s got a bunch of fun dishes on the menu, from an Asian slaw to Grilled Salmon Pizza.

Terri, of Faking it Gluten Free Style has a big week ahead of her.  She’s quitting smoking, starting South Beach, and has a lot of grilling in her forcast!  I’m delighted to hear her hubby will be back soon.

Great news from Manda!  She’s working on a GF cookbook, which should be awesome, given her passion for cultural cuisine.  Cooking has been a bit more difficult for her lately since she’s spending time with her grandma in the hospital, but she’s still managing to whip a great menu and is even trying swordfish.

Ester enjoys raspberries, too.  She’s got new raspberry canes, but I’m sure they’ll be huge in a few years!  There’s a chicken with walnuts and apricot dish on the menu that sounds delish.

Natalie, the Gluten Free Mommy and originator of this event ishas a great menu planned.  She and her gang had trip and area a little frazzled, but  with raspberry chicken and raspberry carrots to fit in with the ingredient of the week.  And the picture of her little guy is just too cute!

Mary Francis of Gluten Free Cooking School was ahead of schedule with her post (then I forgot…)  She’s got an Asian inspired menu in the works, and even has recipes and veg options for most days.

Angela of Angela’s Kitchen is a gardener, too, and has an abundance of zucchini.  She’s got a great looking menu and had me at home made gelato.  Yum!

M-Elle at Cooking and Uncooking has a gorgeous rasp shot, and a fun menu of largely raw dishes, like nori wraps and an avo-apple pudding.  I’m intrigued!

Head over and give Sally a little lovin’. She’s recovering from a surgery and still has an ambitious, healthy, locally grown menu planned, and as always, has a great outlook and attitude.

Oh, and hop on over…I’m hosting Adopt a GF blogger and Go ahead, honey. I was such a slacker about hosting that I volunteered for a few, and then it all ended up being in the same month or two…oops!  Chef Jenna is also hosting a great looking event “It’s all about memories“.  I think most of us GF folks have had to remake something from our childhood or culture. so it should be fun!

Posted in menu plan | 8 Comments

Nana Skillet Bread

Posted on July 4, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

By the time I got to stop by Kate’s Virtual BBQ Party, most of the letters, (aside from q and z, I think) were taken. So I figured I that N would work, although in the past, I’ve called this my lazy day skillet bread.

I thoroughly love this recipe. It’s not a traditional banana bread, and it’s not a cake, per se, I suppose it’s best compared to a cornbread. I tend to make things that pop up in my head, and then try to figure out how to explain it. Generally, if someone asks what something is, I tell them to taste it and figure it out that way! I’ve had it for brunch, as a snack, as a dessert with chocolate chips, and it could be used (sans nuts) with chili instead or as a side for, say, a BBQ!

Once upon a time, I wanted a snack cake…but I didn’t have time and I was really tired. So I figured that perhaps I could dump everything in the Vitamix and all would be well. Fortunately, that’s what happened, and this has become one of my quick/easy recipes. It’s easy, delicious, and just comfort food for me. Most times when I make something, I try to figure out what to change next time and how to spice it up. But I actually like this one exactly as is.

I wanted something with a banana flavor, but lower sugar and no eggs or soy, and something I could just pick up and eat, too. That’s a tall order! Through trial and error I came up with a cake I liked, but wanted a brown crisp crust, and so this became a skillet cake. You can make it in a regular 9 inch cake pan, though. This recipe is also totally versatile, and I’ve halved it and put it in a 7 inch dish, which works, too.

You can do all teff, all sorghum, or a combo. If you can get your hands on mesquite, do! Not only is it super high in fiber, but it has caramel-ly taste.

Ingredients
1 cup teff
1 cup sorghum flour
1 T mesquite flour
1Tablespoons +1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans or walnuts (optional)
pinch of salt

Wet:
2 über ripe bananas
1 level tablespoon +1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/3 cup sparkling (bubbly) water, ‘milk’, or juice

Grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350.
Thoroughly mix dry ingredients together. Dump wet ingredients (not water) in a blender. Let it roll until well blended. In my vitamix, that takes less than a minute. I would assume an ordinary blender would take a few minutes. Add wet, including water,  to dry, mix until well everything is well combined, but don’t overmix (i.e. no more dry stuff, but no need for a workout)

Bake for 30 minutes or until top turns a beautiful golden brown. Cool on a drying rack 5 minute, then turn out.

Yum.

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

Posted in baked goods, bread, dessert, recipe, side dish | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Menu plan Monday June 30th

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

Gluten Free Menu Swap Monday

I thoroughly planned to sit this one out, I’ve been posting so much lately.  And then I saw watercress at the market.  What I’m going to do with it is still a mystery, but I’m sure I’ll get thoughts from M-Elle’s roundup!  All I know about watercress is that Lewis the trumpeter swan from EB White’s book used to order watercress sandwiches.  Which doesn’t do much for me at this point.

Anyhow, on to the food. I’m sticking to the basics and recycling a lot of quick and easy dishes.

Monday:
East Indian-ish
Garam Masala rubbed turkey breast with panch phoron roasted broccoli

Tuesday:
Leftovers with steamed asparagus in a lemony sauce. Or perhaps watercress when I figure out what the heck to do with it…I haven’t done my research yet!

Weds:
Quick and easy
Baked tilapia with tomatoes and herbs, topped with avocado

Thurs:
CELEBRATION!!!! my 30 days of grain free living is up. Yahoo!
Quinoa with garlic scrape pesto and roasted asparagus
yes, I know I’m a wild child with these crazy celebrations!

Friday:
Grillin’
Probably grilled salmon with rosemary, grilled peppers and spring onions sprinkled with thyme and herbs, and corn for DH

Harvest from my garden:
a bunch of baby tomatoes
ground cherries (more on these later!)
Raspberries
blueberries
basil, marjoram, thyme
Garlic scrapes and garlic, too!
spring onions
parsley

From the Farmer’s Market
Serrano peppers
cherries

Baked good of the week:
Still working on the last of the Brazil nut brownie, largely because I won’t let DH have any more. Mine! All mine!!! (Cheryl growls menacingly)
I will be making the Gluten Free Hippie’s Chocolate Rose Parfait for Adopt a GF blogger sometime this week, too!

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Go Ahead, Honey–July UNCOOKING edition

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen??  Nah.  Stay in the kitchen, honey, just turn off that stove an oven and we’ll have some yummy, summery, home un-cooking.

Un-cooking can be anything, from pineapple salsa or black bean salad to a your favorite smoothie…maybe a super yum pesto sauce, a fresh melon soup or maybe you’re a raw food kinda person and have favorites to share!  Hungry yet?  I am! I’m thinking of making banana ice cream, but will likely change my mind a few times (as usual).

I’m  the happy host for July’s edition of Go Ahead Honey, it’s GF as started by the Naomi of the drool worthy Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried.  You can send your entries to Cheryl (at) eharrishome (dot) com by July 27thJuly 31st. Let the fun begin!

Posted in go ahead honey | 12 Comments

Brazil Nut Brownies

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Cheryl Harris


I’ve got a few names for these brownies: Mayan brownies, Brazil nut brownies, and (dare I say it?) Black bean brownies.  Are you still there?  Please don’t run away!  I know the idea sounds wrong, but I can say, for sure, black bean brownies are really quite yummy.

I heard about black bean brownies years ago, in my pre-gf life, and never got around to trying them.  Then when Heidi posted them on 101 cookbooks and I kept seeing them in different places, like Diet Dessert and Dogs and Have Cake Will Travel.  I was intrigued, but there were so many eggs, and/or more sugar (or succant) than my body can handle.  So I adapted the general spirit, threw caution to the wind and hoped for the best.  It took a few tries.  I dabbled with a carob version, had one with coconut flour, etc. and finally, success!  Fudgy, yummy, moist and light brownies, which were promptly gobbled by a group of folks used to a “normal” diet.   And dare I say they’re even healthy?  They’re not low calorie (well, maybe compared to normal brownies!), but the ingredients are nutrient rich, with good-for-you fats, not empty calories.   I don’t even feel guilty that I had one for breakfast.  In the interests of full disclosure, black bean brownies are tasty and very moist, but not over the top decadent.  So they’re great for an every day treat, but not so much when you’re craving a total chocolate/sugar bomb.

The magic ingredient (besides the beans, of course!) is the Brazil nut butter.  I’ve had a long term, enduring love affair with nut butter.  Peanuts and I parted ways years ago, and I truly missed sticky creamy goodness of peanut butter until I ventured out into the wild world of nut butter   It’s great that you can get almond butter easily, but if you’ve never had hazelnut, pecan or brazil nut butter, baby…get your food processor and let’s get cracking! I’ve been known to creep into the kitchen in the wee hours and eat it by the spoon.

Oh, and the Mayan part of the name?  That’s a tribute to the beans, cinnamon, cayenne, Salba and the mesquite, all common South of the border ingredients.  The cayenne adds a nice zing, and I’ve used anywhere from a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon.  Each level of heat is yummy, and is a matter of personal preference.  If you’ve never mixed chocolate and cayenne, do give it a go.

As an added bonus, your food processor does pretty much all the work, you only need one bowl, and they’re vegan, gluten free, egg free, dairy free, corn free, soy free, sugar free, grain free and delicious.

Mayan brownies

1 can black beans, well washed (1 ¾ cup)
1 ½ cup of toasted brazil nuts, divided (or 2/3 cup chopped nuts and 6T nut butter de jour)
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 teaspoons whole salba or chia seeds
½ cup agave (or 1/4 cup agave, 1/4 cup honey)
generous 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cherries
2 Tablespoons carob powder
¼ cup plus 2 T cocoa powder
1 t mesquite (optional)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
pinch of cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons almond extract
3 or 4 drops oil of orange (optional)
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Line an 8X8 pan with parchment and set aside.  Preheat oven to 325.

Toast about 1.5 cups of brazil nuts for 10-15 min at 350.  Pulse in the processor to grind very coarsely, and reserve 3/4 cup of chopped brazils (somehow, by the point where I add them to the recipe, there’s only 2/3 a cup left).  Grind the rest until they become nut butter, which takes a minute or two.  Scoop out and reserve.  Put chopped unsweetened chocolate in the processor, and grind until you’ve got fine pieces.  Add the rinsed beans, Salba, sweetener and cherries and let it run 3-4 minutes.  Add back the nut butter and everything except the reserved brazil nuts and chips (optional) and process until smooth.

Mix in brazil nut chunks into the batter.  (If you’re feeling really lazy, you can mix within the processor bowl, but it’s a tight squeeze.  Put the batter into a prepared pan and smooth out.  Bake 30 min at 325, then cover loosely with foil and continue to bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.

This lovely brazil nut butter treat is a part of the Peanut Butter Boy’s PB exhibition. It’s not quite peanut butter, it’s not quite a cake, but it’s along those lines and hey, it’s all in good fun. If I could try it with PB, I would, and I bet it would be awesome!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008. Please do not replicate without crediting/permission.

Posted in baked goods, dessert, recipe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

A GF Cookout and Blueberry Squares

Posted on June 28, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

One of my husband’s kung fu students is shipping off to Afghanistan, so we had a small cookout to send him off with warm wishes for safe and entirely uneventful tour. He and his wife are fabulous people, and it was just a small reminder of all of the men and women who are serving every day while we go about our merry ways, totally insulated from the sacrifices they make.

I was a bit stumped at first, since cookouts usually mean hamburgers and hotdogs, and I just didn’t want glutenous crumbs all over the place. DH was a little uncertain about doing things GF, but I promised things would be yummy, so he went along with it. So…we had a gluten free cookout, and people didn’t really notice or miss the wheat in any way!

Generally, if I’m making food I’m going to eat, I have to adapt or create my own recipes, since I can’t do gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar, eggs, yadda yadda. So since many of the things I was making were for other people this was a great opportunity for me to make recipes from other GF bloggers!

We had:

  • Freshly squeezed mint lemonade

  • Guacamole
  • 3 bean salad
  • Speidie chicken and spice rubbed chicken
  • Herb-alicious veggies skewers
  • Sweet Potato Cornbread
  • Chocolate chip pecan pie (with a nice flaky pie crust)
  • Mayan brownies (recipe posted soon)
  • Blueberry squares (see below!!)

What can I say, I’m full, and so were all of my guests. Yum.

The first 4 were done freestyle, so I can’t offer much in terms of a recipe. The cornbread was amazing. Despite being hideously seasonally inappropriate, I couldn’t resist making the GF Goddess’ sweet potato cornbread. As usual, she didn’t disappoint! The pie crust was from the Gluten free girl, and my husband asked if there was gluten in it. Um, hello? Have I made anything with gluten for the last 4 years? The brownies are delish AND healthy, a wonderful combo, and I will be posting the recipe soon for the PB exhibition.  They’re chock full of brazil nut butter, which is just luscious.

And here are the blueberry squares, a gluten, dairy, corn, soy, egg, sugar and grain free creation of my very own. I was just so inspired by the beauty of the berries at the Farmer’s Market that I just couldn’t resist. They’re light, moist and a quick, easy, vegan-licous seasonal treat.

Blueberry Squares

1/2 cup buckwheat flour OR quinoa flour*
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup oil
3 Tablespoons apple sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon water with vitamin c powder for citrus allergic
1/2 cup agave* (or 1/4 agave, 1/4 honey)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8X8 with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix wet ingredients together thoroughly in a separate bowl.  Add wet to dry and mix until combined, then add in the berries. Spoon out into prepared pan and smooth down. Bake for 18-20 min or until browning on top (I don’t remember exactly, sorry)

I will also be posting for the Virtual GF BBQ soon and bringing my ‘nana Skillet bread, which is one of my personal all time faves. I just couldn’t make it today because I’m grain free for the month of June (long story, it’s an exercise for a nutrition conference I’m attending. I’m on day 28 of 30 and I can’t wait!!!)

* for a no amylose version, use agave, quinoa flour and unsweetened apple sauce.

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008. Please do not replicate without crediting/permission.

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Garlic Scape Pesto

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Cheryl Harris

My hardneck garlics had scapes a few weeks ago, and now the soft necks are doing their thing. So it’s the perfect time for garden pesto. The scapes and tops are much milder but still have the garlicky zing that I love.

I’ve used both hazelnuts and brazil nuts depending on my mood, and I must say they’re both yummy. I leave the nuts a little chunky, but you can blend, depending on taste. I like it thick. Not A thick sauce does it give flavor, but it keeps the fish from drying out. You use the pesto on pasta, on quinoa, on veggies, or pesto any thick fish. We used halibut, and the leftover sauce went on broccoli, carrots, and (in the interests of honesty) straight into my mouth.

And, of course, you can eliminate the water and do more oil for a more traditional pesto.  But with water it has a fresher taste about it, you’re not missing out at all on the flavor, and of course, it’s a bit kinder to your waistline, too.

1 cup garlic scapes or tops, pushed down
1 3/4 cups fresh parsley, packed down
2/3 cup brazil nuts or hazelnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
squeeze of lemon (optional)
handful of chopped Kalamatas (optional)
sea salt and pepper

Using a food processor, grind nuts very coarsely. Toast at 300 until starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Blend parsley, garlic scapes and olive oil, scraping down the sides as needed. Add water (or broth) and other seasonings if desired. Add in nuts and pulse until it is the desired consistency.

Marvelous on veggies, fish, or anything that needs a little jazzing..

This is my submission for weekend herb blogging, which is hosted by none other than the lovely Kalyn herself from Kayln’s Kitchen!  She is also the originator of WHB, and I’m quite grateful, because it encourages me to post about by garden babies.

Posted in main meal, recipe, weekend herb blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments