DANDELION PESTO with Hemp Seeds and Miso

While most people's lawns are littered with dandelions, mine unfortunately has hardly any.  Which is a real shame because I prize dandelions so very much.  Dandelions are really great for digestion, and as such they help you get even more nutrients from your food.  Dandelion is high in Vitamin A & C, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, B-complex vitamins, as well as other trace minerals. They make a great spring tonic and liver rejuvenator, so be sure to eat a few leaves of dandelion every day to help your body make the transition to springtime. You can add a few leaves to your salad mix, or steam them with your favourite greens. Or you can try boiling dandelion like the Greeks do. This Spring I decided to make a small batch of pesto using some of my precious stash of dandelion greens so I can freeze it and enjoy dandelions all winter long.

 DANDELION PESTO with Hemp Seeds & Miso

3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil 

3 cups wild dandelion leaves, washed well

2 cups organic shelled hemp seeds

6 cloves organic garlic, peeled

6 Tbsp organic white mellow miso

4 tsp organic lemon juice or umeboshi vinegar

water as needed to thin

Method: Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and and blend until smooth, adding water as necessary to achieve desired consistency.  

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TODAY'S TWEETABLE: If you like a perfectly green lawn, the ultimate revenge on the dandelions taking over your lawn is to eat them.

OUT WITH THE OLD

...to make room for the new!  Little by little I've been clearing out the preserves from last summer (and the summer before) from our pantry and freezer.  It seemed odd to buy fresh, new kale (although I did anyway) when I still had jars of it in the freezer.  I also spied quite a few bottles of pesto that we hadn't managed to consume all winter.  Needless to say, we've been eating pesto in everything from scrambled eggs to salad dressing.  Speaking of salad dressing, I can't tell you how good a couple of spoonfuls of pesto tastes in a vinaigrette.  So good that I was wiping my plate clean of this dressing with bits of roasted duck at dinner last night.  We've been loving the fresh spinach available at the Farmer's Market these last few weeks, which tonight I paired with pickled beets from our garden and root cellar carrots.  Real, spring, salad.

PESTO VINAIGRETTE

2 Tbsp Hemp Seed Miso Pesto

1 1/2 Tbsp organic dijon mustard

2 Tbsp local honey

1/4 cup organic red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

ground organic black pepper

1/2 cup organic local flax seed oil

1/2 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

Method:  Combine all ingredients except oils in a blender and blend.  Slowly drizzle in the oils with motor running until thick and creamy.  Refrigerate up to 3 days.

An Amazing Pasta

This weekend I started selling Grilled Panini Sandwiches at my table at the Halifax Farmer's Market.  So I spent some time today dreaming up interesting combinations I might offer in the future, which led to the idea for this pasta we ate tonight.  It was soo good.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND ARTICHOKE PASTA with Black Olives in a Sundried Tomato Hempseed Pesto 

1 pound of organic pasta of your choice

1/2 of an organic butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 can of artichoke hearts

1 organic onion, cut in slivers

10 black olives, pitted and left whole

3-4 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto

3 cloves organic garlic, smashed and chopped

4 Tbsp e.v olive oil

sea salt and pepper

fresh grated romano cheese

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Toss the butternut squash in a drizzle of olive oil, and season with sea salt and pepper.  Spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until they start to brown and cooked through.  Set aside.

     Bring a large pot of water to boil.  As you wait, heat a pan with some more olive oil and saute the onion for 3 minutes, then add the olives, garlic and artichokes.  Cook, stirring for another five minutes or until the onions are cooked and the wetness from the artichokes disappears.  Set aside, keeping warm. 

     Sometime while you are sauteing the water will come to a boil.  Season water with salt and boil the pasta according to package directions.  Drain water and return pasta back to pot along with the pesto, squash and artichoke mix.  Drizzle in some more olive oil, toss and serve with the romano cheese.

SUNDRIED TOMATO HEMPSEED PESTO

1/2 cup organic sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)

2 organic garlic cloves

3 Tbsp organic hemp seeds

2 Tbsp organic white miso paste

1/4 tsp organic red chile flakes

2 tsp capers

1 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp e.v olive oil

organic black pepper to taste

Method:  Soak sun-dried tomatoes in warm water for 15 minutes.  Strain and reserve about 1/2 cup of the water .  Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended.  Season to taste and thin out with some of the soaking water if necessary.  

101 Recipes Using Spaghetti Squash

Ok, so not really....not even close.  But I do so like spaghetti squash and so here is another recipe featuring this lovely vegetable.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH with Hemp Seed Pesto and Romano Cheese

1/2 organic spaghetti squash, roasted or boiled

2 Tbsp hemp seed pesto (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/10/paninni.html)

a lot of freshly grated Italian romano cheese

Method:  Either bake the squash at 350* until very tender, then scoop out the stringy squash or if in a hurry you can also just boil it until it's tender.  While it is still hot, stir in the pesto and then top with the cheese.

Pasta with Sausage and Fried Peppers

I love it that pasta tastes so good, and it's quick to make.  My mother has a famous saying that basically says when we want "fast food" we make food, fast.  So when you're in a rush, go for the pasta.

PASTA with Miso Hemp Seed Pesto, Sausage and Fried Peppers

1 pound organic pasta (I like wide ribbons)

1 pound organic sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 organic onion, cut into 8 slivers

1 cup sliced organic mushrooms

1/2 organic red pepper, sliced thin

1/2 organic yellow pepper, sliced thin

2 cups thinly sliced organic chard leaves

3 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped

3-4 Tbsp e.v olive oil

3 Tbsp miso hemp seed pesto (see recipe from an earlier post)

sea salt and pepper

grated fresh roman cheese

Method:  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  As you wait, heat a cast iron skillet over high-med heat.  When hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, then the sausage, onion, peppers and mushrooms.   Saute, stirring for about 3 minutes.  Then add the garlic, keep sauteing until the peppers begin to soften and the sausage is cooked through.  Remove from heat.  By this time the water should be boiling.  Add the pasta to the water along with the chard.  Cook until the pasta is al dente, strain and then toss the cooked pasta into the skillet with the sauteed goods, along with the pesto and a the rest of the olive oil.  Toss and serve with fresh grated romano cheese.

Panini

You say Panini, I say Press!

I don't know why I just had to say that, it's repeating over and over in my head.  Anyway so as you can guess I made Panini sandwiches tonight for supper.  They were very yummy, but you don't need a fancy machine to do it, you can just use a heavy weight to press your sandwich while it cooks and then flip and repeat.

BACON PANINI with Caramelized Onions and Dijon Mango Chutney

some fried organic and/or natural pasture raised bacon

organic whole wheat bread slices

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

mango chutney

dijon mustard

organic cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion in olive oil for 5 minutes, then lower heat a bit and add the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar.  Cook onions gently for about 15 minutes or until really soft.  Reserve.

     Spread one side of one of the pieces of bread with dijon and the other with mango chutney.  Put some of the shredded cheese on one piece of bread, followed by some of the onions, then bacon and end with more cheese, close er up and spray the outside of the panini with olive oil and cook in a press or in a skillet with a weight.

HEMP SEED MISO PESTO PANINI with Red Peppers and Onion

I make many batches of basil pesto in the summer when the basil is fresh.  It freezes well, and when I need to use some I just cut off a hunk and let it defrost.  

     Ever since I started making pesto with hemp seeds and miso, I've never gone back to the traditional cheese and pine nuts.

HEMP MISO PESTO

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh organic basil leaves

1 cup organic hulled hemp seeds

2 cloves organic garlic

2 Tbsp organic white miso paste

2 tsp umeboshi vinegar

water

Method: Transfer all ingredients but the water to a food processor.  Process until the ingredients start to smooth, adding water as necessary to make desired consistency.  Keep in mind pestos are better when slightly thicker and creamier.

THE PANINI

some organic cheese

1 Tbsp pesto

the caramelized onions from above

some thin sliced organic pepper

Method: Spread each slice of bread with pesto, followed by some cheese, the onions, pepper and some more cheese.  Spray the outside of the bread with olive and oil and Press!

Pizza Night

Seeing as last night's pizza plans got sidetracked, I decided to make this afternoon all about pizza. This morning's trip to the Halifax Farmer's Market resulted in some great ingredients for project pizza.  The first thing I spied when I arrived at the market were some HUGE wild caught shrimp from Mike's Fish Shop.  I picked up six and headed over to Norbert's where I bought some lovely chard and peppers.  Last week I had purchased some organic pepperoni from Angelhoeve Farm and was excited to finally put it to the test on our pizzas.  I am in the midst of a bacon craze and so picked up some more of that as well.  Four different pizzas, four taste adventures.

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

1 Tbsp local honey

4 cups organic whole wheat flour

1-2 cups organic unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  Combine the honey and warm water in a large bowl.  Dissolve yeast in warm water.  When frothy, stir in salt and oil.  Gradually add in each cup of flour, stirring.  When it becomes hard to stir with a spoon, start to knead with your hands.  Then bring it out onto a floured countertop and knead for about 5 minutes.  Keep adding flour until the dough kneads without sticking to the counter.  Place into a greased bowl covered with a plate or saran wrap and let rise about 1 hour.  Punch down and divide into 4-5 ball of dough.

     Grease 4-5 cookie sheets and/or cast iron skillets and sprinkle with about a tablespoon per pan of organic cornmeal.  Spread each ball into a thin pizza crust.

BACON PESTO PIZZA with Wilted Chard and Onion

4 strips organic or pasture raised bacon, fried lightly and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 Tbsp basil pesto

3 leaves of chard, chopped

1 onion, sliced into thin wedges

1-2 cups organic mozzarella

Method:  Saute the onion in some olive oil until they begin to soften.  Then add the chard and saute until wilted.  Set aside.

Assembly:  Spread a crust with the pesto, followed by the some cheese, the chard/onion mix and then the bacon.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for about 10-15 mins.

SHRIMP PIZZA with Wilted Chard, Onion, Rose Sauce and Capers

6 large wild caught shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 cup organic rose tomato sauce

some of the wilted chard and onion from previous recipe

1 Tbsp capers

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread a crust with the sauce, some cheese, the chard/onion, the shrimp and capers and end with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 mins.

PEPPERONI PIZZA with Mushrooms and Olives

1 organic pepperoni stick, sliced thinly

1 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 green and black olives

1/2 cup organic tomato sauce

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread crust with the sauce and some cheese, followed by the pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and remainin cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.

VEGETABLE PIZZA with Zucchini, Peppers, Mushroom and Olives

1/2 organic red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 organic green pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup black and green olives 

organic mozzarella cheese

organic tomato or rose tomato sauce

Method:  Spread sauce on a crust, followed by some of the cheese, veggies and end with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.