Pesto Di What???

Our basil is doing quite well this year.

The aroma fills the kitchen and tempts my tummy for pesto.

Here's a twist on the traditional Italian staple.

Pesto Di Noce

(Walnut pesto)

1 1/2 C basil

1/2 C olive oil

1/3 C toasted walnuts

1/2 C parmesan

2 cloves garlic

salt/pepper to taste

Toast walnuts in a shallow pan for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.

Place all dry ingredients into food processor.

With blade running, drizzle olive oil into processor bowl.

Will keep in fridge for up to a week,

or freeze in ice cube trays.

This delectable concoction can be added to 

pasta, French bread, fish, chicken, soups or as a sandwich spread.

Enjoy!

Homemade Living Series

Staci and I are sharing our ideas about
Homemade Living 
today in our ongoing Wednesday series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's time I come clean.
For those of you who've been reading for a while,
you know that I believe in living a clean life.
I've gotta confess, I have a new addiction.


It's okra.
Yeah.
Okra.

Before you start making faces,
 let me explain.

It's all Ms. Carolyn's fault.

I'm a Yankee transplant and never in my life 
would I ever have imagined
that okra would be passing through these lips.
Okra?
You mean that stuff that is so slimy you can't eat it 
unless it's had the living daylights fried out of it?

That's the stuff.
Only this is not fried.
I don't do fried.
This is pickled.
For the life of me, I can't get through a day without it.
I've got it bad.
So I had to learn how to make it myself.
My suppliers are my friends Faye & Lynn.
They keep me in the stuff so that withdrawl is kept to a minimum.

Here's a modified recipe that their neighbor Ms. Carolyn shared with me.
The original (more conventional) is below the post.
Just be forewarned.
You may find yourself taking extreme measures to find your own stash.

This is about 1/2 pound of fresh okra grown by my friends Lynn and Faye.

It was gently washed.

1 1/2 cups of white distilled vinegar and 4 T water were added to a pot.

Along with 3 good-sized cloves of garlic,

2 tablespoons of pickling salt
(you can use kosher salt that is not iodized),

and 1/4 cup of sugar
(I used sucanat instead).
Bring ingredients to a simmer,
then turn off heat and let it cool down about 10 minutes.

While the mixture is cooling,
add your washed okra to a jar
(wide-mouthed jars are easier when retrieving your treats).

After the 10-minute cooling period, pour mixture into jar,
cloves and all.
Cover and shake a couple of times.
Let it come to room temperature before refrigerating.

It's best to wait 3-4 days before sampling.
All I can say is that I'll try.
I've been without it for only a couple of days
and I'm feeling it.
Nothing I try to eat in its place satisfies.

I never thought I'd say this,
but I guess I'll be growing okra next summer.




Cold Pack Okra
 1-2 jalepeno peppers, sliced (optional)
1/4 C white sugar
1 1/2 C distilled white vinegar
2 T kosher or pickling salt
1 1/2 t horseradish
3 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly cut
splash of water (about 4 T)

Peel garlic and smash to release oils.
Wash okra.
Wash and thinly slice peppers, discarding seeds and core.
Pack okra and peppers into jar lengthwise.
Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and water to pot and bring to a simmer,
and then immediately turn off heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Pour over veggies in jar and add horseradish.
Tighten lid and give a few firm shakes.
Allow to reach room temperature before placing in fridge.
Give them 3-4 days of pickling before eating.
Enjoy!





Next week join our friends
Jackie
Mary
&
Tammy
for more Homemade Living perspectives!

So Long Summer Salad

Although summer's almost over,
this quick side dish is a great way to use up any leftover veggies
or the abundance of summer veg in your freezer.

Boil up some of your favorite pasta.
We had 2 open boxes of pasta, so they were cooked up.
Frozen peas and shredded carrots were added.
Local pickled okra was thrown in to add some zing
(recipe to follow next week).

The dressing consisted of 1/2 C mayo,
1 t honey, 2 T Dijon mustard,
1/2 t salt and 1/4 t black pepper.
A handful of fresh parsley was stirred in.

Choose your favorite protein to make a complete meal:
diced cooked chicken
sliced hard-boiled egg
chopped cooked shrimp
flaked tuna
cooked chickpeas

Enjoy these last few days of summer
with an easy make ahead meal.


The original recipe can be found here.

Crispy Catfish (gf)

We are making a concerted effort to eat locally.

Our produce and eggs are about as local as you can get,

but it also applies to meat and seafood.

While we haven't found a local source of fish and meat,

we try to pay attention to the source of these other food products.

We recently learned that catfish is one of the types of seafood

raised here in the USA.

We usually eat fish once a week,

so it's good to know that we are supporting the local(ish) industry.

This easy recipe will give you crispy, tasty fish every time.

 

Similar to this chicken recipe,

we place cornmeal in one bowl with some spices

(we use salt, garlic powder and paprika)

and a beaten egg in another.

Just dredge the fish in the egg first, then the cornmeal.

I'm tryin' to get into the habit of using our skillet more often.

The iron is absorbed into the food,

which is a bonus for those of us with low iron stores.

Just pan fry the fillets in a bit of olive oil

for a few minutes on each side.

With a side of cornbread and a veg,

you've got a delicious and quick meal.

Enjoy!

Allergy-free Lunchbox Love

Belly-Fillin' Beans

We keep cooked beans in the freezer.

It's cheaper to buy the dried beans and cook them yourself.

And it really couldn't be easier.

Whenever I'm gonna be home for a few hours,

I make sure to have the beans pre-soaked,

then just place them on the stove to cook 

while I get other things done.

Having them in the freezer 

allows them to be added to soups, stews, sauces, 

and even an occasional dessert (shhhhh-don't tell a soul!).

Brown rice is another staple that's easy to freeze for dishes.

Today we combine them to make a quick and easy meal.

Brown rice is cooked and frozen in cup-sized portions.

We eat pretty healthy, but we still enjoy our white Basmati rice.

So, we compromise by adding in a container or two of the brown rice.

A handful of diced onions and carrots are added to a saute pan
and cooked until the aroma is intoxicating (8-10 minutes)
and then the beans are thrown in.
We add either a little homemade gravy (tomato sauce)
or a cup of diced tomatoes, whatever we have on hand.
A few spices and you're on your way to a belly-fillin',
heart-warmin', lip-smackin' good meal.

Pinto Beans and Rice

2 C cooked pinto beans

1 C cooked basmati/brown rice or combination

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, grated

1 C tomatoes, diced or 1/2 C homemade gravy

 1-2 t spice mix*

Cheddar cheese, grated for topping (optional)

On medium heat, saute onions and carrots in olive oil 

until the onions turn slightly golden.

Add cooked beans, gravy and spices.

Cook on medium-low heat until heated through.

(If using tomatoes, cook until they break down

and the sauce is the preferred consistency.)

Serve with rice, over potatoes, on homemade rolls

or use to stuff tacos or enchiladas. 

Enjoy!  

 

*spice mix

1 T chili powder

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 t dried oregano ( I use Italian seasoning)

1/2 t paprika

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1 t sea salt

1 t black pepper (optional)

The original recipe for this mix is here.

How 'bout a giveaway to celebrate all this good food?

 If you like this easy recipe, you'll love this book.

Just leave a comment and come back on Sunday night to see 

who's gonna be cookin' up some new recipes.

Have a tasty weekend, y'all!

allergy-friendly lunchbox love