Category Archives: Basil

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Basil-Artichoke Pesto

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This year I grew a very respectable herb garden in pots out on the back patio. Years ago I used to grow all kinds of herbs, but life got in the way, and all kinds of other projects grew up in their place, so I didn’t have fresh herbs for a long time even though I thought wistfully of those long-ago days and wished I’d gotten organized enough to grow more than the chives and lemon balm that grow wild all around my house. And then it happened.

This year I stopped at the garden center in early summer, and brought home small pots of just a few herbs: creeping thyme and lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, and lavender. I repotted them, placed them in the bright sun, and kept them watered and happy. Last week, I added a pot of basil to the group. And I thought about what I could do with that basil, which filled my entire kitchen with its glorious scent. I experimented with a few ingredients that were already in my kitchen and took it over to my friend’s house, where we sat in the backyard under an almost full moon and devoured practically the entire plate. A late summer gift.

5-6 marinated artichoke hearts (quarters)
12-15 basil leaves
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. marinating liquid (use 1 Tbsp. if making dip, 2 Tbsp. if making sauce)
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth. Refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve as a dip with a few raw vegetables (such as peppers, kohlrabi, jicama, carrots, radishes, green onions) or crackers. Or spoon it over a white bean salad or cold cooked salmon just before serving. Makes approx 1 cup.

 

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Watermelon Gazpacho

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Beautiful color, beautiful flavor, beautiful summer food. Something different and delicious…

8 cups watermelon (peeled from rind, seeded, and chopped)
3 pickling cucumbers (approx 6 inches long), diced
1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Measure two cups of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and pulse until chunky (not smooth). Collect the blended ingredients in a pitcher.

Continue to blend one small batch at a time until just 1/2 cup of the unblended mixture remains. Add this to the pitcher without processing, and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, and serve chilled. Garnish as desired with more basil or parsley. 

Yield: 6+ cups

Real Food and the End of the Pandemic

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For all the years I’ve written this blog I’ve talked a lot about real food, the kind our great-grandparents ate. Food that comes from the ground (or air or water). Unadulterated food, as opposed to “manufactured calories,” or “food-style products.” I’ve heard this idea expressed in different ways, like:
“Eat close to the garden.”
“Eat food that’s been through as few machines as possible.”
“Eat nothing that contains more than four ingredients.”
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandparents wouldn’t have recognized as food.”
“Be wary of foods that never go bad; if the bugs won’t eat it, it’s not food.”

I didn’t actually eat any differently this year, but talking about it on the blog felt like preaching. It’s not that the message was no longer relevant, but that it just didn’t feel nearly as important as usual. The most important message this year was to be kind to yourself, to do whatever it takes to get through the day. The worst part of all was that we didn’t know how long it would going to be that way. But this week I am feeling hopeful. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Green Herb Sauce

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Here’s something you can make that will elevate absolutely everything from just good enough to supremely good enough. Spoon it onto your eggs (whether fried, scrambled, poached, or boiled), spread it around on toast, or drizzle some on your salad, pasta, cheese, tofu, chicken or salmon. Or you can eat it straight from the spoon. Basically, anything goes, and it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for a few days at least. If you don’t feel like grating a lemon, don’t worry about it. If you have a different kind of hot pepper, fine. It will still be delicious. I’m trying to keep this easy. Continue reading →

A Call to Our Chefs — Could We Call a Salad Something Else?

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When my friend’s husband said that he was sick and tired of eating “salad,” she was kind of surprised, because she had thought that, if anything, their dinners had recently had more variety than usual. That was true of the ingredients, she realized, but not of the dishes. Caesar salad, Waldorf salad, Chef Salad, Salad Nicoise, Cobb salad, and Caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil) had all been on the menu in the prior two weeks. It seemed to her that it wasn’t that he was actually tired of the food, but more that he was tired of the word “salad.” Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Grains and Greens

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This is one of those wonderful recipes that works no matter what’s in your kitchen. It gives you the opportunity to use whichever grain you feel like eating today, whichever greens are in season, and whichever other vegetables you are in the mood to sautè. I chose bulgur, red pepper, asparagus and spinach here, but you should feel free to use whatever is in the veggie bin. The onions and garlic are important, as are the herbs and spices, but everything else is flexible. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rustic Chicken

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Any minute now the tomatoes are going to begin ripening and our counters will be absolutely covered in all kinds of tomatoes, big and small, yellow and red, green and orange! If you are looking for a special recipe to use them, you’ve come to the right place! One thing that I love about this recipe is that you can do the prep work earlier in the day, set it up in no time flat, and then pull it out of the oven in time for a lovely, sunset dinner. This dish makes a great visual impression, yes, but the slow cooking process caramelizes everything to impress your taste buds just as thoroughly. Bon appetit. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: “Party Salad” or Sweet & Spicy Kale Chips

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If anyone in your house is not eating as many greens as you think they ought to be (whether it’s you, or the kids, or your spouse), then make this asap! Think of it as a kind of party salad. You’ll notice that this particular recipe uses two large bunches of kale, but don’t think that’s too much: once they shrink in the oven, they turn into a moderate-sized bowl of chips at best. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Lentils, Grapes & Hazelnuts

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You know this recipe comes straight from your dear friend who can cook incredibly authentic Lebanese food like nobody’s business (because she learned it from her own beloved mother of blessed memory) when she tells you exactly which type of green lentil she prefers for this salad and you’ve never even heard of it. Carry on. Any green lentil is better than none.

Continue reading →