August is such a magical month here, especially when you have a garden. Regard- less of how long it might have taken for summer to arrive, by this time the weather is wonderfully sunny and warm. And of course everything is just bursting out and growing like crazy!
This is the first year that I've started my own garden pretty much from scratch, deciding what to plant and where. Before that I only got a chance to get involved later in the season once things were already in the ground.
This task proved to be both exciting and intimidating at the same time! I opted to start small and keep it simple, growing just a few no-brainer things. Among them were several basil plants. To me there is nothing quite like fresh tomatoes and basil to embody the summer's bounty.
Here's an awesome Pesto recipe that is easy, light, versatile and utterly delicious. I like to make it with both basil and spinach but you could use only basil if you prefer.
Basil Pesto
4 cups fresh basil and spinach, packed (I like to use 1/2 of each but you could also use only basil)
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Place all the ingredients in a high-power blender and process until smooth. (You may need to use a tamper to keep things moving.)
Store in an airtight container in a fridge or in the freezer.
Enjoy on your favorite crackers with a nice juicy slice of tomato, on raw Pizza or Zucchini Noodles, or in a scrumptious Lasagna such as this one.
This is the first year that I've started my own garden pretty much from scratch, deciding what to plant and where. Before that I only got a chance to get involved later in the season once things were already in the ground.
This task proved to be both exciting and intimidating at the same time! I opted to start small and keep it simple, growing just a few no-brainer things. Among them were several basil plants. To me there is nothing quite like fresh tomatoes and basil to embody the summer's bounty.
Here's an awesome Pesto recipe that is easy, light, versatile and utterly delicious. I like to make it with both basil and spinach but you could use only basil if you prefer.
And now for the recipe...
Basil Pesto
4 cups fresh basil and spinach, packed (I like to use 1/2 of each but you could also use only basil)
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup walnuts, soaked for 4 hours
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Place all the ingredients in a high-power blender and process until smooth. (You may need to use a tamper to keep things moving.)
Store in an airtight container in a fridge or in the freezer.
Enjoy on your favorite crackers with a nice juicy slice of tomato, on raw Pizza or Zucchini Noodles, or in a scrumptious Lasagna such as this one.
I'm just beginning to fall in love with raw food. Your blogsite is beautiful! I am looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
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