Garden Fresh Pesto

Gardening season means I planted my basil plants and I get to make lots of fresh pesto all summer long!! 

Basil is commonly used fresh in cooked recipes. In general, it is added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavor. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavor, and what little flavor remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavor, like hay.

Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce. Pesto can be used in MANY different ways. Great in pastas, eggs, sandwich spreads, pizza sauces, basically you should put this sh*t on everything because its a delicious way to eat fresh herbs. 

I won't go too in depth because I know you are all just here for the recipe. So for this one you'll just need a food processor, you can do it in the blender if you want but I'm not too sure that will chop everything up as nicely as a food processor. Also, most recipes for pesto include pine nuts, I do not use pine nuts because they are usually more expensive, they spoil and turn rancid much quicker than most nuts and many people have allergies to pine nuts. If you would like to make this recipe vegan feel free to leave out the Parmesan but just know that you are leaving out some awesome flavor if you do that. 

Garden Fresh Pesto

1/2 cup Cashews (soaked in water for 1-4 hours)
2 Scallions, green parts only
1 Tbs Garlic
2 cups Basil leaves
3 Tbs Olive oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
4 Tbs Parmesan, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Make sure the cashews have been soaking in water for at least 1 hour. Drain them and put them in the food processor.

2. Put all of the remaining ingredients in the food processor.

3. Blend it all up until it gets a nice pasty consistency with no large chunks of cashews or basil leaves (if you want it thinner just add more oil).

4. Use right away with basically any meal or store in a tight sealing jar. If you are storing in a jar make sure there is a layer of olive oil on top so the pesto doesn't spoil or turn brown. 

Easy right? This recipe yields about 12 oz.



Share your photos from this recipe with me!


Facebook & Instagram #fitpastrychef @mkirch01

Maple Honey Nut Granola

Let's replace processed sugar with natural, beautiful, sweet, Honey. 

Honey is a fantastic sugar replacement in many baking recipes. It is in liquid form most times and honey is much sweeter than sugar so you will need to use less than your recipes suggests. Below I have listed a great recipe for granola, substituting honey for sweetness. 

Now when I talk about honey, I'm not talking about the crap in the plastic bear shaped bottle.

Raw honey is the most original sweet liquid that honeybees produce from the concentrated nectar of flowers. Collected straight from the extractor; it is totally unheated, unpasteurized, unprocessed honey. An alkaline-forming food, this type of honey contains ingredients similar to those found in fruits, which become alkaline in the digestive system. It doesn't ferment in the stomach and it can be used to counteract acid indigestion. When mixed with ginger and lemon juices, it effectively relieves nausea and supplies energy. Raw foodists love honey for its exceptional nutritional value and its amylase, an enzyme concentrated in flower pollen which helps predigest starchy foods like breads.

Usually raw, unfiltered raw honey can only be purchased directly from the bee farm. Characterized by fine textured crystals, it looks cloudier and contains particles and flecks made of bee pollen, honeycomb bits, propolis, and even broken bee wing fragments. Raw and unfiltered honey and has a high antioxidant level and will usually granulate and crystallize to a thick consistency after a few months. It is usually preferred as a spread on bread and waffles, or dissolved in hot coffee or tea.

However, as most consumers are naturally attracted to buying and eating crystal clear and clean honey, unfiltered honey which looks cloudy and unappealing, is actually my favorite kind of honey to use in baking! Specifically I enjoy consuming Spun Honey. Spun honey just means that the honey is whipped with pieces of the comb so it spreads more evenly and it is lighter in color and thicker than unprocessed honey. Other words for Spun honey include: Creme honey, Clover Spun honey, Cream honey, and Whipped honey. They do sell a great brand of this in most grocery stores (I know Cub has it) called SueBee. 

Now that we learned a little about which honey to purchase and the health benefits of honey, lets put that tasty product to great use with a granola recipe!

Maple Honey Nut Granola

This recipe is EASILY interchangeable with your favorite dried fruits or roasted nuts. I made this recipe to cater my needs of pistachios and golden raisins.





Ingredients:

2 cups oats (I use Gluten Free Oats)
1/2 cup pistachios (shelled)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup mixed roasted nuts
3 T natural maple syrup
2 T clove spun honey
1 T+ 1 t coconut oil
1/4 t vanilla extract
1/4 t cinnamon (optional, I did not use in this batch)
1 t pink Himalayan salt



1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

2. In a medium sized bowl mix the oats, nuts and dried fruits.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the salt, to the bowl and mix well with a spoon.

4. On a parchment lined baking sheet spread the mixture in an even layer.

5. Sprinkle salt evenly over the top of the granola mixture and bake for 16 minutes. 

6. Let the granola cool so it can set and the clusters will form. I like to portion out serving sizes into snack sized baggies for an on-the-go snack, otherwise store in an airtight container.

This granola is good by itself as a trail mix snack or eaten with fruit and yogurts. 













Share your photos from this recipe with me!

Facebook & Instagram #fitpastrychef @mkirch01