savory

Adaptable Green Pesto

April 8, 2020 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Pesto is one of my favorite go-to meal starters so I’ve created an adaptable recipe so you can make it to suit your tastes and the season at hand! Nutty, herbaceous, savory, and bright, pesto is the perfect balance of flavors all wrapped up in a pretty verdant-hued package.

I find it curious what constitutes comfort food from person to person. Sometimes there are memories and stories attached while other times it is something that feels deeply nourishing. Of course “nourishing” is not to be confused with words like “healthy”. In my humble opinion, nourishment runs on a deeper level, satisfying body, mind, and soul. Whereas a bowl of kale might be “healthy”, a bowl of macaroni and cheese or your favorite childhood cereal can be nourishing.

Times of stress and uncertainty, like those we find ourselves in at the moment, often require imbibing our own version of comfort food. Mine tends to fluctuate throughout the year along with the seasons, but one constant is pesto tossed with something carb-y (usually pasta). It’s incredibly easy and quick to put together (just throw everything in the blender!) and I can change it up based on what I have. I think the flavor is what makes it comfort food for me: nutty, herbaceous, savory, and bright. It’s the perfect balance of flavors all wrapped up in a pretty verdant-hued package.

Before we get to the recipe, let me say that this is not traditional pesto by any means. Rather, it’s a pesto-like sauce that that just so happens to also be green! Since I make it based on what I have seasonally, every batch tends to be unique. For instance, the batch photographed was made with half of an avocado rather than olive oil because the store was wiped out of olive oil when I ordered groceries a couple of weeks ago. In addition to my favorite combinations, I’ve included recipe suggestions below in case you’re looking for inspiration for enjoying your pesto!

My Favorite Pesto Combinations & Recipe Suggestions

+ I love using sunflower seeds in the summer. They go really well with baby spinach and flat leaf parsley.

+ Pecans and sage make for a good fall/winter combo along with baby spinach or arugula.

+ Pecans and cilantro are a really delicious combo, especially when paired with earthy root veggies like beets and carrots.

+ Pumpkin seeds make a delicious combo with cilantro as well! I love using this combo as a dip for tortilla chips.

+ Since cashews have a natural sweetness to them, I love them paired with pungent herbs like basil and mint.

+ Tired of pasta? Make these oat flatbreads and top them with your pesto and whatever roasted veg you’ve got. Or, spread your pesto on pizza dough before adding the rest of your toppings.

+ If you love snacking on raw veggies, try mixing your pesto with sour cream or plain unsweetened yogurt for a creamy dip.

+ Eat a lot of sandwiches or avocado toast? Use your pesto as a sandwich spread.

+ If you love lasagna but don’t like tomato sauce, use pesto between the layers instead.

Adaptable Green Pesto

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1.5 cups
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

2 cups of greens and/or herbs: baby spinach, steamed kale, baby arugula, radish greens, carrot greens, nettles, basil, parsley, sage, etc.
1/2 cup toasted nuts or seeds: cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese if you aren’t vegan)
juice and zest of 1 small lemon
sea salt to taste
1–2 minced garlic cloves or 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or, you can use the flesh of 1/2 of an avocado along with 3–4 tbsp of water in its place)

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Instructions

Add everything to a blender and blend until relatively smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Store your pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

The batch photographed is kale and blue spice basil from my garden with cashews and half of an avocado in place of the olive oil. I ended up adding 1/4 cup of water to allow it blend a bit better.
If you’re using tougher greens like kale, I recommend steaming them lightly beforehand.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Category: sauce

Deconstructed Spring Roll Bowl with Ginger Peanut Sauce

March 15, 2020 By Courtney West 4 Comments

A colorful rainbow of spring veggies served are served up alongside your choice of a cooked grain and a ginger peanut sauce. Rosy-hued pickled radish slices add a nice tangy element to this vegan and gluten free deconstructed spring roll bowl.

The swift arrival of spring has brought not only the dusty yellow covering of pine pollen but a slow refilling of the creative well. I started imagining things I wanted to create, photograph, and share here. This process isn’t always the same. Sometimes it starts with a fully fledged idea, other times it centers around a single ingredient (passion fruit!) or a specific combination (strawberries and basil!). In this case however, the recipe is based on a meal that I keep in a mental list and refer to regularly when preparing for the week.

This dish doesn’t feature prominently on my rotating mental list in the fall and winter because my body is transitioning to hearty and warming fare. Now that the weather is trending warmer, it’s time to bring it back out! I like to ease my body back to lighter fare so it’s not such a shock to my digestive system, thus the lightly steamed carrots and snap peas rather than all raw veg. The pickled radish will also help with digestion as will the ginger root in the sauce.

The ingredients in the bowl are really up to you and what you enjoy about spring rolls. I’ve included a list of suggestions below along with what is in my bowl that you see in the photos. I highly recommend making it as colorful as possible!

Deconstructed Spring Roll Bowl with Ginger Peanut Sauce

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 15 minutes

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Description

Ingredients

for the sauce:

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup mellow miso paste
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3–4 tbsp tamari (if you don’t like things as salty, start with 3 tbsp)
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
sriracha to taste (I used a heaping tbsp)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
water as needed to thin

for the quick-pickled radishes:

one bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, or rice are all good options)
3/4 cup filtered water
2 smashed garlic cloves
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp salt
2 tsp of honey or maple syrup

for the bowls:

any combination of raw or steamed spring veggies and herbs that you like such as snap peas, carrots, cabbage, sprouts, kale, mint, cilantro, and avocado
any cooked grain that you like such as brown rice or quinoa
for extra protein, you could add tofu or tempeh

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Instructions

Make the sauce by blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Add water a little at a time to get a consistency that you like. I ended up using roughly 1/3 cup of water. Makes 1 3/4 to 2 cups of sauce depending on how much water you use.

To make the pickled radishes, add the sliced radishes to a jar with at least 2 cups (pint) capacity. Add everything else to a small pot and heat it over medium-high. Stir it a few times while it heats to make sure the salt dissolves. Once the vinegar mixture comes to a simmer, let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the radishes into your jar. The liquid should cover all of the radishes. If not, gently press the radishes down until covered. Ideally the radishes are best after pickling in the brine for at least 24 hours but you can eat them once they cool if you like. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.

To assemble your bowl, think about all of the things you like that tend to make their way into spring rolls. I went with more of a seasonal veg combination with a literal interpretation of spring roll but once we hit summer, you could add in cucumber, sweet peppers, and basil. Once you build your bowl, add your sauce, your pickled radishes, then eat and enjoy!

Notes

The bowl you see here is filled with Napa cabbage (a beautiful purple variety called Red Dragon), lightly steamed carrots and snap peas, broccoli sprouts, cooked brown rice, avocado, and pickled radishes. I lightly steamed the carrots and snap peas to make it easier on my digestive system.

Prep Time: 15 minutes