This year we grew some organic basil on our balcony and were surprised to find out how much basil you can get from a small container. It amazes me that the store-bought basil costs at least $2.99 but does not taste nearly as good as your own grown basil. Now that we are drowning in basil, I started to research the recipes we can make with all that basil… First thing came to mind is pesto! Just throw some basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
Here is the recipe for pesto:
Homemade Pesto
Here are some other recipes in which pesto can be used:
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Pesto Pasta Salad
Black Olive-Pesto Pinwheels
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter
Mediterranean Pizza
1 pizza crust
1 cup pesto sauce
1 cup artichoke heart
1 cup sun-dried tomato
1 cup wilted spinach leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olive or black olive
1 cup prosciutto
4 ounces feta cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese-provolone cheese mix
olive oil
Preheat oven to 350. Brush pizza shell with olive oil. Spread pesto sauce thoroughly over the surface of the shell, leaving the edge as a crust. Top with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, wilted spinach leaves, meat and cover with cheeses. Place pizza directly on oven rack for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted from centre to edge. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
4 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup fresh basil pesto
2 Tbsp chopped green olives
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, defrosted
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
several fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cook pasta al dente. Mix in fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill or serve at room temperature.
Cook pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Toss cooked pasta with pesto, shredded chicken and halved cherry tomatoes. Add the reserved cooking water as needed to get the pesto to mix in smoothly. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.
4 cups fresh basil leaves
¾ to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 minced garlic
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
½ to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Toast the nuts in a small skillet (don’t burn them) and cool. Toast the garlic until it has brown spots on all sides (this should remove the raw garlic flavor that can spoil so many homemade pestos). Place basil, nuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until it turns into smooth paste. Slowly pour in oil. Mix in processor until combined.
- Did you know that walnuts could be stored in a freezer for long-term storage?
- Some recipes mix spinach with basil.
- Stir pesto into hot cooked pasta or use as a sauce for a Chicken-Pesto Pizza.
- If you’re going to store pesto, pour a bit of olive oil on top so it stays fresh
- Some people freeze pesto in ice cubes and then pop them into a bag for easy storage in the freezer, however, some chefs opt for freezing a basil puree which can be transformed into pesto after defrosting. This is how you would do it: Submerge basil leaves in boiling water and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander and cool with cold water. Drain again and press gently to remove excess water. Place in a food processor with a dash of salt and some olive oil. Process until pureed and freeze in small packages.
- For other ideas on how to use pesto, click here.
Waste: It is estimated that annually 22 billion empty plastic bottles are thrown in the trash in the United States. Can you imagine what would happen to our planet if we don’t cut down on all that plastic waste?
Save money: Tap water is just as a clean and safe to drink as bottled water, and it is free. Think of it this way – before plastic bottles were invented, people did not die of thirst. The only investment you may wish to make is (1) filtration system for your faucet and (2) safe reusable water bottle.
- To further minimize lead concentration in your tap water, before using it for drinking and cooking, run the cold water for a minute until it is as cold as it can get. This will flush out the water that has been sitting around for awhile so lead concentration won't be as high (the longer that water sits in pipes, the greater the exposure to lead). Also, use only cold water for drinking and cooking since hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water.
- If you are still concerned, call your local water utility company to find out contamination levels at your water source. The Environmental Protection Agency tests for 84 different contaminants, including the carcinogenic trihalomethane chlorine by-products. Compare your local contamination levels to national standards by calling the U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).
Plastic bottles are not safe: #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most common resin used in disposable bottles. Although the #1 bottles are safe if only used once, if they are reused (as they commonly are), they leach chemicals such as DEHA, a possible human carcinogen, and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), a potential hormone disruptor. Also, because the plastic is porous you'll likely get a swill of harmful bacteria with each gulp if you reuse #1 plastic bottles.
For more information, check out Take Back the Tap campaign launched by a non-profit Food and Water Watch. Another website with a wealth of information is Filter for Good.
See this article on How to Choose a Water Bottle, and here are some suggestions on reusable bottles:
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 clove minced garlic
1.5 cup chicken broth
2 cans 14 oz. stewed tomatoes, pureed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 tablespoon cumin
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Add all ingredients to the slow-cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours. During the last 30 minutes, add cilantro. If you don't have the slow-cooker, you can cook it on the stove, but make sure to simmer the soup for hours. It taster even better the next day. Can be frozen in individual containers to be reheated at a later date. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.
When was the last time you had seen your doctor, or had an annual physical? These days we get so busy that we forget or don't have the time to make our health a priority. Take care of yourself before you start taking care of others! Below is the recommended schedule for some of your vital health screenings.
Blood pressure: Check at least every 2 years.
Cholesterol Test: Starting at age 20, check at least once every 5 years.
Blood Glucose Test: Starting at age 45, check once every 3 years.
Thyroid Test (TSH): Starting at age 35, check every 5 years.
Eye Exam: Starting at age 18, check every 2-3 years, OR more often if you have vision problems.
Hearing Test: Starting at age 18, check every 10 years.
Skin exam: Starting at age 20, every year plus monthly self-exam.
Dental Exam & Cleaning: Once every 6-12 months.
Colonoscopy: Starting at age 50, every 10 years.
Clinical Breast Exam: Starting at 20, once every 3 years. After 40, have annual exams.
Mammogram: Starting at 40, once every 1-2 years, or sooner if at risk.
Pap Test & Pelvic Exam: Starting at 20, every year.
Chlamydia Test: Every year if sexually active.
This year we grew some organic basil on our balcony and were surprised to find out how much basil you can get from a small container. It amazes me that the store-bought basil costs at least $2.99 but does not taste nearly as good as your own grown basil. Now that we are drowning in basil, I started to research the recipes we can make with all that basil… First thing came to mind is pesto! Just throw some basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
