Today's Garden Goodness & Basil Pesto

Today is clean up day and part of my tidy is pruning the roses, picking the weeds and sweeping the patio.  It is a 'cool' 28 degrees with a nice breeze so I have managed to get quite a bit done.  

My tomatoes and corn are completely finished.  I managed to produce 8 full sized ears of corn and about another 6 baby corn for a stir-fry.  The tomatoes were really abundant and we enjoyed colourful bowlful after bowlful.  Now all that is left is my chilli peppers and a few mixed herbs.  I couldn't resist letting a few of my chives go to flower as they are so pretty.  I think we can safely enjoy these in our mashed potatoes and potato salads for a bit longer.

I cut back all my basil and made pesto for the freezer and it looks like I will have a second blush to make a bit more.  Yum!  Pesto is pretty easy to make.  I don't follow a recipe.  I just whiz up what I have but usually include:

• a bunch of basil
• the juice of 1-2 lemons
• the zest of 1-2 lemons
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• a bunch of green onions
• a healthy glug of olive oil - enough to make it a runny consistency
• walnuts or pine nuts (optional)

I leave the Parmesan cheese out as I am allergic to dairy but this can be added back in to individual dishes if some hold the cheese and some don't.  Whiz the ingredients up in a blender or food processor and adjust seasonings to taste.   Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays to pop out when you need it or refrigerated in a sterilized jar for up to a couple of weeks.  The kids love it on zucchini noodles; as a marinade for chicken or fish; or stirred into pasta with some cherry tomatoes for school lunches.

Bone Broths

Naked chicken broth.

I have been making my own stocks for years and freezing them to use in soups but lately I have been making smaller batches and starting my day with a cup of broth instead of coffee.  I probably won't do this everyday but when the mood strikes me, it is easy to pop the ingredients into the slow cooker for a couple of days and then strain to drink.

Homemade broth have a lot of vital nutrients.  They are good for gut health and are rich in glucosamine and chondroitin which are good for skin, bones and cartilage; and both of which are very expensive to buy in pill form if you wish to take as a supplement.

Beef broth with a side of avocado on chia seed crackers.

Printer Version

• 1 small bag of beef bones or chicken bones
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed if organic
• 2 stalks of celery, broken up to fit the pot
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• A few sprigs each of thyme, rosemary, sage, & parsley
• 2 Tbsps. of apple cider vinegar
• unrefined sea salt to taste
• Enough filtered water to cover ingredients in pot

Prepare vegetables and place with bones in a slow cooker for 24 - 48 hours.  Strain, cool and portion into containers.  I strain the bones and vegetables and then strain again through fine muslin cheesecloth to take out the finer bits.  After refrigeration, simply skim off any hardened fat that has risen to the top.  Reheat and enjoy!

The yield will depend on the size of the slow cooker and the amount of liquid you add to the pot.  I usually can make a couple of litres in a small slow cooker with a handful of beef bones or the carcass of one small chicken.

Fresh Cauliflower Tabbouleh

After a big interstate move over the Christmas holidays, we have finally unpacked just about everything once and I am back in the swing of cooking and experimenting with new recipes.  Over the last six months I have tried to up my cauliflower consumption by trying out different recipes with marginal success. 

I can't say I am a fan of cooked cauliflower.  I do like soup but the kids are that big on it and I can't eat it all on my own.  Steamed cauliflower is a little repulsive to me and the kids don't seem to appreciate it roasted.

With the rising popularity of Paleo recipes, there are more and more cauliflower used in place of rice or grains.  I happen to love raw cauliflower so the Paleo way of eating cauliflower interested me.  I loosely followed a Paleo diet 10ish years ago when I was seeing a Naturopath for a suspected dairy allergy.  The Paleo recipes I was given were okay but did not have near the variety or creativity that we are now experiencing.

Our first try at cauliflower rice was a success giving it a gentle stir fry along with some veggies.  Next I went for raw cauliflower in place of bulgur in our tabbouleh.  I was surprised this recipe was embraced by the family and slowly have been increasing the amount of parsley until everyone was eating huge portions of it as their side with dinner.  This one is especially good with a side of roasted sweet potato or pumpkin along with your protein.  This kind of hot and sweet veggie side balances out the acidity of the dressing in the raw tabbouleh.

I have swapped out a more traditional lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar with mother in order to get a bit more beneficial microbes.  If you prefer the lemon then feel free to sub it back into the recipe for the dressing or use it interchangeably or half and half.  The sumac is unnecessary but has a tangy interesting flavour and I like it.  Hopefully you will enjoy it too!

Printer Version

• ½ medium head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
• 1/8 cup of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar with mother
• 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. of natural honey or natural cane sugar
• ½ tsp. of natural sea salt  
• ½ tsp. sumac (optional)
• ¼ tsp. of pepper
• 6 medium sized tomatoes, largely diced
• 1 whole cucumber largely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, largely diced
• 1 bunch of flat-leafed parsley, washed and finely chopped
• 1 bunch of basil, washed and finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely sliced

In a large bowl, chop the tomatoes, bell pepper and cucumber.  Next, finely chop the green onion, parsley and basil.  Then in a food processor, process the cauliflower until it resembles the size of rice grains.; I usual pulse gently until the correct size is achieved.   Transfer the cauliflower to the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

To make the dressing, whisk together the cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sumac, salt, pepper, and honey.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix until well combined.

This usually serves  six  people depending on the serving size.