Cilantro Pesto

Happy Valentine's Day!!  I should really be posting a "red" recipe today, but I have a lovely "green" one instead!

I have to say that one of my pet peeves is buying a bundle of an herb for a recipe that calls for a tablespoon or so, chopped. Nearly every time 99% of the bundle gets wilted or crunchy sitting in my fridge before I can think of a creative way to use it.  Last week I made a curry dish that called for some cilantro.  Determined not to let it all go to waste, I immediately separated and washed the whole lot of it and gave it a good whirl in my salad spinner.

BEAUTIFUL!  Using my method for keeping greens from the garden fresh in the summer, I wrapped the cilantro in a clean dish cloth, popped it in a baggies and popped it in the fridge.  At this point I was still unsure what to do with it all!

Fast forward a day or two and there I was, chugging along on the elliptical at the gym at work, watching Jaime Oliver cook up some of his wicked 15 minute meals.  And what type of condiment did he made?  Why basil pesto!  The light bulb shone bright above my head and I knew I would be making cilantro pesto just as soon as I got home.  :)

I'm sure there are many cilantro pesto recipes out there, but here's what I did:

Cilantro Pesto

-2 cups packed cilantro
-1/2 cup of walnut pieces
-3 crushed garlic cloves
-1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-1 tbsp of lime juice
-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
-salt & pepper to taste

*add first 5 ingredients to a food processor and pule until all is well combined
*add EVOO, S&P and set food processor to low, allowing ingredients to combine until you get to your desired consistency.

*Makes 1 cup

I like mine a little "chunky" per se, but you get to decide what is best for your taste buds.  :)

I have no picture, but I used half of mine as a topping for a pork roast.  It was wonderful!  I actually froze the other half for a future meal.  I plan to use it as a sauce with pasta and grilled chicken breast.  Yum!

So there you have it.  I know cilantro isn't for everyone, but if you do like it, give this a try!

Bye for now!

Homemade Condensed Milk & Macaroons

I am a magazine junkie.  At any given time I have 3-4 laying around the house for me to read.  One of my favourites is Chatelaine and it was this magazine that I was reading the other night when I came across a recipe for homemade condensed milk.

Say what???  You can make that stuff at home? I was sold.  There's only a handful of ingredients which is a plus for me (I tend to disregard recipes with a long ingredient list) so out came the magic bullet and I got right to it!  This is the skim milk powder I used:

Carnation Instant Skim Milk Powder.  By the way; I *really* wish I could figure out how to rotate photo's in Blogger!!  D'oh!  After literally 5 minutes of getting the goods into the Bullet and 2 minutes of whirling, I had myself a nice cup of rich, sweet, creamy condensed milk!

SUCCESS!!!  But now what to do with it,right?  Never fear, Chatelaine attached some handy little recipes, too!  (These are at the bottom of the recipe in the link above).  I love me some coconut so I picked the macaroons:

So incredibly easy; 1 cup of unsweetened coconut and 1/2 a cup of the sweetened condensed milk.  Stir together, scoop out 2 TBSP, roll into balls and bake 10-12 minutes in a 350*C oven.

These were a big hit.  Fluffy clouds of coconutty goodness.  I never realized how easy it was to make macaroons!  LOL  One of the other ideas for the condensed milk was to mix it with equal amounts of water and freeze it in ice cube trays and use it in iced coffee.  That would be a good summer time treat!

Is condensed milk something you use?  If so, what do you make with it??

Bye for now!!

Link Love-Dinners, Sides & Sweets

Hi All!  I've been battling a head cold this week and have been lying low, drinking lots of hot tea and drinking Buckley's like it's my job!  I've got a fun weekend planned and a cold is NOT invited.  What's on the agenda, you might ask?  Well, Friday I've got an appointment to have my tattoo drawn up by the artist who will be marking me for life, Saturday involves a hair appointment, Breaking Dawn: Part 2 and dinner with friends and Sunday will be a Christmas shopping day.  I'm excited!  :)

While lying low I've been browsing plenty of websites for recipes to bookmark.  I thought I'd share a few with you today.  I've put together a few each of dinners, sides and sweets.  Check'em out!

DINNER

Thai Shrimp Coconut Rice
(Name That) Tuna Casserole

SIDES

Classic Beaked Beans
Chana Masala

SWEETS

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins
Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Did any of these catch your eye?  Feel free to share some link love in the comment section!  I'm always on the look out for new recipes to try.  :)

Bye for now!!

Fall Recipe Round Up

Happy Monday, all!  Seeing as the cooler temps are here to stay and, dare I say it?  Snow is just around the corner, I thought I'd compile a few of my fall-ish recipes that I've made over the past few years.  Enjoy!!

 Vegetable Ragu 

-1 medium carrot, sliced
-1 garlic clove
-1/2 cup sliced zucchini
-1/4 cup onion
-a few mushrooms, sliced
-a small tomato, chopped
-1/3 cup of Hunt's fire roasted tomato's
-2 Tbsp chopped roasted red pepper strips
-1 Tbsp fresh basil/parsley
-S & P

Pour a quarter cup of water in the frying pan. Add carrot, garlic, zucchini, onion, mushrooms and tomato and S & P. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add fire roasted tomato, red pepper strips & herbs. Cook another 5 minutes. Serves 2.

Sweet Potato Barley Risotto

-1 tsp olive oil
-1 small onion, diced
-1 cup pearl barley
-3 cups broth or water
-1 sweet potato, cubed
-1 tsp each coriander & cumin
-1/2 tsp each chili powder & cinnamon
-salt & pepper to taste
-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

*cube sweet potato and microwave in a bowl with a touch of water for 6ish minutes or until fork tender. Side aside
*heat oil in saucepan and cook onion about 5 minutes
*add barley and spices and cook 1 more minute
*Add broth/water, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until thick, checking every so often that the liquid hasn't dried up. Add more fluid if needed.
*Once barley is cooked through, stir in sweet potato and cheese. Remove from heat and serve.

Smoked Turkey, Lentil & Kale Soup

·                     2 carrots, peeled and chopped

·                     1 onion, chopped

·                     3 ribs of celery, chopped

·                     2 crushed garlic cloves

·                     2 tbsp avocado oil

·                     4 cup stock

·                     2 cups water

·                     2 cup green lentils

·                     2 bay leaves

·                     1 smoked turkey leg

·                     1 packed cup of chopped kale

·                     salt & pepper to taste

1.             Heat oil in a large pot and add all chopped veggies.  Cook until soft 5-8 minutes

2.             Add garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper.  Cook 1 minute more

3.             Add smoked turkey leg, stock and water.  Bring to a boil

4.             Add lentils, bring back to boil then turn temp down to a simmer

5.             Partially cover and let simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

6.             With approx 45 minutes of cooking time left add chopped kale

7.             Remove turkey leg and set aside too cool slightly.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  **If you  like your soup a bit thinner, add water accordingly.  I added an extra 2 cups**

8.             Keep soup on low heat while you remove and chopped all the meat from the bone.  Add turkey back to the pot and cook just a few more minutes to heat

Lentil & Rice Pilaf Stuffed Peppers

-1 onion
-1/2 cup shredded carrots
-1 cup lentils
-3 + 1/2 cups water
-1 can fire roasted tomatoes with juice
-2 minced garlic cloves
-1 cup brown rice
-1/2 cup pepper pieces (I used the tops of the peppers to be stuffed) 
-1 Tbsp basil
-salt & pepper
-6 peppers, tops cut off and inside cleaned out
-grated asiago cheese

*Pre-heat oven to 350*

*saute onion & carrots for about 5 minutes. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil & then turn down heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

*add can of tomatoes, garlic, rice, 1/2 cup water, pepper pieces, S & P and basil. Cover & cook for another 15 minutes. Check to make sure mixture doesn't dry out. Add more water if needed.

*Put peppers in a casserole dish trimming bottom as needed so they stand straight. Fill with about 1/2 a cup of lentil/rice mixture. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of grated asiago on top.

*Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Nut Muffins

·                     1 cup WW flour

·                     2.5 tsp baking powder

·                     1/2 tsp salt

·                     1/2 tsp baking soda

·                     3/4 cup oats

·                     1/4 cup agave

·                     1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or 1 egg)

·                     3 tbsp melted butter

·                     1/2 cup vanilla flavoured “milk” (I used USVAB)

·                     1 cup pure pumpkin puree

·                     1/4 cup chopped walnuts

·                     1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1.             Heat oven to 400*

2.             Combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt

3.             Add oats

4.             Add remaining ingredients

5.             Stir to combine

6.             Fill greased muffin cups 1/2 way and bake for 20 minutes

You can check out all my recipes by clicking on the Recipe Tab at the top of the blog.  And don't forget to visit my Krista's Kravings Facebook page!!  I'd love to see some love over there, too.  :)

What is your favourite fall recipe??

Bye for now!!