Perfect Pesto

I have a basil plant that has recently gotten a little out of control, and so there was only one thing for me to do...make pesto!  Pesto is an Italian sauce that traditionally uses basil, garlic and parmesan cheese although now there are hundreds of varieties of pesto.  This is because pesto comes from the Italian word meaning to grind--> think mortar and pestle. So, now there are sun-dried tomato, black olive, eggplant, pistachio and mushroom pestos (just to name a few).  What we are talking about here is the original, Genovese, basil pesto. This recipe is simple, fast and delicious.  What's even better is that you can freeze it for use at a later date. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and pop it out as needed.   Pesto is also very versatile: think veggie tarts, pizzas, sautéed vegetables, sun-dried tomato mozzarella and pesto sandwiches....etc.

Date and Nut Balls

It has been a super long time since my last post..oops.  Since starting a new job October, I dropped the ball on writing down recipes to share, but I'm back and promise to at least attempt to write more regularly.

The following recipe is just something simple I threw together as a snack when my pantry was reaching near-bare conditions.  The only required equipment is a small skillet and a food processor or blender, and the result is a chewy, sweet and salty treat.  They are also raw, gluten free, and vegan (aside from honey if you're a super strict vegan but then you can just use agave syrup instead).  I like recipes like this because it's like having a cookie without having to turn on your oven in the hot summer.