Pasta Night!

My father in law graciously gave my hubs and me a bag full of green tomatoes that had yet to turn but had to be picked before the first frost. He wrapped them in newspaper and put them in a paper bag, and about a week and a half later, voilà! They are red! I of course LOVE tomatoes and thought I would include some in last night's supper. I decided on a simple pasta with a dairy free version of spinach and basil pesto. Thanks Mr. John for the DELICIOUS home grown tomatoes!! 

Chicken Spinach Pesto Pasta

gluten free, dairy free

Ingredients:

1- 8 oz package gluten free pasta 

2 chicken breast
5 T extra virgin olive oil
salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1 cup chopped tomatoes (about 4 small tomatoes)
1 cup spinach
1 cup basil
1 glove garlic, peeled
1 lemon (rind and juice)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t agave (or honey)

What to do:

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Dice your chicken into bite size pieces.

Helpful hint: You could use leftover chicken and eliminate these steps

Heat 2 T extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and toss in your chicken.Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Saute until your chicken is no longer pink.

While your chicken is cooking, add spinach, basil,  garlic, and lemon rind to food processor.

Blend until it is all finely chopped.

While still blending, pour in 3 T olive oil, balsamic, agave, lemon juice,  and a pinch of salt.

Your final product should look like this.

Add your cooked pasta into your skillet with the cooked chicken. Top with your spinach pesto and chopped tomatoes.

Stir to combine.

Enjoy!!

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife

Not Your Lunchroom Meatloaf...

I know what you are thinking. You see the word meatloaf and you immediately think of that nasty stuff that was served in your lunchroom as a kid. This is NOTHING like that! This is tasty, moist, and healthy!! I was digging in my freezer this morning and realized just how much pesto I have stored up. If I don't use it, what's the point in storing it? I wasn't feeling pasta, so I thought.. well lets try a pesto meatloaf. It was AWESOME! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!


Dairy Free, Gluten Free Pesto Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey 

1/4 Cup gluten free bread crumbs

1 egg

3 stalks celery (green party only)

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 T GF Italian seasoning 

1/4 t pepper 

1 cup dairy free pesto (see pesto post)

1 jar store bought or homemade marinara 

helpful hint: If you aren't concerned with dairy free, you can add 1/2 cup grated parmesan to the loaf and use regular pesto. 

Preheat oven to 350°

Dice your  celery, onion, and garlic. In meatloaf, I like my veggies to be chopped very finely, so I toss them in the mini food processor. You can of course chop them by hand.

Add all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Only add in 1/2 cup of the pesto.

Mix until combined

Place mixture into loaf pan. No need to grease it as olive oil will render from the loaf and help to keep the loaf from sticking.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup pesto. (again if you aren't concerned with dairy, your can add 1/2 cup parmesan on top as well)

Bake for 20 additional minutes. 

Heat your marinara for just a few minutes over the stovetop.

Top each slice with marinara and enjoy! I didn't have time to whip any up, so I went with store bought. Just be sure to check for allergies! Little secret, my husband topped his with parmesan cheese here :)

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife

I'm Seeing GREEN...

Pesto that is. I love having a garden in my back yard full of veggies and herbs. We seem to always have an abundance of basil, so I decided to make some pesto. It is SO easy and even easier when it's dairy free. I will give you my original recipe for pesto and also the dairy free version. I always can the pesto in the summer and freeze it so we can use it all winter long. 

Pesto can be used in SO many ways! I use it for pasta, as a dipping sauce for bread, as a sauce for baked chicken, but really the possibilities are endless.  Today I am just going to show you how to prepare the pesto and later on will show you all of the yummy things you can make with your pesto!

If you don't have a garden, no worries. You can use fresh basil from the grocery, you will just need to buy a few packages. 

If you are using basil from your garden and have some stems with flowers, they are fine to use! In fact, they have a stronger flavor than the leaves. 

Also, make sure you wash EACH leaf from your garden! There are many bugs that like to hang around basil and we don't want them in your pesto!!

This recipe makes one pint of pesto, the amount you would use per pound of pasta. If you are a pesto lover like my family, we use just under a pound of pasta so we have a little more pesto than pasta. 

Deliciously Easy Dairy Free Pesto 

Ingredients:

4 Cups fresh basil

3 T toasted pine nuts

4 cloves garlic, smashed

3 T Buttery Spread, softened (I used Earth Balance)

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

First and foremost, if you plan to make several batches and freeze the pesto, make sure you sterilize the glass jars before you fill them with pesto. I find the easiest way is to run them through the dishwasher. 

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Lay out your pine nuts on a parchment covered cookie sheet. 

Toast in the oven for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. DO NO OVER TOAST! If the pine nuts burn, start over. If you use the burnt pine nuts, it will ruin the taste of the pesto. 

Smash 4 cloves of garlic with the back of your knife.

Time to get out your food processor or blender because this is why this recipe is SUPER easy!

Add the 4 cups of basil to the food processor 

Then add in the pine nuts.

Then add the buttery spread, garlic, salt and olive oil. 

Pulse until smooth.

If you plan on using the pesto right away, you may now enjoy! 

If you are going to freeze for the winter,  simply pour the pesto into your sterilized pint sized canning jar. 

I do make some pesto that has cheese in it for my husband. He just loves it and I don't think he shouldn't be punished because I am allergic to dairy. The pesto is made the same way as above, I just tweak the ingredients.

Pesto with Dairy Ingredients: 

2 C fresh basil

2 T pine nuts

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c fresh grated Parmesan

3 T fresh grated Romano Pecorino 

1/2 c olive oil

3 T Butter, softened 

Go ahead and freeze the pesto right away and you can enjoy it for months ahead. The pesto will be fine in the freezer for several years... if it lasts that long (no way in my house!)

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife