Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta Sauce

How can an alfredo sauce be dairy free?  With a few alternative ingredients for flavor and texture, it’s very simple.  The base of this recipe includes not only pureed pumpkin, but also unsweetened soy milk, everything else (just about) is for flavor!  Even if you enjoy dairy, be bold, try this dairy free alfredo alternative and see what you think!

Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:
Olive oil
½ cup sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup puree pumpkin
1 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk
¼ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
pinch ground cinnamon
ground black pepper (to taste)
kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the pumpkin puree and soy milk to the saucepan, whisk together.
3. Add the remaining spices and sun dried tomatoes, whisk.
4. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring.  Leave on low heat until pasta is ready.
5. Toss with your favorite pasta shape (I recommend linguine) and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Summer Chicken Marinade

Even though school has started again, it is technically still summer, hence my post today.  This is an easy one. This marinade can be thrown together in a spare moment of time and is easily doubled or halved depending on your cooking needs. 

Summer Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 Fresh Limes
½  cup honey
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon soy sauce
4 -6 sprigs fresh rosemary
fresh ground pepper
garlic cloves (optional)
4 skinless chicken breasts

1. Add the marinade ingredients to a medium bowl or plastic bag.  Mix well.
2. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade, allow them to marinate covered in the refrigerator for about 4 hours (longer is fine).
3. Your chicken is ready to cook, grilling highly recommended!

Strawberry Basil Soda

Strawberries are ripe and the garden herbs are beginning to flourish.  How can I take advantage of these amazing strawberries?  Eureka! Let’s try strawberry and basil soda…. don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.  It’s AMAZING.

Strawberry Basil Soda 

1/2 pound strawberries (clean and trimmed)
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup sugar
33.8 fluid oz seltzer (flavor of your choice)

1. Cut the strawberries into quarters, or smaller if they are large berries.
2. Add strawberries to a large serving pitcher.  Add sugar and honey.  With a wooden spoon, mush the berries.
3. Add the basil leaves to the pitcher.
4. Add seltzer to the mixture.  Stir, add ice, serve immediately.

Roasted Corn Guacamole

This is a variation of a theme- Guac with Roasted Corn.  Its creation has a story, of course.  My intention was to make some tried and true guacamole dip to have, not to mention I had 3 avocados in the fridge.  Well, turns out the avocados were just a bit past their prime (understatement) and a trip to the grocery store was out of the question.  I salvaged what I could and was left with the ready minced ingredients for guacamole plus about 1/2 the necessary avocado   What to do?  I rummaged the fridge- nothing, on to the freezer- AH HA!  I spotted a forgotten bag of frozen corn.  I defrosted some corn, and roasted it in the toaster oven  (yes, at this point I was too lazy to preheat and use the oven).  Goes to show you, sometimes the tasty treats in the kitchen come from the most unexpected inspirations and turn of events. (And since it’s corn season, some fresh rosted corn would be absolutely DELISH in this recipe.)

Roasted Corn Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 Haas Avocados (NOT Florida Avocado, I find they are too watery and lack flavor)
1 cup  Red onion, chunked
1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro leaves
5 Cherry Tomatoes (or 1 Plum Tomato), halved
1 Lime
1/2 Jalapeño Pepper (optional to taste) (deseeded)
1 cup Corn (defrosted if using frozen)
 
If you prefer not to chop- use your food processor!  I have more than once made this recipe in a pinch without one.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (I used the toaster oven).  Spray oven tray with olive oil, spread corn on tray and roast for 8-10 minutes or until corn begins to brown.  Remove from toaster and allow to cool.
2. Carefully rinse the cilantro- you want to be sure to remove any sand or dirt that might add any unwanted crunch to your guacamole.  Pinch the leaves off of the stems, about 1/4 cup loosely packed, adding them to the food processor.
3. Add the cilantro and pepper to the food processor and let it rip.
4. Once the cilantro and pepper are finely minced, add the onion and cherry tomatoes to the food processor until all ingredients are to a size of your liking.
5. Cut the lime in half, juicing into bowl of ingredients- reserve 1/2 of a lime.
6. Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed, scoop the avocado out of the skin and into the bowl of ingredients.  Mash the avocado to taste, I prefer small chunks. Mix all ingredients together, including the cooled roasted corn.
7. Once this is complete, transfer guacamole to serving dish, squeeze remaining lime juice onto top of guacamole. Do not mix in the juice, it will help keep the avocado green.
8. Cover tightly, allow guacamole to chill for a few hours before serving.  Serve with corn chips.

 

Cilantro Almond Pesto

Can you say… YUM!  This pesto was a delicious alternative to the more traditional basil and pine nut recipe.  It will definitely become a go-to recipe in our house.  I would suggest serving it on pasta or using as  a sandwich spread.  We enjoyed the recipe served with a light vegetable pasta dish (more recipes to follow), it provided a nice change from some of the heavier meals that tend to dominate the dinner menu in the cold weather.  

Cilantro Almond Pesto

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup blanched almonds
2 cloves garlic
fresh jalapeño (to taste)
4 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)
Black Pepper, ground (to taste)

1. Add all the ingredients except the olive oil to the food processor. 
2. Blend until smooth. 
3. Add the olive oil and blend just enough to mix ingredients, add more olive oil as needed to obtain desired consistency. Add black pepper to taste.  (You just want to be careful with olive oil in the blender/processor that you don’t over mix it and separate the oil).
4. Serve on pasta, use as a sandwich spread or dip. 

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Banana Sandwich

Don’t knock it until you’ve tasted it… a peanut butter sandwich with fruit that is.  I’m not a fan of jelly, and it’s taken me until adulthood to appreciate peanut butter and the endless possibilities that can be created with it.  Until recently we had a restaurant that was devoted entirely to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (they closed, apparently an expanded menu might have been a better business idea than offering only pb &j).  Their menu was… creative. I have to give them that, peanut butter offered in every way imaginable.  But personally, I find that on the few occasions I crave peanut butter I am always left searching for complementing ingredients.  As a snack, I’d recommend going with your basic apple wedges with peanut butter, but for a more substantial snack or light lunch, consider loading up that sandwich with fruit like strawberry and banana.  If you really want to go all out- add some mini chocolate chips.  Lightly toasting the bread allows the peanut butter to get a little gooey and soft.  Now we’re talking heaven.  

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Banana Sandwich

creamy peanut butter

Ingredients
2 slices bread of your choice (my choice is potato bread)
2 large strawberries, thinly sliced
½ banana, thinly sliced
creamy peanut butter

1. Lightly toast the bread
2. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each side of the bread
3. Place sliced strawberries on one side of the bread and banana on the other.
4. Assemble your sandwich and enjoy immediately!

Alternatives:

• Add mini chocolate chips
• Experiment with other fruits: apple, pear

Snack Time! Strawberry Mandarin Orange “Salad”

It’s cold outside and I have been craving fruit like whoa.  Maybe because deep down I am dreaming of tropical beaches and white sand. I’m not sure.  Whatever the reason, I have recently discovered this delicious combination of fruit.  As a child I enjoyed mandarin oranges, but as an adult they rarely find their way into my cupboard, let alone onto the table.  Well, this snack never made it to the table, it went straight to my mouth, and quite quickly I might add.  I realize this recipe might not be the most elegant or sophisticated, but let’s face it.  When you love to eat (like me) it really doesn’t matter, and as long as it is delicious, and the simplicity of this recipe is an added bonus.  

Strawberry Mandarin Orange Salad Snack

Ingredients:
8oz Strawberries, rinsed and sliced (about ½ pound)
7oz Mandarin Orange in light syrup (about ½ 15oz can)

1. Chill mandarin oranges.
2. Drain mandarin oranges, reserve ¼ cup of syrup.
3. Gently mix sliced strawberries with mandarin oranges.   Add mandarin orange syrup to taste (optional).
4. Serve and enjoy!

Alternatives:

• Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
• Add toasted almond slivers
• Add toasted coconut flakes

Pesto Sauce

A quick and easy summer accoutrement for any dish, my latest love is using pesto on my fresh summer corn.  

Pesto Sauce

3 Cups Basil (fresh, washed, loosely packed)
¼ Cup Walnuts
¼ Cup Pine nuts
2 Cloves Garlic (more if you like a lot of garlic)
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Cup Locatelli Cheese (Finely grated) optional

Locatelli is a hard cheese that pairs well with traditional Italian flavors, and more importantly for me it is made from sheep’s milk NOT cow’s milk, making it a friendly food for me and those who avoid dairy products.

1. Add the basil, walnuts and pine nuts to the food processor.  Push the go button and don’t stop until all ingredients have created a fine paste. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the food processor occasionally.
2. Add the cheese to the food processor, blend until mixed well.
3. Lastly, add the olive oil.  The finer quality the olive oil, the tastier the final product will be. You can either blend briefly in the processor or mix by hand.
4. Enjoy the pesto served with pasta, vegetables, salads or any creation your little heart desires!

 

Wholly Guacamole!

I was never a big sandwich eater, but now that I am not eating dairy I find myself craving the occasional sandwich.  Now what does one put on a sandwich in place of cheese?  AVOCADO!  And if you are tired of that, try smearing a little Guacamole on, it will be an instant hit!

Wholly Guacamole

4 Haas Avocados (NOT Florida Avocado, I find they are too watery and lack flavor)
1 Small Red onion
1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro
2 Plum Tomatos
2-3 Limes
1 Anaheim or Jalapeno Pepper (optional)

If you prefer not to chop- use your food processor!  I have more than once made this recipe in a pinch without one.

1. Cut the onion into quarters, add to food processor and let it rip.  Once the onion is finely minced, remove and place in bowl.
2. Carefully rinse the cilantro- you want to be sure to remove any sand or dirt that might add an unwanted crunch to your guacamole.  Pinch the leaves off of the stems, about 1/4 cup loosely packed, adding them to the food processor.
3. Slice the plum tomatoes into quarters, remove the watery pulp and seeds by hand (this will water down your guacamole).  Add the tomatoes to the food processor.
4. Optional: If you are adding pepper, carefully deseed it and add the cleaned portion to the food processor.  This is to your taste, so add as little or as much as you like.
5. Hit the GO button on the food processor until all ingredients are finely minced. Remove and add to bowl of onion.
6. Cut the limes in half, juicing into bowl of ingredients- reserve 1/2 of a lime.
7. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop the avocado out of the skin and into the bowl of ingredients.  Mash the avocado to taste, I prefer small chunks. Mix all ingredients together.  Once this is complete, transfer guacamole to serving dish, squeeze remaining lime juice onto top of guacamole. Do not mix in the juice, it will help keep the avocado green.
8. Cover tightly, allow guacamole to chill for a few hours before serving.  Serve with corn chips. 

Blueberry Spritzers

The blueberry syrup is tasty, but I want to do more than enjoy it at breakfast in the conventional syrup way.  On a hot steamy day, try this out.

Blueberry Spritzers

A refreshing drink for any time of day

Blueberry Syrup (I’d start with  3 tablespoons)

Ice

Seltzer Water

Fresh Mint (for garnish)

Add the ingredients to the glass in the order listed, saving the mint for last.  Stir slowly with a straw, and enjoy immediately.