Pesto Pasta Salad

Being part Italian (thank you mama), I love pasta and anything with fresh basil.  Pesto sauce has got to be one of my all time favorite sauces and I find that you can add it to almost anything for a punch of fresh flavor.  If you're looking for a quick dinner or the perfect side dish for an outdoor party, give this a try.  I'll give you a rough outline, but taste as you go and add more or less of anything you want.

1 lb. whole wheat pasta, cooked
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella or 4 to 6 string cheese sticks sliced
1 cup or more of pesto sauce
3 Tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Combine everything in a large bowl and taste as you stir everything together.  I like to look at the proportions too and decide if it looks prettier with more tomatoes or cheese.  Again, add or subtract what you prefer - this is rough outline.  If your pasta is still hot, the cheese will melt.  That's great if that's what you want, but if you want the shredded or chunks of cheese to keep their shape, let the pasta cool first.

If you want a good recommendation for a store-bought pesto sauce, try the basil pesto from Costco.  I love this one because it's ingredients are processed free and in terms of color and taste, I have to say it rivals even my grandmas fresh pesto and that's saying something! 

Here is my grandma's recipe if you want to make some from scratch:

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated romano
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. pine nuts

Put all the ingredients in a blender or a food processer and combine until smooth.  Don't just limit this sauce to pasta.  Spread it on bread, pour over fish or chicken, use as a pizza sauce, spread on wraps or sandwiches, add to scrambled eggs, add it to soup, use as a salad dressing, top cooked veggies, use as a dip, mix it with mayonnaise, the possibilities are endless!  You can also freeze it and always have it on hand.  This makes for a quick dinner in a pinch that tastes great.

Cooking Brown Rice in the Rice Cooker

If we have rice with a meal, I never make white rice anymore.  I actually prefer the nutty taste and chewy texture of brown rice better.  It just happens to be processed free and more nutritious too - score!  Homemade rice is also really cheap and easier on our family budget than pre-cooked.  But, I always have had trouble making brown rice on the stove top and not having it be constantly watched, take a long time or turn out badly over or undercooked.  That's when I discovered you could cook it in your regular old rice cooker!  Talk about easy.  You pour in the rice and water, turn it on and walk away.  Cooking can't get any simpler.  It does take more time than white rice (I figure about 1 hour) and more water, so I start the rice first and then time the rest of my cooking so that my whole meal is done together.

Here are some rough estimates for water and rice ratios:

                                       Water                    Rice
White (long grain)         1 3/4 cups                  1 cup
Brown (long grain)          2 1/4 cups                 1 cup

For brown rice, you can see more water is needed.  Depending on your cooker you might need even up to 3 cups.  Start with less, and if your rice is undercooked, just add more water and restart the cooker.  Some people prefer to presoak their rice or rinse it before cooking.  I usually don't bother, but you can if you want.

Want more flavor?  Consider adding a bay leaf, cardamom pods or star anise - you would discard all of these after cooking.  They will infuse your rice with delicious and unique flavors.  Or use chicken broth or coconut milk in place of some or all of the cooking water.  Yum-O!  I hope you never shy away from making brown rice again.

Peanut Butter Bumpers Cereal

 

We buy pretty healthy low or no sugar cereals at our house most of the time, but when the kids want a "treat" cereal, this is the one we buy.  It's called Peanut Butter Bumpers by Mothers brand and I think it tastes most like Peanut Butter Captain Crunch.  Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to pass this off as the most healthy cereal, but it doesn't have refined sugar or wheat flour in it and boasts ingredients that I have at least heard of.  Here is the whole ingredient list: corn flour, unsulphured molasses, natural peanut butter (ground peanuts, salt), oat flour, rice flour, honey, salt, and vitamin E.  Better, right?  So, it does have sugar, but all natural sweeteners that your body can more easily recognize and digest.  I have found this at most health food stores, but even some local grocery stores carry it too.  I've even found it at my local Target store!  If your local grocery store has a health food section, you may also find it there too.  Try swapping this for one of your other sugary-treat type cereals.  You may just like it better!

Coconut Flour Brownies

  

 

 So, I've been experimenting more with coconut flour.  The results have been mixed.  Some recipes I like, and some I don't.  This recipe for coconut flour brownies, is one that I do like.  I don't remember where I got the original recipe, but I didn't have to change much seeing as it was already a mostly processed free mixture.  You can taste the undertones of coconut in this, so if you like that flavor, you will love these brownies!

 

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (melted)

3/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 X 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they are smooth.  Spread the batter all over the baking dish.  It will be thick as the picture shows, so make sure to spread it evenly all over including the corners.

 

 

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes.  You want it to be moist and not too dry.  Go for a lower cooking time to make these really fudgy!

 

 

Let them cool completely then cut and enjoy!  You can even put them in the refrigerator to help this process along.  I also think they cut best with a plastic knife.  No refined flour so these are gluten free, and no refined sugar so they are much healthier.  Now that's a great dessert!