Basil Pesto a.k.a. how to kill a basil plant in one easy meal

Okay, the kids have been grazing all day long, but it is getting close to dinner time. So what do you make that feels like dinner but doesn't require too much effort? If it is summer time, or at least summer seasonal food time, you make pasta with pesto!

I wasn't sure my family would like this. Kids and pasta are a good combo. But, cover a kid's old-stand-by pasta with green stuff, and I don't know if you have a new favorite or a reason for a coup attempt.

So, despite my concerns, I went ahead and committed to make Basil Pesto on SBK page 155. I didn't even hold back on the pound of Kamut pasta, I slathered it all in pesto. Brave soul that I am, I earned a 3 out of 4 rating from the family.

This is a classic basil recipe, and a great way to use up plentiful basil leaves at the end of the season before we get an early frost, or before you cut back plants for planting indoors.

The whole thing came together really well in my old delapidated food processor (the one that will be replaced when this project is over!). It took awhile to get the basil and garlic down to the right texture, but it happens if you are patient as you pulse. Adding the olive oil in the thinnest stream possible is the most sensuous act of the whole process. There is something about it that feels like art. Maybe it is the anticipation. As the measuring cup empties and the food processor bowl turns from grit to green, you get a sense of accomplishment that soon leads to a feeling of "let's eat".

Hot pasta plus pesto is a very good thing. 14 year old loved it, but wanted to know if olive oil was good for him. Yes, I said. So he ate, and ate. Husband liked it and didn't even ask about garlic (which he doesn't love). 10 year old took a no-thank-you portion and decided to eat cereal. I personally could have devoured the whole pot myself. Alone. With a glass of Malbec and a clear conscience. It was that good. Damn good.

Penny Pinching: I won't lie to you, vegan parmesan is expensive. I know the recipe tells you how to store the leftover pesto under a layer of olive oil, but there were no leftovers, so I would count on this recipe making only one meal for 4 diners. Pine nuts are cheaper and usually available at Big Lots. Basil is cheap when in season, or buy a hydroponic basil at Lone Maple Farm or Healthy U and plan to spend about $3 for what you'll need for this recipe. I used Kamut pasta, but you could cut corners and use something off the grocery shelf it you are looking to save some coins.

Help Wanted: This is a great recipe for little helpers. Young kids can pluck basil leaves off the stalks. Older helpers like to whir the food processor.

Enjoy, and don't forget to brush your teeth afterward, especially if you eat the leftovers at work! "Is there anything in my teeth?" Say cheese (or don't if you are vegan)!

Ithaca Farmer's Market

If you haven't been to the Ithaca Farmer's Market, why not? It is a little slice of food-groovy heaven! It is not too late, the market is open through September and in to October. Google it and check for exact dates, but most Saturdays it is open until 3pm.

I visited on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Loved it! I picked up a quick lunch at Macro Mama's, and because of the super long line (always a good sign that the food is worth waiting for) I hit the Express Lane for some Lime-Ginger Noodles and Corn Fritters. I realize this constitutes carbo-loading, but hey, a girl has to have a little fun. Both were delicious. I think I got the last batch of fritters available that day. The lady who served them to me said I got lucky.

My other goal was finding some healthy herbs for my kitchen window. No problem. I found herbs 4/$10.00 at a corner stall. I got sage, tri-color sage, rosemary, chives and oregano. I filled out my window herb garden with cilantro and basil plants.

As the market was closing I found a veggie stand with the best looking eggplant I have seen all summer. Long and skinny, great for slicing and making lasagna. So, I toted them away along with a quart of heirloom tomatoes. Sweet!

It was the best $30 I spent all summer! I sat by the water and people watched for awhile. Lots of students, since both Cornell and Ithaca college are back in session. Lots of over-50 couples. Is it just me, or were a lot of people holding hands? Alas, I ventured to Ithaca alone, so no hand-holding.

I did wish that I had geared up and brought my kayak, because the water was beautiful. I met a lady who had done just that. I overheard her telling someone that she had back surgery 7 years ago and her doctor said she would never kayak again. She was busy proving him wrong. Having just had back surgery a month ago, I was all ears. She pulled her kayak on a set of wheels, like a shopping cart tote, and was headed out to paddle after a market lunch. She tried to put in at the dock, but the water was too low, so she opted for pushing off of a sandy point a little ways down from the dock. Sure enough, a nice man in cycling gear saw her managing the transition and offered to lend a hand. So nice!

It was a great getaway! Lunch, a little earth-friendly shopping, beautiful scenery, beautiful people . . .and a nice ride home with the windows open and "This American Life" on the radio.

Sunday Morning Brunch: Pecan-crusted French Toast

Happy Sunday! Weekends offer an opportunity for a more substantial breakfast opportunity. So, here it is, a weekend, and I want to make french toast with the bread that is leftover from this week's lunchbox sandwiches. I'm not talkin' "it sat in the lunch box" bread. I'm talkin' 1/3 of a loaf of potato bread from 10 year old's lunches, and 1/3 of a loaf of whole wheat bread from 14 year old's lunches. No, we can't all eat the same bread. That would be too easy and cooperative.

So, Pecan-crusted French Toast, SBK page 22 was the answer. Thanks to my summer-time staples shopping, I had all the ingredients, along with my leftover bread. I did a little clandestine preparation before the boys woke up so that I would be ready with hot french toast when the tummies arrived in the kitchen. According to my kids, starvation is always around the corner, so I have to be ready to end world hunger at a moment's notice or they will dive into the popsicles or cheese sticks.

Anyway, if you read the recipe, it calls for adding garbanzo flour and cornstarch to the rice/soy milk. Why? Not sure, but maybe it is to add some body to the milk. You can definitely taste the garbanzo flour in the final product, especially if you go light on the syrup. (So, go heavy on the syrup!)

Cooking: SBK says that it is difficult to get the pecans to stick to the french toast, but actually if you chop the heck out of them, it isn't so tough. I bought chopped pecans and then beat them to a pulp in my Pampered Chef chopper. They clung to the soaked bread so well that I had to add a few extra pecans to cover the last piece.

I cooked the french toast on an electric fry pan. 7 slices fit in one batch and the coconut oil helped the pecans brown nicely without burning.

Results: Dense, flavorful french toast that was heavenly! Oh man, so worth the calories for mom! 10 year old ate one piece and was full. It is really filling. 14 year old ate two pieces and then followed it with a blender full of strawberry-peach smoothie. He will never be full. Dad didn't comment because he is on the golf course.

I would make this again for Sunday brunch! It would be good with a side of veggie sausages and some fruit salad. In our house, I do the grocery shopping on Sunday morning, so the fruit bowl was empty this morning, and I didn't bother with the sausages.

Counting pennies? Affordable. Using leftover bread from the week is always a frugal and good choice. Sometimes I make croutons for salad, sometimes breadcrumbs, but this was a really yummy way to use up bread. I used real maple syrup, but you may remember that my boys like Lite syrup, so they used that. Fine, it is cheaper. Pecans are expensive, but you only use 1 cup which means you have another cup for use in another recipe. Put the pecans in the freezer to keep them for a long time.

Chicken Parmesan Panini Fest

I admit I made Chicken Parmesan Panini for dinner a week ago, but then something called "The Beginning of the School Year" got in the way, so I didn't blog about it until now.

I am constantly being reminded of why people don't cook during the week. I sort of laugh or roll my eyes when people tell me that they are picking up dinner every night, or that their kids love the pasta at Tony's. Then reality comes flying in the door and I'm not home til 8:30pm after an afternoon of BU and karate drop-offs and pick ups, and that is when it hits me: it would be a hell of a lot easier if someone else made this crew a meal. So, I'm thinkin' I'll buy one less dinner's worth of food at Wegmans this weekend, and put a "to-go" meal in our weekly planner.

That being said, here's a pretty quick meal to whip up from the freezer and the pantry. My boys will eat pretty much anything with Red Sauce on it, so I was pretty sure they would like this.

Vegan chicken patties are a staple in our freezer, so the only thing special I needed from the store was fresh whole wheat rolls. I bought cute little square panini-esque rolls that were easy to slice in half, and looked a lot like bread I had seen at Neezuntos.

What is the plural of panini? Get back to me on that one.

Anyway, the family liked these. We ate them with sides of red grapes and carrots and dip. Husband said they were "perfect for late at night" which is good considering our school night dinners have been happening at about 8:45pm these days. 10 year old dipped the veggie chicken pattie in dip and ate it. 14 year old got a bowl of sauce and dunked the whole panini before each bite.

Overall, paninis were good, although they did benefit from extra sauce or dip because they were not juicy like a marinated chicken breast may have been.

Counting pennies: Affordable. The vegan mozzarella is really the only high-price item. If you buy the individually wrapped slices there is no waste, or you have to promise to finish up the block of vegan mozzeralla in another recipe. Do it soon. Vegan cheese does not last long once it is open. Trust me on this one. It is not a pleasant realization that the $5 worth of vegan cheese you bought and used 1/3 of is now covered in powdery white stuff that nobody wants to investigate. Ugh.