Archive for August, 2010
source: prs.heacademy.ac.uk/news/
Just a few interesting bits of health and nutrition news of late:
I’m off to Yosemite. Happy reading.
I worked the farmers market last weekend and, as usual, was lucky to come home loaded down with heavenly organic produce from my farmer (Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm).
Among my goodies: eggplant, pablano peppers, two kinds of summer squash, spring onions, kale, chard, tatsoi (Asian greens), red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes and the cutest purple potatoes, beets, rose geranium and, last but not least, basil. LOTS of basil. Nearly a ton of basil. Yes, yes, I have indeed been eating very, very well this week.
One of the very first things I did after unloading my bags was put all of that basil to good use in two batches of pesto, which I am calling Straight Up Pesto and Thai Pesto. Both were super easy and extremely tasty. And, both featured a new love of mine, straight from the brilliant Ashley of Edible Perspective: Parmesan Cheeze. (Of course, you can always use regular old parmesan, but if you want pesto without the dairy… here you go.)
Ashley’s Parmesan Cheeze 
1 1/2 C toasted sesame seeds
6 T nutritional yeast
3/4 t salt
Toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat, giving the pan a shake every so often, until most are golden brown, ~5-10. The first time I made this, I under-toasted the seeds – the Cheeze still turned out yummy, but believe me, toasting the seeds properly really deepens the flavor. (Warning: this is just like toasting any seed or nut – pay attention because the minute you get distracted, walk away to start a new project or get deep into a phone call with your mother, those tiny little seeds will suddenly burn. Trust me on that last one, especially.)
Combine toasted seeds, nutritional yeast and salt in a food processor. Process for about a minute, maybe less, until really well-combined. You will still have some whole sesame seeds.
Done! Cheesy goodness is ready.
In a blind taste test, you won’t mistake Cheeze for parm, exactly, I won’t lie to you. BUT, it doesn’t matter. This stuff is good. Forever, I’ve sprinkled nutritional yeast on anything I want to give a cheezy kick to – popcorn, eggs, tacos, greens…. Combining the nutritional yeast with the toasted sesame seeds takes this to a whole new level. If you’re looking for cheezy flavor without the dairy, this is a great, really healthy alternative (sesame seeds are full of copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and zinc, and nutritional yeast is a well-known source of B-complex vitamins, including B-12, which is especially important or vegetarians and vegans).
Now, the pestos!
Straight Up Pesto 
1 bunch fresh basil leaves (a few tender stems is fine)
3 small- to medium-sized cloves garlic (depending on how much kick you want)
handful nuts (pine nuts or almonds are my favorites)
3/4 C parmesan cheese or cheeze
olive oil
Place garlic in the bowl of a food processor and chop. Add half the basil, chop to incorporate. Add the rest of the basil, chop to incorporate. (Garlic and basil should be rather fine by now.) Add half of the nuts, chop. Add rest of the nuts, chop. Add half the cheese/cheeze, chop. Add rest of the cheese/cheeze, chop. I find that slowly adding the individual ingredients helps get a finer, better incorporated final almost paste-like product. A few final chopping whizzes with the food processor should get the pesto fine enough that you can easily squeeze it into clumps. Scoop into a bowl and drizzle with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, but don’t drown it – one thing I really like about this recipe is that it’s a lighter, less oily pesto. You can always add more oil later when you’re ready to toss a spoonful of it in hot pasta or on sauteing vegetables.
Thai Pesto
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves (a few tender stems is fine) 
giant handful baby spinach leaves
3 small- to medium-sized cloves garlic (depending on how much kick you want)
1 in piece ginger (peeled)
handful nuts (pine nuts or almonds are my favorites)
3/4 C parmesan cheese or cheeze
1 T green thai curry paste (make it a “heaping T” if you really want to emphasize the sweet curry flavor)
olive oil
This is a lighter, springier, Thai spin on the Straight Up Pesto. I cut the basil with spinach to help achieve that lighter flavor, but it’s not necessary, you can go all basil all the time here, if you want. Place garlic and ginger in the bowl of a food processor and chop. Add the basil, chop to incorporate. Add the spinach, chop to incorporate. (Mixture should be rather fine by now.) Add half of the nuts, chop. Add rest of the nuts, chop. Add half the cheese/cheeze, chop. Add rest of the cheese/cheeze, chop. Add curry paste, chop. A few final chopping whizzes with the food processor should get the pesto fine enough that you can easily squeeze it into clumps. Scoop into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil (just a couple of teaspoons). The pesto will likely absorb some of the oil, that’s fine.
I used this pesto on everything! I used it as a spread on open-faced sandwiches, in tacos, in a big bowl of cooked greens, mixed in with brown rice and adzuki beans, and on top of left-over halibut.
I am a nutrition educator, health counselor and gastronomic explorer. I help people create happy, healthy lives free of denial and discipline. I also write about what's good to eat and what's good for you. Contact me to discuss how I can support your health goals, or check out these opportunities:
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