Summer Vegan Pesto

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite summer recipes—a fresh, vibrant healthy pesto made with fresh herbs that I snip straight from the containers on my deck. There's something very satisfying about stepping outside, gathering a handful of fresh herbs, and turning them into a flavorful sauce in just a few minutes.

For this easy pesto, I simply picked a large handful of fresh basil and a handful of cilantro, gave them a quick wash and dry, and tossed them into my food processor with raw cashews, pressed garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. A few pulses later, I had a creamy, flavorful pesto that is completely oil-free and vegan.

The raw cashews (I usually buy them at Trader Joe's or Costco) give the pesto its rich, creamy texture without needing any added oil. Traditional pesto relies on quite a bit of olive oil, but I don't miss it at all. Cashews add creaminess along with fiber and nutrients, while oil has lots of calories but no fiber to contribute.

The result is a fresh, delicious pesto that's incredibly versatile. Toss it with zucchini noodles for a light summer meal, stir it into your favorite pasta (gluten-free, in my case!), spread it on sandwiches or wraps, drizzle it over roasted vegetables, or use it as a dip.

Don't like cilantro? Parsley is always a good substitute and will work just fine in this recipe.

If you're new to vegan cooking, you'll quickly discover that raw cashews are one of the best pantry staples to have on hand. They're the secret ingredient behind many creamy dairy-free spreads, dips, dressings, and sauces.

When your herb garden containers are overflowing this summer, this simple pesto is a delicious way to put them to good use!

Ingredients

1.5 cup of fresh basil leaves

1.5 cup of fresh cilantro leaves (or 3/4 cup of parsley)

1 large clove of garlic, pressed

Salt and cracked pepper

1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup of raw cashews (not toasted)

Directions 

Place everything in the food processor and process until creamy, scraping down the sides if necessary. 

My Notes: 

1. Greens of any kind are good healthy food.

2. Herbs and spices add lots of nutrients to our recipes

Spicy Moroccan Cauliflower Dinner Inspired by Ruhama

Last week, I spotted some big beautiful cauliflowers at the neighborhood farmers market. They looked so fresh and vibrant that I couldn't resist bringing one home with me.

Once I got home, though, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to make. I knew one thing: I didn't want an ordinary cauliflower recipe. I was in the mood for something flavorful, exciting, and a little different from my usual roasted cauliflower dishes.

I went online for inspiration.

Many of my friends had mentioned a Middle Eastern cook named Ruhama.  I decided to visit her website and see what everyone was raving about.

If you're not familiar with Ruhama, it's time to meet her.

According to her website, 

"Ruhama Shitrit is an Israeli-American recipe developer and content creator who shares authentic Middle Eastern recipes through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube under her brand, RuhamasFood. Drawing from her Iraqi heritage, she creates both traditional and modern interpretations of Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine."

Her recipes look delicious, approachable, and full of bold flavors that make you want to say, "WOW" and head straight into the kitchen. She is a delight to watch perform in her videos!! She is.                                                                            quick with the recipe, to the point, and fun!! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I was especially inspired by her vegan Moroccan Cauliflower Video Recipe. Of course, being a food blogger and recipe developer myself, I couldn't help but adapt her idea to my own taste by adding some ingredients and leaving out others. I have a feeling Ruhama would understand—we all tend to make recipes our own and there are hundreds of ways to make Moroccan cauliflower online.

The end result was an incredibly flavorful cauliflower dinner that was anything but ordinary.

Sometimes all it takes is one beautiful head of cauliflower from the farmers market and a little inspiration from another cook such as Ruhama to create a meal you'll want to make again and again.

Thank you, Ruhama, for the inspiration. Our vegan Moroccan cauliflower dinner was absolutely delicious. 

Here is the recipe I made- now you can make it with adaptations of your own to suit your taste!!

Ingredients: 

1 head of fresh cauliflower, sliced into steak slices

3 tomatoes, sliced

5 mini sweet peppers(any color) sliced

3-5 cloves of pressed fresh garlic (your choice)

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds +

1 teaspoon of ground cumin +

1/2 cup of water or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt (adapt to your taste)

1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper

2 cups of jarred chunky salsa (mild, medium, or hot) 

+ 1 cup of water

1/4 cup of pitted whole or sliced Kalamata olives

2 cups of cooked chickpeas (1 can, washed and drained) 

1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro (leave it out if you don't like it)

Directions; 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place tomatoes, sweet peppers, red onion, cumin seeds, cumin and 1/2 cup of water or vegetable broth in a large rimmed skillet that eventually can go in the oven. Begin to cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add cauliflower slices and the cauliflower crumbles, garlic, olives, salt, cracked pepper, salsa and an additional 1 cup of water . Cook for about 10 minutes covered. Remove lid, cook 5 more minutes. Add chickpeas and place in preheated oven for 5-8 minutes. 

Top with lots of fresh cilantro (if you like cilantro) and serve.

My Notes: 

1. Serve with rice or quinoa for a satisfying meal

2. I use a jar of organic mild salsa from Aldi

3. All my recipes on this blog are always naturally gluten-free 

4. This is an easy and tasty plant-based meal 

5.Personally, I don't add any oils to my recipes- I use water or broth instead for sautéing. 

  

Computer Repairs and Best Buy

Recently, my desktop computer started acting up. It was becoming very slow, programs were frequently closing, and even typing had become frustrating. I would type something and then wait several seconds for the words to appear on the screen.

Since we have a Best Buy membership that includes computer support and repairs, I decided to use their remote service, where a technician can access your computer while you are on it and fix any problems.

Mushroom Recipes Over The Years

After more than 15 years of blogging, my recipe archives are starting to feel a bit like a treasure hunt. Every time I search for something, I discover old recipes I haven't thought about in years.

Recently, I went looking for mushroom recipes. I simply typed "mushrooms" into the search bar on my blog and started browsing through the results.

 I discovered quite a collection—and several recipes I had completely forgotten about over the years. It was like opening a time capsule from my own kitchen. Some recipes brought back memories of family dinners, while others reminded me of ingredients and cooking techniques I haven't used in a while.

It was fun revisiting these recipes and seeing just how many ways mushrooms have found their way into my kitchen over the years. From comforting soups and hearty main dishes to simple sides, mushrooms have always been one of my favorite ingredients.

If you're a mushroom lover, I've rounded up some of my favorite mushroom recipes from the archives. I hope you'll find a few you might enjoy.

Mushrooms:

Roasted Mushroom Scampi  

Herbed Penne with Spinach  and Mushrooms 

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Do you like spinach and artichoke dip- you'll love this.

Asian Mushroom Soup 

Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy

Mongolian Mushrooms and Tofu ( link)

Portobello Burgers  (link)

My Notes: 

1. One of my readers, Angie, left a comment about heavy metals in mushrooms. I had no idea. So, I looked it up and found this article which I think is important to read about mushrooms. Who knew?

Heavy Metals in Mushrooms  (link to article I found online)