Orecchiette with White Bean & Basil Pesto

Looking in my fridge last night, I found a box of forgotten basil. I immediately thought of making a pesto and remembered a recipe I had seen in Robin Robertson's cookbook for a white bean basil pesto. Super easy - throw the ingredients in a food processor and boil some water for pasta. I used orechiette but this pesto would also pair nicely with a whole wheat linguine.

Robin calls for 5 cloves of garlic....after making this I would recommend cutting the garlic in half but am posting her original recipe for all the garlic fans out there.

White Bean & Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

1.5 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cannellini beans (cooked or canned)

2 tbps olive oil

1 tbsp white miso paste

1/2 tsp kosher salt

up to 1/2 cup of pasta water to even out.

Directions:

Boil water for pasta. Add pasta/make according to box directions.

Mix all pesto ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth. Add pasta water last and use just enough to thin out pesto to the desired consistency.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Picatta Sauce

Cauliflower is delicious roasted in the oven with olive oil. Add some creamy picatta sauce (with extra protein in the form of white beans) and this becomes a full meal. Adapted from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet blog

 

Ingredients:

 

1 head cauliflower, cored

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Olive oil

 

1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup vegetable broth

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon fresh minced basil, parsley, or chives

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the cauliflower on a cutting board, cored side down and cut it into 1/2-inch slices, as if you were cutting a loaf of bread.

 

Arrange the cauliflower slices on a lightly oiled baking pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast until tender and nicely browned, about 30 minutes, turning once with a large metal spatula about halfway through. Add tomatoes at the halfway point.

 

 Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the white beans, wine, broth, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne and blend until smooth.   

 

To serve, arrange the roasted cauliflower and tomatoes on a plate, spoon the sauce on top and then sprinkle with capers and basil. 

Panzanella salad

Panzanella salads are one of my top 5 favorite spring/summer foods. I have been feeling a bit cheated by the tantalizing taste of spring we had the other week. 70-80 degree sunshine followed by 40 degree rain is a bit depressing. So to cheer myself up, I whipped up this summer special a little early. Serve with a glass of rose to really get in the springtime spirit!


Ingredients:

1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 loaf of stale country bread (a baguette would also work here), torn into bite size pieces
1 green pepper, cut into small 1/2 inch pieces
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
2 teaspoons herbs de province
1/3 cup of good olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Directions:

Add vegetables and bread to a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, herbs de Provence, vinegar, and salt. Toss vegetables with dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before eating.


*Note: While most recipes call for garlic and basil in panzanella salads, I like to skip the garlic and add a bit of herbs de Provence to make the dish a bit more simple and pure. Using really good ingredients and olive oil is important though, since those flavors really take the spotlight!

Broccoli Pesto Fusilli with White Beans

This broccoli pesto recipe was on the bland side but healthy and very easy. It is also a kid friendly recipe - an easy way to get vegetables down. I added a little sriracha to my dish for an added kick (if you know me, I add sriracha to almost every dish) and enjoyed this quick, relatively no-cook pasta meal.
Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 15.5 oz can of white beans
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 ounces whole wheat fusilli

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook broccoli until just tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer majority of broccoli to a food processor. Reserve a few small florets in a bowl. Return water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When draining the pasta reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Add oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup of white beans to the food processor with the broccoli. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down side as needed. Transfer pesto to the pot with the drained pasta. Stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Stir in remainder of the beans and reserved broccoli and heat over medium until warmed through.

Season with salt and pepper.