Vegan pesto

Well our basil is plentiful and I needed to use some up, so I decided to make pesto. Always a good summer dish.

It's very easy and quick and that's what we're all about, so here you go.


2 packed cups of basil
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp salt
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp agave syrup
freshly ground pepper to taste

You can use a blender or food processor. I used a blender.

Blend basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and yeast together. Add lemon juice and seasoning and agave, pulse a few times and let sit in refrigerator until needed.
You can keep for several days.

Use with pasta for a hot or cold dish, on pizza instead of a tomato sauce, or serve on baked potato, just to name a few ideas.

blended pesto

Pour pesto onto hot cooked pasta

Mix pesto sauce and pasta

I like it served chilled on a bed of lettuce greens

Enjoy!

Let me know how it works for you.

Healthy and Quick - Beet soup and Bruschetta

My sister and niece and nephews have been staying for the summer. My sister has made this quick, delicious lunch several times. Thought you might like to try it.

The beet soup takes about 5 minutes and the bruschetta takes about 10 minutes max.
Serves 4 people

Beet soup

1 vacuum packet of precooked beets ( usually about 4 beets in each packet)
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
vegan vegetable bouillon
olive oil


Chop onion and garlic, saute in olive oil until soft, add some water ( start with approx 1 cup)
Then add bouillon to taste (start with 1 or 2 tsp). Use either an electric hand whisk or blender and puree all ingredients together. Adjust and add more water and bouillon to taste and for the texture you prefer.
Warm and serve with bruschetta.


We have a huge crop of delicious tomatoes this year and this is a great way to use them.

Bruschetta

French or sourdough baguette sliced and toasted (slightly stale is good for this recipe)
3 or 4 large tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
salt
Fresh garlic cloves (at least 3)
olive oil

Boil a kettle of hot water. Cut a cross through the skin of each tomato. Submerge tomatoes in hot water for a few minutes. Take them out and the skin should peel off easily. Chop tomatoes roughly, add salt to taste and drain excess liquid off. (Salt will bring out more liquid from tomatoes) Chop basil and add.

Toast bread slices, rub peeled cloves over bread ( bread will act like a grater ) and drizzle with olive oil over the top.

Check to see if you want more salt, then spoon tomato mixture on top, making sure to drain away any more liquid.
Serve.

It reaaly is a great lunch, healthy and really tasty. Yum!

2nd try of Cauliflower Steak

OK, as you know I'm now on a quest to make a good cauliflower steak. I've been completely underwhelmed by the few I've  had in the past. I made it again for a BBQ we had this past weekend and was quite happy with the results.

Marinade
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp powdered onion
1 tsp powdered garlic
5 drops liquid smoke
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tblsp powdered vegetable bouillon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tblsp agave syrup

Slice cauliflower into 1/2 inch thick steak slices. Marinade for several hours in marinade. Then BBQ on high for 10 mins then flip over and cook another 5 to 10 minutes.

Really yummy!

Also cooked asparagus on the BBQ

My sister baked eggplant, onions, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil in the oven. 

Next time I'm thinking of making a sauce to go with it. I'll let you know how that goes.

High Cholesterol and Eating Vegan

My lovely husband has just had surgery because his left carotid artery was 80% blocked. He has very high cholesterol even though he eats mostly vegan these days, but not in the past.
His continuous high cholesterol is genetic and runs in his family.

Now that he has had surgery, I think it's important for him to do everything he can to help keep his cholesterol as low as possible. We don't like the idea of maintenance pharmaceutical drugs, but in his case it's necessary to take a statin.

After seeing what he had to go through I feel that anyone who can help their cholesterol with diet should definitely do so. Using diet, is by far the best option and a no brainer, since the risk of stroke is so high and the risks and the discomfort from surgery are not something you want to deal with, unless totally necessary.

Feel better soon, babe

Ouch!