Posts Tagged ‘basil’
|Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant Rolls)
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
My first homegrown eggplant!
Having a garden this summer has been really exciting! I am so grateful to my neighbors for sharing a little space in their sun-kissed yard with me. It has been fun to pretend that I know what I am doing, and just start planting, watering and harvesting. Every so often I get a tip from someone, or realize that I am doing something completely wrong, but for the most part I planted things and they are growing! What more do you want? It is a very rewarding practice and I am glad that I have finally had the opportunity to try it. I definitely hope that I will get the chance for even more next time the gardening season rolls around.
For now, I have some lovely tatsoi, some (swiss cheese) bok choy, some beautiful collard greens, cucumbers which were a big surprise because I was told they would be zucchini, and eggplant! As you can see from the above photo, my eggplant are looking pretty cute. I have lots of butterflies and bees buzzing around the eggplant flowers, and the new eggplants are shining beautifully. In honor of my little eggplants (and in anticipation of them growing to plumpness) I share this lovely recipe for Involtini di Melanzane which I have been enjoying for the past few years. This recipe also comes from Cucina Natuale and is really quite simple, and is great as an appetizer.
Tags: basil, eggplant, mint
Posted in egg-free, gluten-free, vegetable side, vegetarian, wheat-free | 2 Comments »
Pasta with Almond Tomato Pesto Sauce
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Tonight I flipped through old photos of my dear friends from Florence and smiled remembering all of the great times we had together. Considering it was Italy, a lot of the fun involved good food, and social gatherings. Living in Florence was a great influence on my life in so many ways and I don’t think I could have left without having a new culinary approach. No one understood how I could be vegetarian in Italy…but surprisingly I met other vegetarian/vegans in Italy too. These friends opened my eyes to new exciting directions. My friend Tracey was passionate about spinach and green beans, and thanks to her, they became staples of my diet as well. She even taught me how to make roasted chickpeas…delicious!
My friend Joslyn introduced me to so many new recipes and shared beautiful meals with me. I was always excited to join her for a dinner party. One recipe I loved was her Fennel and White Bean salad…so easy and so good! Eventually she introduced me to the recipe below for Pasta with Almond Tomato Pesto Sauce. It came from an Italian cooking magazine called Cucina Naturale which I eventually bought every issue of.
My dear friends from Italy, I am sending you love and hoping that we can gather around the table again soon to share good food and life stories.
Tags: almonds, basil, pasta, tomatoes
Posted in alternative grain, dairy free, egg-free, entree, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 3 Comments »
Cornucopia Spring Rolls
Friday, May 8th, 2009
Cornucopia Spring Rolls
We are still on our cleanse, doing well and feeling great! The amount of extra energy that I feel is wonderful, and I am noticing that I don’t need to eat as much as I often do with my regular diet. It definitely takes more preparation and consciousness but I enjoy the challenge. It is an invitation for creativity in the kitchen, and that is what I love.
We have moved onto the second phase of the cleanse, where we can introduce some grains into our diet in combination with vegetables, and since rice is on the list, I though some Spring Rolls would be a great idea. C. wasn’t so excited because she said that spring rolls usually are not so tasty and filling…so there was my challenge. To make some taste-packed and fully satisfying spring rolls.
Personally I think I did it! I was quite happy with them, and look forward to having seconds tonight.
Tags: avocado, basil, bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, mint, mushroom, parsley, snow peas
Posted in dairy free, egg-free, entree, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 3 Comments »