Recipe: Arugula Hazelnut Miso Pesto
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
So, yes, this is the second recipe for pesto I have written in a month. The reason why is because I keep finding variations that I love and want to share. Traditionally, pesto is made from crushed garlic, salt, pine nuts, basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and sometimes a sheep’s cheese, as well. It is also traditionally prepared with a mortar and pesto. Traditional pesto is very lovely as is, especially in the summer when basil is at it’s peak deliciousness. Only recently, did it occur to me that I am allowed to stray from tradition, especially in the name of convenience. I have come to find these recent variations from ingredients I had available and needed some cooking inspiration for. The first pesto recipe I posted was from carrot tops, which was a sustainable solution for a part of the plant that is typically thrown away. The following one serves as a solution for our overgrown arugula.
Pesto is most often used as a sauce for pasta but its uses extend far beyond that. I love having a container of fresh pesto in the fridge because it has the ability to transform bland dishes to more flavorful ones. For example, I like to spread pesto between a piece of toast and a fried egg for my breakfast. Or spoon a few dollops on top of sauteed zucchini or steamed lentils. Mix with boiled potatoes for a fresh version of potato salad.
Even though I am providing you with a recipe, I’d like to remind you that you, too can stray from what is written. I used hazelnuts because that is what I had but pecans, almonds or walnuts would also work well. I used miso to replicate the salty, umami properties of parmesan cheese to make this version vegan. Not vegan? Go for the cheese! Don’t have arugula? Stick to basil, or substitute kale or spinach. Whatever you do, enjoy!
Arugula Hazelnut Miso Pesto
Makes: About 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
4 cups fresh arugula, rinsed, large stems removed
1/3 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice, or more, to taste
2 tablespoons miso, any variety
1 clove garlic
Procedure
Combine about half of the arugula with the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Process until the mixture is a finely and evenly chopped. Add the remaining arugula, about half at a time, and pulse on and off until the entire mixture is a coarse puree. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe: Honey Roasted Carrots
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
Well, Yotam Ottolenghi has done it again! I had another successful dinner party, partially due to one of his lovely recipes. I had a beautiful bunch of rainbow carrots (don’t waste the tops!), and my natural inclination was to roast them.
Almost any vegetable is enhanced by a good coating of olive oil, salt, and a long blast in a hot oven. To make these carrots extra special, I made a fragrant glaze of honey, toasted and crushed cumin and coriander seeds, and fresh thyme leaves. Cumin and coriander are natural partners with carrots; they all same the same plant family, Apiaceae.
Then, the method was a standard roast in a 425 degree oven.
Honey Roasted Carrots
(adapted from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi)
Serves 4
Ingredients
12 rainbow carrots, cut into 1/2″ by 2.5″ sticks
1 tsp coriander seeds, dry toasted until fragrant and lightly crushed (use a back of a spoon in a small dish if you don’t have a mortar and pestle)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, dry toasted and lightly crushed
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Spread carrot sticks in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over carrots. Massage honey mixture into carrots until evenly coated.
4. Roast for 40-45 minutes, stirring once until golden and tender. Serve warm.
Recipe: Strawberry Cheescake (Vegan and Raw)
Post by Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
Our first taste of summer has hit the produce aisles and home gardens! I’m talking about those beautiful, deep red, juicy strawberries that are so sweet and delicious. My first bite of one of these, reminds me of the importance of eating in season, as the pale, hard strawberries you get in winter are put to shame by these late spring treats. No recipe is needed for these natural desserts, but just in case you want to do something a little special with them, here is the perfect recipe:
Raw, Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake
(adapted from postpunkkitchen.com)
Crust
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Filling
2 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 oz strawberries, hulled and halved
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
Preparation:
Lightly grease a pie dish with coconut oil and set aside.
To prepare the crust, pulse nuts and salt in a food processor fit with a metal blade. When nuts are fine crumbs, add the dates and pulse until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared pie pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add maple syrup, water, lime juice and vanilla and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Feed the strawberries through the top of the food processor and puree until incorporated. The filling should turn a pretty pink. With the processor running, add the melted coconut oil in a steady stream.
Pour the filling into the pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set. Let set for at least 4 hours; slice and serve!
Storage Tips for Produce
Post by Paula Jahn, Co-owner and Registered Dietitian at Nourish Northwest
Farmer’s market season is here and good things are happening in backyard gardens. I see stray ripe strawberries in sidewalk garden boxes and know that we are about to emerge from our Pacific Northwest produce lull. In cooking classes, I often get questions about how to best store fruit and vegetables to extend their freshness and preserve nutrients. I’ve compiled a list of four categories of produce that are most common to our area and included the best way to store them. Of course, the ideal way is to pick or purchase from a local source and eat as soon as possible. When that’s not practical, or you have more chard from the garden than you know what to do with, follow these tips.
Strawberries
Berries are delicate creatures. A small speck of mold can infest and ruin a whole pint. They must be picked at the peak of ripeness because, unlike bananas and avocados, they do not ripen once harvested. There are two main DO NOTs when it comes to strawberries. First, do not wash until ready to eat. They absorb moisture, can become soggy and are more prone to mold. Second, do not refrigerate in an open container. They will dry out. To store, sort through and remove any berries with white fuzz. The best way to store strawberries is by layering them no more than two deep in a sealable container lined with paper towels. It is best to keep them at room temperature, but if you cannot eat them within a couple days, refrigerate for up to a week.
Blackberries and Raspberries
If strawberries are delicate, blackberries and raspberries are downright ethereal. Freezing is always an option, but if you really want fresh berries, try this vinegar rinse trick. Blackberries and raspberries can be stored in their containers in the open part of the fridge (not the crisper). They need air circulation to keep them from rotting from their own ethylene gas.
Greens
Lettuce, arugula and spinach are tenuous greens that can only keep 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Poke about 15 holes in a zip top plastic bag and place a paper towel along with the dry greens. Zip about three quarters of the way and store in the crisper drawer. Hearty greens such as kale and chard keep up to two weeks with this method. To freeze chard, collards, and other “cooking greens,” blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes until bright green and barely tender. Plunge into ice water and freeze. Add to soups and stews in the winter.
Tomatoes
First of all, never ever store tomatoes in the refrigerator. The climate breaks down the flavor compounds and texture. Tomatoes ripen well off the vine. Wrap individually in tissue paper and place in a dark place until they are the color they are suppose to be.
Recipe: Carrot Top Pesto
Post By Olivia Martino, Registered Dietitian and Co-Owner, Nourish Northwest
We are often asked what our nutrition philosophy is. We’ve got a long answer to this question, but the short one is two simple words: whole foods. This means eating the food as it is present in nature to ensure you are consuming all vital nutrients and minimizing unnecessary food additives. This concept is also healthy on an environmental level by helping to reduce food waste.
To determine whether something is a whole food, we ask ourselves four questions:
Can you imagine it growing?
How many ingredients does it have?
What has been done to it since it has been harvested?
Are all edible parts present?
This last question is where things can get tricky. Paula recently did a presentation to a group of high schoolers and this is where they were stumped. They could easily determine that a candy bar was not a whole food and an apple was. But when Paula pulled up a picture of a beet, not a single person guessed correctly, as they unanimously answered that a beet was indeed a whole food.
The trick was that the beet greens were not present in the picture. This is often the case when you purchase beets in a grocery store. The same goes for carrots. The greens are often removed and tossed away (hopefully in the compost!). However, the greens are very much edible, actually they are delicious, and they contain very high amounts of important nutrients, such as iron, vitamin K and calcium.
Last week I was checking out at the grocery store and the person in front of me was purchasing a bunch of carrots, with the greens still on them. The cashier asked the customer if they wanted the greens. The customer did not and even thanked the clerk for removing them so she did not have to deal with it at home. I asked the cashier if they were going to get rid of the greens and if so if I could have them. She happily gave them to me and I couldn’t believe my luck. I just scored some free nutritious food. Hence, here is my recipe for my favorite kind of pesto:
Carrot Top Pesto
Ingredients:
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1 bunch of carrot greens, washed very well
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
*optional ingredients: fresh basil, parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. In a food processor, grind nuts to a fine meal. Add greens, lemon juice, garlic, basil and/or cheese, if using. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Start food processor and drizzle olive oil in slowly, until you reach a consistency you like. Some people prefer a chunkier pesto, while others like a thinner product. Scrape the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula to combine all ingredients and taste for salt and pepper.
3. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Use as a spread across toast, a dollop on eggs, a drizzle over a veggie bowl or toss with pasta.
