PRESTO no-cheese PESTO!

We love freshly-made pesto in our house, and it's so easy to make that there's just no excuse not to make it yourself.  The other night, I thought I had all the ingredients for pesto.  So there I am, half way through making the pesto, and BAM! -- no Parmesan cheese in the refrigerator.  Well, pesto doesn't really need cheese, but I wanted to give it some kick, so I went to my secret ingredient.  Miso to the rescue!

Miso's flavor mimics that of cheese but keeps the whole dish vegan.  An excellent substitution for those who want to limit their cholesterol intake without losing flavor.  Please try this recipe.  You'll be incredibly surprised at how savory it is.  My oldest daughter ate 3 bowls.

* one package (2.5 oz) of organic basil
* equal amount of sliced almonds (you can use pine nuts, but I like almonds, and I use the sliced and roasted ones because it's so easy)
* 3 large sections of garlic
* 1 tablespoon red or white organic miso
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 a jalapeno (optional)

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.  If the pesto is too dry, add some more olive oil.

Add on top of noodles or flat bread and serve.  If you have any leftover pesto (very unlikely), you can keep it in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  The pesto might discolor, but the flavor will still be delicious.  Buon appetito!

PERFECT BROWN RICE EVERY TIME!

Brown rice is far superior in nutrition than white rice.  Yet, many people shy away from brown rice because it seems difficult to cook.  I have a no-fail way of cooking any type of brown rice, and the rice will come out perfect every time!  The secret is to cook it like pasta.  Even my 15 year old can do it!  Here's a video of her teaching you in just one minute how to make perfect brown rice.  Thanks to my sister-from-another-mister Troy Repuszka for teaching me this amazing technique.

FAQ:
Can I use any kind of brown rice?
Yes, any kind of brown rice, be it long-grain, short-grain, organic, non-organic, etc. will work.

Do I have to measure the water and rice before I start cooking?
 Nope!  That's the beauty of this recipe!  So long as you have enough water to boil the rice for 30 minutes, any amount of rice will work.  If you need to measure because you're a perfectionist, you can still do so!

Can I use this recipe with white rice?
Absolutely not.  Unless you like to eat glue.  Anyway, you should be eating brown rice only.

Do I have to dance the Can-Can while waiting for the rice to cook?
Well, we suggest you do at least a little jig since from now on you'll be making perfect brown rice every time!    

END-OF-WEEK VEGGIE "STIR-FRY"

At the end of the week, I usually have a bunch of vegetables left over in my fridge.  In order to put those to use, an easy stir-fry of leftover veggies is always easy and delicious.  However, because there are six in our family (and usually guests over on Friday nights), there are so many requests for "more of this" and "less of that" and "not too spicy please" that I've come up with a way of granting each individual's gastronomical wishes by baking each person's stir-fry in packets (something I gleaned from watching friends make meals in parchment paper and from cookbooks).

Stay with me here.  So, it's not technically a "stir-fry," but maybe best described as a "stir-bake."

I put chopped leftover veggies in a big bowl.  I then put whatever sauce I'm using to season the veggies (usually I use soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil mix).  Today I used my leftover peanut sauce, and just added a bit more water and soy sauce to it to make it more runny so that it could coat the vegetables.

Then I place an individual-sized portion of veggies on a large rectangle of heavy duty aluminum foil (about 12" x 18").  I add whatever the eater wants ("more sauce," "less tofu," "add cilantro") to that person's packet and wrap it up tightly.


 

 For me, I love spicy food, so I include many slices of fresh jalapeno in my packet.

When I've finished a packet, I write the person's name with a permanent marker right on the aluminum foil, lest my toddler gets my capsaicin by accident.







Put the packets on a baking sheets on the middle-lower rack at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, and you'll have individual stir-bakes for each person.  Serve on a pile of brown rice.  How easy is that?  吃！

TIPS:
*For people who don't want to use too much fat, this is a great option for the flavor of a stir-fry without the oil.

*Make sure you wrap the foil tightly by crimping and folding at least a couple of times.

*No need to measure the vegetables.  Just estimate a portion per person when chopping vegetables and include at least one more portion just in case.  Remember, the veggies cook down a bit too.

*You can also put in precooked meat.  For shrimp, you can actually put in uncooked shrimp, and they will come out cooked in the packet.

*You can use whatever sauce your little heart desires.  Asian (soy sauce), French (dijon and tarragon), Italian (capers and tomatoes), Mexican (salsa).

Where's the real food?

I am almost disheartened to see what people in America eat.  Fast food reigns as the go-to food for our children.  Most of us don't even look at the ingredients of packaged foods.  Additives and chemicals in foods have become the norm, while fruit and vegetables have been changed so much that they have an extra long shelf life, but have lost their flavor (when was the last time you ate an orange from the supermarket that tasted, well, like an orange?).  And don't even get me started on public school lunches (that's for another blog post).

But I figured instead of being disheartened, why don't I just put up recipes that are easy to follow and healthful instead of continuing to complain?  (Well, I will be doing some complaining interspersed between the recipes).  Complaining is much easier, but I also have four children who need to learn healthful cooking to last them a lifetime.  And I just learned to cook a few years ago, and only because I was so disgusted with what was being sold and offered in supermarkets.  So if I can learn to cook, you can too.  It's worth just the little extra time to make a home-cooked meal than it is to get yet another drive-thru burger.

And, don’t worry.  I won’t get too crazy.  No need to churn your own butter.  You can use canned tomatoes or pre-made pie crusts.  I will always try to give you shortcuts, because in this day and age, we’re all busy.  But every dish you decide to make from real ingredients and from scratch will make the meal much healthier.

This is a blog to help you try to make more homemade meals.  And make better food choices.

And also a place where you can forgive yourself for making bad choices.  Then to pick yourself up, dust yourself off,  and try again.