Cashew Basil Pesto (From: Eat Drink Better.com)

Vegan Cashew Basil Pesto

Pesto is a tasty, versatile way to highlight the spring’s bounty of fresh herbs.

Now that the weather’s warming up here in Atlanta, we’re seeing the first bags of herbs from our CSA share! Since it’s just my husband and me sharing the basket, it can feel a bit overwhelming to stare a giant bag of basil in the face. Pesto to the rescue! The nifty thing about pesto is that it doesn’t have to be the pine nut, basil, and cheese combo that most folks associate with the sauce. Pesto really refers to any sauce that’s a blend of nuts and herbs, so you it’s a very versatile recipe!
Cashews are my favorite nuts to use in pesto, because they’re cheaper than pine nuts and blend up nice and creamy. Don’t have cashews? Try almonds or sunflower seeds! I’ve made some nice pesto with pumpkin seeds, too. Out of basil? Try sage, parsely or even mint! Every combination will have a bit of a different flavor, and I haven’t found a nut/seed and herb combo yet that’s failed me.

Vegan Cashew Basil Pesto

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients

• 1/2 c fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 c raw, unsalted cashews
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast (optional)
• to taste salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients into your blender or food processor.
2. Blend until the sauce is nice and creamy. You can use extra olive oil and lemon juice to thin things out, if you like. Just keep blending and tasting until it’s just right!

I served this with baked pita chips for dipping, but it would also be great tossed with some cooked pasta or your favorite whole grain along with some veggies!
Have you guys made any good, vegan pestos? Walnut and sage is another favorite combination of mine…what about you?

What is Sumac? Try Sumac Roasted Sweet Potato Farro Salad

My first exposure to the flavor of Sumac was during our time in Iran.  The spice was added to basmati rice, adding a subtle, smoky tartness to the dish.  Sumac's tart flavor is very nice sprinkled on fish, chicken, over salad dressings, rice pilaf, or over raw onions. Try substituting in any dish on which you might squeeze fresh lemon juice. If you enjoy hummus, try topping it with a sprinkling of sumac.

 

Plant Description and Cultivation

A bushy shrub of the Anacardiaceae family, reaching to 3m (10 ft). It has light gray or reddish stems which exude a resin when cut. Young branches are hairy. The leaves are  hairy on the underside. In autumn the leaves turn to a bright red. White flowers are followed by conical clusters of fruit, each enclosed in a reddish brown hairy covering.
Easily propagated by seed, sumac grows best in poor soils. In Sicily, where it is widely cultivated and grows wild in the mountains, its quality is found to increase proportionately the higher it is sited.

 

SUMAC - Spice and beverage flavoring

The fruits (drupes) of the genus Rhus are ground into a reddish-purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads or meat.  In Arab cuisine, it is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and tashi is added to salads in the Levant. In Iranian (Persian and Kurdish) cuisines, sumac is added to rice or kebab. In Jordanian and Turkish cuisines, it is added to salad-servings of kebab and lahmacun. Rhus coriaria is used in the spice mixture za'atar.

In North America, the smooth sumac (R. glabra) and the staghorn sumac (R. typhina) are sometimes used to make a beverage termed "sumac-ade", "Indian lemonade", or "rhus juice". This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth, and sweetening it. Native Americans also use the leaves and drupes of the smooth and staghorn sumacs combined with tobacco in traditional smoking mixtures.


RECIPE

Sumac-Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

 

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Turn potato salad into a main meal with this sumac-roasted sweet potato and farro salad bulked up with kale, ricotta salata, mint, hazelnuts, and pickled onions.

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• ¾ cup pearled farro
• 1 bunch lacinato kale
• 1 lb sweet potatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 mint sprigs
• 2 oz ricotta salata
• 3 tbsp hazelnuts
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 tsp ground sumac
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450F.
2. Prepare the ingredients: wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high heat. Remove and discard the kale stems; roughly chop the leaves. Peel and large dice the sweet potatoes. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Quarter and deseed the lemon. Pick the mint leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Crumble the ricotta salata cheese. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
3. Roast the sweet potatoes: Place the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and the sumac. Toss to coat. Arrange in a single, even layer and roast for 23-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. Cook the farro and add the kale: While the sweet potatoes roast, add the farro to the pot of boiling water. Cook for 14-16 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat. Drain and return to the pot. Stir in the kale and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
5. Pickle the onion: While the farro cooks, in a small pan, combine the onion, vinegar, sugar, and ½ cup of water. Cook on medium heat, occasionally swirling the pan, 4-6 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is slightly reduced. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside.
6. Make the salad: To the pot of farro and kale, add the pickled onions (draining just before adding), roasted sweet potatoes, and the juice of all 4 lemon wedges. Toss to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Divide the salad between 2 dishes. Garnish with the mint, ricotta salata, and hazelnuts.

Notes

Recipe from Blue Apron

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bowl

http://www.3fatchicks.com/the-nutritional-value-of-farro/