Baby Spinach and Basil Pesto

I love pesto - there's so much you can do with it! It's great on sandwiches, as a condiment with steamed or grilled vegetables, as a soup flavor finesser, with eggs, on pizza...the list goes on. But sometimes I find traditional pesto a little intense...which lead me to this baby spinach version which I actually prefer now. The spinach lightens it up a little and actually gives the pesto much more volume - you get so much more!

*Note to chef - my recipe here does not include garlic, by the way. I find raw garlic a little overpowering which seriously disappoints my dear husband who eats garlic cloves as a snack. I smell like it for days so, no thanks. Feel free to add it. Also several other variations noted below.

Easy to double this recipe - it freezes well. Freeze in a container or in an ice cube tray for easy re-use!
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted (substitute pine nuts)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or finely shredded Romano, Asiago or any other Italian hard cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp veggie or chicken broth

1. Place the nuts in a pan on the stove top and heat on medium high, turning occasionally, until they are browned slightly and are fragrant. Remove from heat.

2. Place the spinach, basil, nuts, cheese, and garlic in a food processor.

3. Combine the broth and olive oil in glass or measuring cup. Pulse the ingredients while drizzling the broth/oil through the food chute.

Tomatillo-Cilantro Salsa

I recently got a tortilla press. Yes, that's right. Why buy a package of corn tortillas in a matter of 30 seconds when you can take an hour and make your own? People often joke with me about how I make things a little harder sometimes than they need to be. But it's usually (USUALLY) because I like the process of doing it! (Eg. making cheese.) Anyway, when I was little, Kel and I made homemade tortillas with the help of her mom for Spanish class one time. I haven't forgotten how yummy they were, hot off the pan with a little butter. We at them like pancakes.

This recipe isn't for tacos, it's for salsa. But it's great with tamales (mix in with some shredded chicken and cheese), with steak, on top of arepas, and on just about anything. It's great with scrambled eggs and cheese for a weekend breakfast. This recipe is from Food and Wine You can swap out peppers depending on what you have (I still have a huge pot of jalapenos coming in on my balcony). 

1/2 lb tomatillos - you can get these in most grocery stores, just look hard.
2 serrano chiles or a couple of jalapenos (stemmed and seeded - leave a few seeds in if you like it hot!)
1 medium white onion, cut into wedges
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 large beefsteak tomato, cut in half
1/2 cup cilantro (optional, I know some people can't stand it)
1 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500 (I use the grill for this - more char and less heat in the house, especially in the summer!). If using oven, spread first 5 ingredients on a cookie sheet  and roast for 15 minutes, turning once or twice. If using grill, cut the veggies a little bigger so they don't fall through and roast until softish and charred.

2. Let it cool a little when it comes out of the oven. Throw everything in a blender with the cilantro and lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend until you have desired chunkiness.

Chicken Gyros and Tzatziki Sauce

As many of you know, we went to the Greek islands on our honeymoon last year. The beaches were lovely, the people were warm and friendly, the Ouzo was, well...Ouzo, but the GYROS, oh man!! In Santorini we had a little corner spot that we liked to hit up on our way back from the beach. An appetizer, before our hors d'oeuvres of olives, cheese, and wine, before dinner. Yes, lots of eating. Anyway, the buttery grilled pitas with the greasy seasoned chicken oozing with cucumber yogurt sauce and fresh tomatoes were just about heaven. I found this recipe online as I was looking for stuff to do with cukes. This tzatziki sauce is just about spot-on.

Gyros:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4" strips

2 tbsp finely chopped dill

2 tsp dried oregano

1 onion, thinly sliced

A little olive oil for the saute

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Tzatziki: 

8 oz Greek yogurt

1/2 cucumber grated and squeezed to remove all water

2-3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

4 scallions, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

*Optional: 1 clove garlic (use garlic press)  

Serving:

8 pitas

Fresh lemon juice

Diced tomatoes

Feta

Lettuce  

1. Place chicken and other gyro ingredients in a large freezer bag and marinate a few hours or overnight.

2. Mix the tzatziki ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside in the fridge.

3. Heat large skillet to medium high and saute the chicken in a little olive oil with onion until chicken cooked through (remove chicken if onions need to cook longer - they should be soft).

4. Heat a separate pan to medium high heat and drizzle a little olive oil in the pan or lightly spray the pitas with Pam or other spray oil.

5. Heat each pita until it's warm and soft, keep closed tightly in tinfoil until ready.

6. Assemble the gyros by loading the chicken, onions and other serving ingredients onto the pita (not as a pocket but they should be soft enough to fold around the insides like a taco). Spoon the tzatziki on top and you're ready! 

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

I'm a sucker for artichoke dip and this is the best I've come across. It's a miracle recipe actually - a miracle that something so easy can be sooooo loved by those who eat it and a miracle that these three ingredients can actually taste so good. Kinda like mom's crab dip, it's kinda better not knowing what's in this. Whatever you do, don't tell people as they're eating it. I like to say that it's a secret recipe.

Thanks to Jenny Brokaw for recipe, as she says "it's hardly a recipe..."

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - I've used grated Asiago and it's almost better!
1 cup light mayo - yes, use the light! Otherwise, it's greasy
1 can drained and chopped artichokes

Mix together and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned on top (if you can wait that long!). This is great served with crackers, tortilla chips or thinly sliced and toasted baguette.