Basil Pesto Recipe

We found this tasty basil pasta recipe by IG's @tastyvegetarian on @veganrecipevideo:

You can use the pesto for pasta, but you can also use it as a dip, in a salad, on a pizza, or in a soup!

Try it out today and tell us what you think:

Ingredients

• 1 cup basil, packed

• 1 cup arugula, packed

• ½ lemon, juiced

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• ½ cup water

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1¼ cup almond meal

• 1 pound vegan spaghetti

• ⅓ cup pasta water (if you’re using this as a dip, omit the pasta water)

Instructions
1. Combine basil, arugula, lemon juice, water, and olive oil to a blender and blend for 5-10 seconds.
2. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and almond meal to the blender and blend until completely incorporated.
3. Boil salted water and cook spaghetti according to packaging instructions. When draining the pasta, reserve ⅓ to 1 cup of water.
4. Once drained, return the pasta to the pot, and stir in the pesto, adding reserved pasta water until the sauce reaches desired consistency.

Summer Squash and White Bean Salad with Feta and Mint

Here’s an excellent way to enjoy your summer squash from IG's @andreabuckettcooks, a renowned chef and food expert from Canada.

Ingredients

• 4 zucchini (or any summer squash), diced

• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon liquid honey

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. Add the zucchini, white beans and feta to a bowl.

2. Whisk together the lemon zest, juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the zucchini mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

3. Remove from the fridge and taste for seasoning, add more lemon juice or olive oil if the vegetables have soaked up all flavor from the dressing.

Go check out her social media or visit her website for more great cooking tips and recipes: andreabuckett.com

Sweet Potato Egg Nests

Here’s a super delicious way to prepare sweet potatoes from IG’s @pinchofyum (pinchofyum.com)

1. Cut the sweet potatoes into spirals.

2. Sauté with salt and pepper until mostly soft.

3. Form into nests

4. Break egg on top (add more salt and pepper to taste)

5. Cover and cook until egg sets

6. Serve with avocado

Check out pinchofyum.com for more great recipes.

Oven Roasted Okra

Introducing @playful_kitchen where you can find many delicious recipes. Check out her simple, yet delicious, okra recipe below:

“✨oven roasted okra✨

Super simple:

1. Wash and dry okra.

2. Toss in olive oil and season with your favorite spices (I used @badiaspices and cayenne pepper).

3. Bake on a rack to get them extra crispy.

4. Bake for 30-40 minutes (375º) until desired texture.”  (We’ve also seen 450º for 20-25mins.)

Visit her IG for lots of great cooking and baking ideas.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

You have to try this heirloom tomato gazpacho recipe from @theoriginaldish

It’s a soup served cold, perfect for this hot weather.

Here it from Kayla’s site, theoriginaldish.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large cucumber, seeded + roughly chopped

• 1 red pepper, stemmed + seeded + roughly chopped

• 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

• 8 large basil leaves, plus more to garnish

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ lb heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp minced chives

• flaky sea salt

• freshly cracked black pepper

• 6 (½”) slices crusty bread

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the chopped cucumber, red pepper, tomatoes, shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Toss well and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Add the tomato mixture and basil to a blender. Blend as you stream in a ¼ cup of the olive oil until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Chill the gazpacho for at least 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the cherry tomatoes, scallions, chives, remaining 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, and remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Toss well and season with a pinch of flaky sea salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Let sit until ready to serve.

4. Heat the grill over high heat. Drizzle the bread with a generous coating of olive oil. Season each side with a pinch of salt. Grill the bread for a couple of minutes until charred and crisp on both sides.

5. Serve the gazpacho with the cherry tomato topping spooned over top. Garnish with more fresh basil, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and black pepper. Serve the grilled bread alongside.

Head over to @theoriginaldish on IG or theoriginaldish.com for lots of great dinner ideas!

Lemon Feta Pasta Salad

Try this simple, delicious, summertime pasta salad from IG's @audreylillian

INGREDIENTS:

• 10oz pasta (Use whole wheat or chickpea/ lentil pasta to make more nutritious)

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

• 1 cup cucumber

• 1 cup bell peppers

• large handful arugula

• 1/3 cup feta

• 1/2-1 fresh lemon

DRESSING:

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• lots of salt and pepper to taste

• optional chili flakes for spice

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook your pasta according to package directions and allow to cool completely.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prep and chop your veggies. Mix together the ingredients for your dressing and adjust as needed.
3. Assemble! Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Squeeze over lots of fresh lemon and enjoy!

Melon salad with watermelon, onion, cucumbers, feta, almonds, and mint 

INGREDIENTS for 6:

• 1/2 a cantaloupe

• 1 lb. of feta

• 1/4 a watermelon

• 2 baby onions (optional)

• Fresh mint to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil to taste

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Almonds to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cube the melons and feta into bit-sized pieces.

2. Cut the onions into thin round slices.

3. Sprinkle with mint.

4. Drizzle with olive oil

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Stir all of the ingredients well.

7. Garnish with almonds.

Enjoy!

Caprese Salad

INGREDIENTS for 4:

• 3-4 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 tbsp balsamic glaze (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the heirloom tomatoes into thick slices.

2. Slice the fresh mozzarella into rounds, about the same thickness as the tomato slices.

3. On a large plate or platter, alternate the slices of tomato and mozzarella in a circular pattern or in rows.

4. Tuck fresh basil leaves between the slices.

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the salad.

6. If desired, add a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra flavor.

7. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

8. Serve immediately as a refreshing appetizer or side dish.

BLT Sandwich

Try out this “next level” BLT sandwich from acozykitchen.com

INGREDIENTS:

Green Goddess Mayo:

• 1 cup mayonnaise of choice

• 2 cup basil, chopped

• 1/2 cup chives, chopped

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/4 cup tarragon

• 4 anchovy filets

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from about 1/2 lemon

The Sandwich:

• 1 pound thick-cut bacon

• Head of lettuce of choice, I used butter lettuce and enjoyed it, see below for other options

• 2 heirloom or beef-steak tomatoes

• 1 loaf of bread, I used white bread from a local bakery

Instructions

1. To a food processor, add the mayonnaise, basil, chives, parsley, tarragon, anchovy filets, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pulse until very smooth, about 1 minute. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and seasoning to taste.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. If you want to be psycho and have beautiful waves in your bacon, make little creases in the foil and lay the bacon on top. You may have to fiddle with it but be sure to use the visual reference above as guidance.

3. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. This amount of time will depend on the thickness of your bacon; thinner bacon will probably take 15 minutes, while thick cut will take about 18 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a bed of paper towels.

4. Slice up the tomatoes and sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Place them on a few paper towels while you gather the rest of the ingredients.

5. Lightly toast your bread and smear about of teaspoon of green goddess mayo onto both halves of bread. Add slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato and sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper.

6. Cut the sandwich in half and enjoy.

Ceviche

This is super easy to make and it’s a great hot-weather dish. This recipe feeds a family of 4-5.

INGREDIENTS: 

• 10 fresh lemons squeezed

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes

• 3 medium-sized red onions

• 1 full-sized purple bell pepper

• 1 full-sized yellow bell pepper

• one bundle of cilantro

• 2 medium cucumbers

• 1 large (or 2 small) avocado(s)

• 1 and 1/2 pound of shrimp (mini-shrimp does not need to be cut - large shrimp should be cut into ¼ inch pieces)

• 1 tsp salt 

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1-2 jalapeños (Optional - depending on your love of spice) 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Dice everything into bit-sized pieces. 

2. In a large bowl, place diced cucumbers, diced red onion, seeded and diced peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and, finally, shrimp. 

3. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well, place in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. 

4. Take it out and stir again. 

5. Serve with tostadas or chips.   

Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad🍉💦

from IG's thetastefulblonde

INGREDIENTS:
- Watermelon (cubed)
- English cucumber (cut in half moon slices)
- Greek Feta (cubed)
- Mint
- Lime
- Tajin or (chili lime seasoning)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Measurements are totally subjective. You can make as much or as little as you need and you cannot go wrong! 

1. Cube your watermelon, dice your cucumber and feta, layer that in a bowl. 

2. Lightly drizzle with some good quality extra virgin olive oil, squeeze some lime juice, sprinkle with flakey salt and tajin, and top with lots of fresh mint!

It’s the most refreshing salad and so perfect to bring to a summer bbq.

Enjoy!