Do you pesto?

Of course you do, you've made at least two types since you read this blog. One is the regular fresh basil pesto, and the other is the red pesto from last week's muffin recipe.

This black olive pesto is amazing, since it is much smoother than regular pesto and extremely easy to spread, since it keeps hard in the fridge.

To make you need:
1/2 cup black pitted olives
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt

Place the basil leaves in hot water, wait for the water to boil, remove the leaves and drain. Mix in a blender with the rest of the ingredients and place in the fridge until you have made some fresh mock bread or besan pancakes to enjoy with. This pesto is also rich enough to serve with lean meat, such as turkey or chicken in place of sauce.
Let me know how you pesto and have a great weekend!

Pumpkin baked oatmeal

If you like oatmeal, then you have probably done overnight oats, quick oats, boiled oats, baked oats, but have you tried pumpkin baked oats?

This is not really a recipe, since all you need is a half a small pumpkin that you will first bake and then fill with oats and bake again. What goes in the pumpkin is up to you.

Here is my suggestion for 4 servings:

2 cups oats
handful walnuts
handful raisins
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes
2 tbsp pumpkin spice (or cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, mixed)
1 cup milk

Mix all ingredients and place in the pumpkin. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool off before you cut and serve. I like to make this dish in the evening and have it cold in the morning. The milk adds nice moisture to the oats and the coconut flakes and walnuts provide a wonderful source of fat.

p.s. for all the specific temperature geeks, I bake everything above in convection oven at 390'F

Cheese bran muffins with red pesto

These wonderful muffins are great at lunch and dinner. You can certainly have them with some pate and cheeses as a main dish, but you can always serve them as a side to fish or poultry.

To make 4 of these you need:
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1/4 cup rice flower
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
2 eggs
2 tbsp yogurt
pinch baking soda
pinch salt

3 oz Camembert cheese

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray (I prefer real butter or rice oil). Place half of the batter in 4 of the muffin bottoms and place a small piece of Camembert cheese on top. Cover with the rest of the batter. Bake for 20 minutes at 380 F. Serve warm with pesto sauce. I think that red pesto is a wonderful complement to the warm melting Camembert.
Here is how to make the pesto.

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (presoaked in water or olive oil)
1/2 cup basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup black olives
1 clove garlic
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp olive oil (skip if the tomatoes are canned in oil)

Mix all in a food processor and enjoy with the muffins or with your morning omelet. Let me know how these worked for you, I personally love them.

Gingered Pumpkin Soup

It's been pumpkin season for so long now, chances are, you have tried a few awesome recipes. While things like pumpkin pancakes are exciting, soup seems like too much work. I promise that this recipe will change your mind. Far from traditional pumpkin soup, this easy version is fast to make and incredibly tasty.

What you need:
a blender
4 cups of precooked pumpkin

and more:
1 cup cream
1 cup water
1 thick slice ginger, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt
pepper
fresh/dried thyme
2 tbsp ricotta cheese
1 tbsp butter

Heat the butter on medium heat, and cook the onion and ginger until they brown. Put the pumpkin, cream and water in the blender and after you add the onion and ginger, blend until smooth. Return to a pot and cook with the salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Serve with ricotta cheese and thyme. The ricotta adds a nice protein touch to make this a complete lunch. If you are feeling adventurous, some bleu cheese will complement this soup very well.

Pumpkin Hummus

Do you like hummus? How about one that will make you wish it was pumpkin season every day?

To make this mouth watering version of hummus, you need:

1 cup chickpeas from a can
1 cup pumpkin (baked or steamed)
1 tbsp plain tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
pinch salt
pinch pepper
pinch cinnamon
2 leaves of Sage, fresh

Combine all ingredients, but for the olive oil, in a blender and mix well. Serve with the olive oil on top. Use harder pieces of pumpkin, vegetables or whole wheat toast to dip. This recipe strikes you with its simplicity, yet it will make you go back for more. If you don't think chickpeas are your type of legume, maybe this hummus will give them a second chance.

Nutty Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is beautiful. It is unknown here in Bulgaria and the plants on the left were grown by my grandpa after P. Allen Smith gave me a bunch of seeds last year. Here is a wonderful place to give thanks to my dear friend JP for introducing me to P.A. Smith and his amazing gardens.

Chard is tough to eat raw and my family is still looking at it with suspicion. They are starting to warm up to it and recently they have been making some pretty tasty soups and stews.

Unless you cook it properly, chard tastes too earthy, and most people give up the wonderful texture because they can't find a recipe that satisfies their taste buds.

Here is a recipe for a side you will truly enjoy, it's simple to make and chard will never disappoint you anymore.

Ingredients:
1 lb Swiss chard leaves
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
handful raisins
handful chopped walnuts

In a pot, warm the butter over medium heat, add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until browned. Add the finely cut chard in the pot and add 1/4 cup of water. Stir in the raisins and nuts and cook for another 5 minutes, covered. Take off the heat and add the olive oil.

I enjoyed it with some fresh goat cheese and roast beef. Let me know how you liked it.

Spiced Coconut Pumpkin

It's pumpkin season and you have some baked or boiled plain pumpkin. You are wondering what to do with it. In 5 minutes you will have this amazing flavorful dish.

To make you need:
2 cups cubed cooked pumpkin
2 tbsp butter (or ghee)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 small slice ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

Melt the butter in a pan, add the chopped ginger and the rest of the spices. Cook on medium heat for less than a minute, add the coconut and stir another minute. Add the pumpkin, carefully stirring until all pieces are evenly covered in coconut and spices. Serve warm or cold and enjoy with some milk and honey. Make sure you prepare plenty, since the wonderful aroma will draw anyone in your house to the kitchen. Enjoy and let me know what you think!