Tag: basil

Oh, the controversy!

The other day I posted a gorgeous purple cabbage and blueberry smoothie on my Facebook. It was met with much skepticism and derision (yet, might I add, more discussion than any post in recent memory). So today I have another tasty smoothie for you. What you need to know is that it can be a bit like mixing paint…putting many beautiful colours and flavours together like this:


May result in something not quite so pretty (but amazingly tasty), like this:


I want to take a moment to thank all of you who follow, comment, and interact. It’s very gratifying to share this wonderful planet with you. You’ll notice in the coming days and weeks that I will continue to have lots of food posts, but the “walk” and “live” parts of WalkEatLive will be given a bit more space as well. It’s also my plan to do some more promotion and review of resources I use, like cookbooks, tools, resources, workout gear, and places and things to see and do. I hope you’ll stick with me on the journey.

Pass the Pesto…

Well, although we had a warm, sunny Thanksgiving, it will turn chilly soon enough. So we’ve been busy gathering what we can from the garden, preserving, freezing, drying and cooking the fruits of our labours so we can enjoy them all winter long.

With a bumper crop of basil, we decided to make some pesto. Here’s what you do:

In the food processor, chop some garlic (1-3 cloves, as you prefer it). Then add a couple of good handfuls of basil leaves, about 1/3 cup of walnuts, and a couple of ounces of parmesan cheese, freshly ground. Traditionalists use pine nuts, but walnuts are always easier to find, especially in the fall. Besides, they appeal to our frugal natures. Pulse it until it’s coarsely chopped, then, with the food processor running, pour extra virgin olive oil in the spout until it reaches a thick, saucy consistency. Store in mason jars, topped with a layer of olive oil, in the fridge for a week or two (add more oil each time you take out some pesto), or in the freezer if you want to keep it longer. Simply thaw it in the fridge the day before you want to use it.

We love the many uses of pesto – as a base for pizza, tossed with some pasta, rubbed on a chicken, or mixed into a homemade vinaigrette. We could go on and on…but instead, we’ll stop for now (and maybe make some more pesto).

Thank you Jamie Oliver

What a great day it was when we learned to make this delicious tomato salad from a Jamie Oliver cookbook! The farmer’s markets (or if you’re lucky, your back yards) are full of them now. Of course we’ve made it often enough we keep adapting it, so it’s not exactly as it was. In this case we used some red onion from the market, the usual dried oregano, balsamic, EVOO, and pepper. Then a chiffonade of basil from the urban farm, to top it off. Goes with anything, or itself. Mmmm.