Garlic Scape Pesto

Oh yummy!  I had used garlic scapes before but had always just fried them up with butter for pasta, I had never tried them in something as wonderful as this pesto!

And it tasted that much better having harvested the scapes off my own garlic.

The recipe called for 9 - 10 scapes.  I didn't know that cutting the scapes off your garlic will encourage further growth of the bulb.  What a good reason to try a new recipe.

Rinse the scapes in cold water and cut off the knobby seed pods (havent found a use for those yet so they ended up in the compost) and chop the scapes into pieces. 

When my mom asked me if I wanted her old food processor last year I almost said no thinking it would sit unused in my cupboard taking up precious shelf space.  It's a great kitchen tool to have, it works great for pie crust too (my nemesis) but somehow with the help of the food processor I can actually make pie crust!

Add the chopped scapes with 1/2 cup slivered almonds and blend until it's fairly smooth, about 30 seconds.  With the machine running, slowly pour in 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend another 15-20 seconds.

My kitchen smelled so good when I was making this!

Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese with a little salt and pepper and blend a bit more

If you can resist, put this in the fridge for a few hours in a tightly covered bowl.  It tastes good as is but chilled it tastes so much better!

I had doubled the recipe and I'm going to try to freeze some.  It should freeze well for up to  3 months in an air-tight container.

Garlic Scape Pesto

9 - 10 garlic scapes, knobby seed-pods removed
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse scapes in cold water, chop into pieces.

Put scapes and slivered almonds into the food processor and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.  Scrape down sides of bowl.

With the machine running, slowly add olive oil and process until mixed well and smooth, about 15 seconds.  Then add the cheese, salt and pepper and blend another 10 seconds or so.

This is yummy freshly made but it's even better when refrigerated for several hours or overnnight.  Place in a bowl with a tightly fitting lid.

These garlic scapes are only available for a couple months a year so if you can, buy lots and make a few batches of this pesto.  It will freeze well for about 3 months.

Snacks

I have this copied onto my phone and check it often at the grocery store.  Finding healthy satisfying snacks used to be hard, just hand me a list of what to eat and I'm all good. 


Greek yogurt and homemade granola has become my everyday breakfast, so tasty.

Lucy our pug

This is Lucy, she's 2 1/2 and just about the best dog you could ask for.  Except when she won't come when called, or get in the car when we want her to, or leave unknown things alone when she finds them in the bush, or pulls hard on her leash when we walk her, or bark at every horse, person, bird, or cloud that goes past the house, or chews on my sandals and runners when I'm at work.

We love her,

and wouldn't want her any different, well... :)

Curry Pork Burgers, you must try!

I found this recipe a couple years ago in Canadian Living magazine and I've made them so many times!  They're simple to make and so yummy fresh but you can freeze them too just wrap them well.

1 lb lean ground pork

1/2 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)

1/3 cup feta cheese

2 Tbsp curry paste (I use red)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 tsp ground cumin

little salt and pepper

**the recipe called for coriander which I do not like all that much so I use scallions.

Mix everything together well and shape into patties, you'll get 4 patties.  Oh, and they'll smell sooo good by this point!  I cover them and put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes you can make these the night before but I wouldn't leave them sitting in the fridge any longer than a day. 

BBQ the patties until a meat thermometer reads 160 F

Serve with nice crispy lettuce and soft buns.



Grilled Red Onion

Simple enough to do but I'm often pleasently surprised how grilling brings out a different flavor in something I've eaten for years. 

Peel onion and cut into 1/2" thick slices.  I use a skewer to keep the rings in place.  Brush them with some olive oil, sprinkle with s & p and grill until softened about 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!

I love summer!

First garden party of 2012

Wow, it took long enough but we finally got in our 1st bbq of the year.  Damn weather :o 

We had a Roller Derby weekend with Camp Pivotstar coaches Luludemon and 8meanWheeler from Team Canada coming to coach us for the weekend!  It was a great weekend!  So cool and I learned so much, I am even more motivated to get my ass in gear and get my derby skills up. 

My derby sister Rachel Snyder took some great pictures of the bbq!

Check out her website, http://rsimaginganddesign.com