skillz

Among other skills I hope to master this summer, I would love to perfect my cooking. As many of you know, I have happily been a vegan for a little over a year. Although I think what you eat is a personal decision, I think vegan cooking is some of those most challenging, and thus rewarding I've ever tried. This weekend I had a dinner party with some friends (taste testers, as I fondly think of them). The menu was: Simple garden salad with Mediterranean Olive Oil and Lemon Vinaigrette, homemade Rosemary Focaccia, and Spinach Linguine with homemade Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes. Luckily, I had enough basil and cilantro in the garden to make the pesto, and it was super delicious. Extremely fresh and perfect for summer pasta. I'm going to use up space and post the recipe, because I think everyone (Emily) will love it!

Basil-Cilantro Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/3 c slivered or sliced almonds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor and blend until pasty, scraping down the sides occasionally. With the food processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until relatively smooth and no large chunks are left.

Hopefully these pictures will convince everyone to experiment with this delicious vegan recipe!


Oh, and of course we had to have dessert. I decided to make individual cherry pies for the girls instead of one large one. I think it was a nice surprise, and as mom would say, definitely a "do-againer!" Thanks Maddie, Jess, and Dawn for coming and good luck in all of your awesome summer adventures!