Red Bell Pepper Pesto with Hazelnuts and Parmesan

This pesto has been called "Magnificence", and has been enjoyed many ways: spread on crostini then sprinkled with microgreens (as pictured), as a sauce with salmon and grilled veggies, even tossed fresh from the fridge with hot pasta for a jazzy twist on spaghetti. It is also very popular as a spread on sandwiches warm and cold, especially with turkey.

Like everyone else "in the know", I'm an organic and seasonal cook, and prefer to use these types of ingredients. So you may wonder, why the jarred peppers instead of fresh roasted? It started when I was given a beautiful jar of red bell and yellow peppers from our local Trader Joe's. One night some time later I found myself playing my favorite kitchen game, started by my mother in Youngstown, OH over 30 years ago, called "What's washed up onshore?" - her game was my first experience with Iron Chef type cooking where the cook must try to make something fantastic from a random variety of ingredients. My version is called "Let's cook from the pantry!". The end result was this recipe, which I've tested many times, and found that it works with any combination of bell peppers, ranging in color from yellow to red. The hazelnuts lend a toothsome but smooth texture and subtly highlight the smokiness of the peppers. If you are unable to find Himilania Pink Salt salt, give Real Salt a try, one or both of them are available at your local Whole Foods or online, and are well worth your time and investment. I recommend these particular salts for their high mineral content, and the way their flavors bring out the earthiness of the peppers.

I now make this pesto in batches (must be the restaurant training) and give the extra as gifts, even though it lasts quite awhile in the fridge and almost forever in the freezer. I hope you like it!

2 12 oz jars roasted red bell peppers in water, drained
½ cup whole raw unpeeled hazelnuts
2 cups grated parmesan, separated
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 teaspoon "Himalania"pink salt, finely ground
optional 1 tsp cayenne
optional 2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup EVOO, separated

Combine bell peppers, hazelnuts, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, cayenne, and pepper flakes. Pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl. With machine running, incorporate 3/4 cup olive oil. Add remaining parmesan, pulsing to incorporate. With machine running, add the remaining olive oil. Makes 5 8 oz. jars. Store in fridge for up to two weeks, freeze, or give away!

Caribbean Chicken and Speckled Rice

This dish consists of chicken (diced dark meat trimmed of excess fat) that was marinated in a blend of: black pepper, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt and turmeric. Quickly sauteed in vegetable oil until crispy, cilantro "fried" along with it at end of cooking. Jasmine rice flecked with black sesame seeds. Topped with fresh cilantro and Halen Mon flake salt.

Joanne Weir and Me

Photo by Andrea Boje


Joanne and myself at the wrap of filming her new cooking show series. She is such an amazing mentor, Chef, friend. I am so grateful for all I learn and experience with her everyday that I am afforded the opportunity. You should check out her books shows and all things Joanne; you won't be disappointed!

Okay, NOW back to the kitchen.

Give Peace A Chance

Photo Copyright by Getty Images

I now believe anything is possible!
Back to the kitchen....

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Tip: You can help everyone eat pancakes together by creating a warming drawer of sorts, with your regular oven. Just put a heat-safe platter in the center of the oven, and set the thermometer to about 185 degrees- when that temperature is reached, turn off the oven and start cooking the pancakes, placing them on the platter in the oven as you prepare them. They will all be fluffy and warm come time to eat!

1 cup milk
1 T white vinegar
1 egg
3/4 cup unbleached AP flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2T butter, melted

Make buttermilk:
In a measuring cup, combine milk and vinegar, stir and set aside for five minutes.

Prepare pancakes:
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg and add buttermilk.

In another small bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking soda. Add to the buttermilk mixture and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the butter as well.

Heat nonstick skillet of choice on medium low heat, and pour desired amount of batter (2 oz. is a nice 3" pancake) onto surface. About 2 minutes later, or when a few bubbles pop and hold their shape on top of the pancake, flip and continue to cook until steam is no longer is present, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Fudgy Mini Muffins - Gluten Free, Dairy Free

If you take this same recipe and bake it in different vessels, you will yield different results. In a madeline pan, a gooey molten cake consistency is achieved, with a little crisp around the edges creating a nice texture variance. In regular sized muffin tins lined with paper, they end up also moist but not gooey. In the mini muffin tin, a perfectly sized cake-like treat. However you bake them, they are gluten free with the added benefit of being made with whole grain oat flour and unsweetened applesauce - these little bits of heaven are both wholesome and devilish, and I dare you to try to eat just .... six!

1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 oz. mini chocolate chips, vegan chips or chopped chocolate pieces
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar through chocolate. Fold in applesauce and vanilla, just until flour is moist and incorporated. Using small ice cream scoop, fill non-stivk mini muffin tins evenly (about 20 tins will be almost full). Bake in center of oven for 20 minutes, rotating once. Allow to cool ten minutes then remove from tins and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers.

Onion Sprouts!

Oh onion sprouts, I would write you an ode or a sonnet of I could do such things!

Onion sprouts are little nutritional powerhouses, adding amazing flavor and texture as well as nutrients and surprisingly enough, protein!

A bad-but-oh-so-good comfort food favorite of mine is pasta tossed with butter, parmesan, lots of pepper (black or red or both!) and flake salt. It's a pantry staple that I can't eat often but when I do it's lots o fun for my tastebuds - and today was an even luckier day for them than usual! Onion sprouts, added to the top of my bowl of decadence added a fresh element to an obviously heavy ensemble of ingredients, and the sprouts' flavor was even more pronounced with the ambient heat of the pasta, rendering them rich in flavor and faintly crisp in texture . Added to sandwiches and wraps, just as yummy! I will be pestering my grocer for more of these, that's for sure.