Basil Pasta

Posted on 08/24/2020 by Christy

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This is a great “pesto” substitute if you don’t eat dairy.

The lemon gives the pasta a little “zing” that you’d typically get from the Parmesan cheese in regular pesto.

We skip the pine nuts, too, because I had a really bad experience many years ago where I lost my sense of taste for an entire week after eating some “bad” pine nuts!

Sure, you could add a different nut to make it more like pesto, but we enjoy it just fine like this.

Basil Pasta Recipe

Serves 4 (as an entree) – – or serves 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed VERY tightly
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp unrefined salt
1/2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp raw honey
3 medium cloves garlic

16 ounces pasta of your choice (we prefer Trader Joe’s gluten-free rice pasta as shown below)

DIRECTIONS:

Toss everything (except the pasta) into a food processor or blender, and process until combined (stopping to scrape the sides a few times as needed).

Makes 3/4 cup – 1 cup of sauce. This sauce freezes well for later use, too, so feel free to make extra while you’ve got your blender dirty! 🙂

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions; and drain/rinse.

I like to cook the Basil Sauce a bit before tossing it with the pasta. So, while the pasta is in the strainer, add the sauce to the empty pasta pan. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Then, add the pasta and toss to combine.

Enjoy! And be sure to check out our RECIPES PAGE for more delicious recipes!!!!

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What’s in my grocery bags today?

Posted on 12/07/2011 by Christy

Salad with Chicken & Fresh Veggies

Posted on 11/14/2011 by Christy

I just LOVE to cook once and eat twice (or more)!!! And this is the perfect meal for doing just that! We smoked 4 chickens yesterday, and now we have tons of meat leftover. (You could also roast your chickens, instead – we use the smoker because we can fit more chickens in there. LOL!) Or you can use leftover grilled chicken…or grill some up fresh just for this. Whatever works! 🙂

Tonight we enjoyed organic salad mix from Costco topped with leftover smoked chicken meat; fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers; and homemade Italian Dressing!

I tossed in some Italian flax crackers on the side for good measure, too! 😉 Click here to read more about those!

WANT MORE?!

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Smoky Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on 10/03/2011 by Christy

smoked butternut soup

This is my new absolute FAVORITE soup of all time!!! If you love to make your home smell like a fancy restaurant, then this is the soup for you!

CHECK OUT OUR RECIPES PAGE FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES!!!

(Psst….If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to get yourself a copy of our additive-free cookbook & grocery shopping guide, “Eating Additive-Free“! It’s stuffed with 150+ more tasty recipes!! Your satisfaction is guaranteed…or your money back!)

MAKES ~ 16 cups (or you can cut this recipe in half for 8 cups of soup)

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP coconut oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
Two 3-pound butternut squash (6 lbs total), peeled and seeded (or use 4lbs of pre-chopped RAW butternut squash if you prefer)
8 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
12 cups Smoked Chicken Broth
2 tsp sea salt, to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

If using whole squash, cut squash into 1-inch chunks, and set aside.

Melt coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.

Add squash, carrots and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until veggies are quite tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (keep in contact with the bottom of the pan, so you avoid splashing soup and burning yourself!).

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy! This is great leftover, too!