Feta Almond Pesto & Roasted Tomatoes

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Today I would like to share two fantastic sandwich toppings I recently discovered: feta almond pesto and balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes. Both of these condiments are easy to make and really bring sandwiches to the next level. Both condiments will last about a week in the fridge.

My favourite way to enjoy both the feta almond pesto and the balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes is in a grilled vegetable panini. Now, I had prepared a lovely grilled vegetable panini with these two toppings to photograph and include in today’s post. However, being the huge klutz that I am…I knocked the whole plate on the floor and the poor little panini was destroyed! Actually, half the panini landed on our new couch and I had balsamic roasted tomatoes ALL over! I had a minor heart attack, but thankfully the tomatoes did not stain the new couch. Yikes! *haha*

I recommend grilling slices of zucchini, red pepper and yellow pepper on an indoor (or outdoor grill), or roasting some veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper. Once you have your vegetables grilled or roasted, you can create a fantastic sandwich (toasted or not) by stacking the veggies between two slices of hearty bread topped with some almond feta pesto and roasted balsamic cherry tomatoes. I promise this vegetarian sandwich won’t disappoint!

For my wonderful vegan friends, you can make a lovely vegan feta cheese with almonds using the following recipe from Vegetarian Times. Then you too can enjoy the almond feta pesto on your sandwiches. 


Almond Feta Pesto
  • 1/4 cup of slivered almonds
  • 2 cups of packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon each of salt & pepper
  • 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1. In a small dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat – shaking the pan often. Toast the almonds until light golden brown. Note: nuts can burn easily, so make sure you watch them closely. Transfer toasted almonds to a food processor and allow them to cool.

2. Add the basil, oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the toasted almonds. Purée the mixture. Pulse in the feta cheese.


Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
  • 2 and 1/4 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved (grape tomatoes work too!)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat oven to 400’F. In an 8-inch square baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, oil, vinegar and salt. 

2. Roast the tomatoes until they are shrivelled (about 35 to 40 minutes). Allow them to cool and store them in the fridge.

Source: Canadian Living February 2012

White Bean & Arborio Rice Soup

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Arborio rice is normally known to be the rice you use in order to make risotto. And for anyone who has made risotto, you know it can be very tedious! It’s not uncommon to stir arborio rice for 30 to 40 minutes while slowly adding broth. The results are creamy and delicious, but we don’t always have the time to stand and stir the rice for half an hour. Thankfully, using arborio rice does not always need to be time consuming. Adding arborio rice to soup and allowing it to cook in the broth lends a really nice texture in the soup. And there is no arm-breaking stirring involved! The rice becomes tender but still has a slight bite to it. It also absorbs a lot of the flavours of the rosemary scented broth. The heartiness of the beans and the addition of cabbage make this soup perfect for a winter supper. The parmesan cheese and pine nuts make the soup a little more rich and a slight bit fancy. Because the soup has both rice and beans, it can be quite filling. I suggest serving this soup with a nice side salad such as my favourite Pear and Candied Pecan Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/2 onion; chopped
  • 2/3 cup of arborio rice
  • 3 cloves of garlic; minced
  • 3 and 1/4 teaspoons of fresh rosemary; chopped
  • 6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cups of sliced cabbage
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans; rinsed
  • juice of half a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
  • splash of cream (optional)

Note: the original recipe calls for toasted bread crumbs on top of the soup as an additional garnish. I opted to make the soup gluten free and skipped the bread crumbs. Leaving out the parmesan cheese and cream make this a delicious vegan soup.

Note: Instead of slicing cabbage myself, I used two cups of coleslaw mix which had some shredded carrots and a few different types of cabbage. It was really nice in the soup.

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the chopped garlic and shredded cabbage for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the rice and sauté for about 6 minutes. This will lightly toast the arborio rice. Stir in the garlic and rosemary. Sauté for two minutes.

2. Add the broth and bay leaf, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Toast pine nuts if desired. 

4. Add beans to the soup and cook another 5 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper then remove the bay leaf. Stir in splash of cream if using.

5. Add juice of half a lemon into the soup. Stir well. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish the soup with grated parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Source: Vegetarian Times January/February 2012

Caprese Quinoa Salad

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I’m sure by now, many of you will have heard about the newest superfood – quinoa. It’s a a high protein seed (ancient grain) that is ideal for those following a gluten free diet or anyone looking to add a new vitamin rich, fibre-filled food to their diet. It’s very versatile and can be used in so many recipes. For Christmas, I received the cookbook Quinoa 365. I cannot believe how many ways quinoa can be used – from salads, to baking, as a breakfast cereal, to replacing rice and pasta in many dishes. 

This past summer, I decided that my Caprese Salad needed a nutritional boost, so I decided to try and make a Caprese Quinoa Salad. Turns out, the salad was not only delicious, but very filling. I’ve made the salad a number of times to pack for lunch or as a side salad with dinner. It would be a great salad to bring to a BBQ or a potluck. This salad is a great way to begin incorporating quinoa into your diet if you are new to this fabulous super food. Quinoa is especially good for vegetarians and vegans, as it provides complete protein.

Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of uncooked quinoa
  • 1 batch of homemade bruschetta mix
  • 2 tablespoons of pine nuts; toasted
  • 8 balls of bocconcini cheese; cut into quarters (optional)
  • fresh basil; chopped (for garnish)
  • fresh spinach; chopped (optional)

Method

1. Place the uncooked quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve. Run the quinoa under warm water for a minute or so. Note: Unrinsed quinoa has a bitter coating that could affect the taste of your salad. So, make sure you rinse it well. Also make sure to pick out any debris from the quinoa. 

2. Bring three cups of water to a boil. Add the rinsed quinoa. Cook the quinoa on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. The quinoa will soften up and will split open a bit to reveal cute little curly tails.

3. Once the quinoa is cooked, strain it and rinse with cold water. Place the quinoa in a bowl. Add the bruschetta mix and stir to combine. Note: if you find that there is not enough dressing, you can add a touch of olive oil and red wine vinegar.

4. Add the pine nuts and bocconcini cheese pieces. Toss. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Note: allowing the salad to sit for about 30 minutes enables all of the flavours to merry. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.

Note: To make this vegan, I would recommend adding chunks of pressed tofu right into the bruschetta mix and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The tofu will soak up some of the flavours of the bruschetta. Then you can make the salad as above.

You can also bump up the nutritional content by adding some chopped fresh spinach into the salad.

Source: Courtney Jones