dry pea pesto spaghetti

 

between all the summer barbecues, campfire s'mores & one too many trips to the ice cream shop, it is important to whip up some healthy, fresh meals in the kitchen too! this pasta dish is both healthy & hearty thanks to the homemade dry pea pesto sauce. dry peas are part of the pulse family & 2016 has been named the year of the pulses! woo!

what are "pulses"?!?! pulses are protein packed, sustainable foods like beans, lentils, chickpeas & of course dry peas! basically, you have probably been eating pulses all along & did not even know it. did you see the garlic hummus & warm pita bread i made over on NOM last week? that counts as pulses too! this pesto is also the perfect meal to make if you have basil growing wild in your garden too. my mom planted like five different basil plants around the backyard this summer (okay, well four now thanks to buddy holly's latest attempt at catching a squirrel & destroying the plant in the process.. r.i.p basil plant #5).

if you want to add some additional protein serve it with grilled chicken breast or if you want to make it even healthier use whole wheat spaghetti instead! if you'd like to join me & take the pulse pledge to eat pulses once a week for ten weeks (fresh hummus & pesto once a week sounds pretty easy to me) head on over to the pulsepledge.com.

p.s. i roasted the peppers on the grill at high heat until the outsides were charred. cover & let cool before peeling.. voila! roasted peppers.

ingredients

for the dry pea pesto

  • 1 cup shelled walnuts or pine nuts, roughly chopped
  • 1.5 cups fresh basil, packed
  • 3/4 cup dry green peas, soaked over night
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

for the dry pea pesto spaghetti

  • 1 cup prepared dry pea pesto (see recipe above)
  • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked & strained
  • 1 roasted yellow pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
  • shaved parmesan cheese, for serving

directions

for the dry pea pesto

  • in a food processor add the walnuts, basil, peas, parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper. pulse ten times to mix all the ingredients up.
  • turn the food processor on to low speed & slowly drizzle in olive oil. blend until a smooth paste is formed.
  • store in a lidded glass jar for up to two weeks.

for the dry pea pesto spaghetti

  • in a skillet over medium-low heat add the pesto sauce & stir to coat the pan.
  • add in the spaghetti & toss until the pesto is fully coated around the noodles.
  • add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, fold in the roasted red + yellow peppers.
  • top with shaved parmesan & serve warm.

 

this post was created in partnership with @USApulses & @pulseCANADA.  read all about pulses at www.pulsepledge.com & take the pulse pledge with me!

strawberry rhubarb crisp

 

yay for rhubarb season! yay for home grown rhubarb!

once i have my own garden & don't have to steal all my parents herbs, fruits & veggies i am gonna plant SO much rhubarb. i absolutely love baking with it. i am pretty sure it is a fairly easy plant to harvest, i hope. who knows though, i was told the same about succulents & my precious plants are almost ALL dead. i have managed to keep one alive for now, go aloe! maybe my green thumb is just something that cannot be fixed, especially if you can't even keep a succulent alive.

anyways, back to the fresh rhubarb i harvested from the garden last week. finally i can make the strawberry rhubarb crumble i have been planning on making for weeks now in these cute little oval cocottes with brass knobs. yes BRASS! these might just be my new favourite kitchen item. i think everything should come in a brass or copper finish, what about you? the crumble itself is both sweet + tart thanks to that sour rhubarb & the oat crumble topping is thick + buttery. be very very generous when you are topping this crumble, it'll cook down more then you think, so load it up!

ingredients

for the crumble

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole oats
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed

for the filling

  • 3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
  • 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl add the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon & vanilla. toss until evenly combined.
  • add the cubed butter & using your hands work into pea sized crumbs. set aside.
  • in a separate mixing bowl mix the rhubarb, strawberries, corn starch, raw sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & lemon juice.
  • pour into one large baking dish or four mini cocottes.
  • top generously with oat mixture.
  • bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly & the topping is golden brown.

like what you see? get it here. mini oval cocottes | bowl | wood scoop | flatware | linen | mug | teapot

georgia peach honey pie

 

moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches.
i'm moving to the country, gonna eat me a lot of peaches.
peaches come from a can, they were put there by a man.. in a factory down town.

now that i've got this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day (or week), here is my recipe for a georgia peach pie sweetened with bee raw's raw georgia holly blossom honey (how fitting, right?) this honey has an strong floral taste, with a hint of freshly cut pine.

i am pretty excited for peach season now that i am back in the niagara region & live around the corner from a peach farm! i am going to be making peach desserts & eating fresh peaches all month long. i feel like i have been really into baking with ALL the in season fruits this summer has to offer. because of my excitement i thought this pie deserved not one, but TWO braided crust. i could have kept going, but maybe it would have been a braided overkill. as if that is a thing though, right?

happy peach season!

ingredients

for the dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, cold
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 1 egg, for egg wash (optional)

for the peach honey filling

  • 6-8 ripe georgia peaches, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup bee raw georgia holly blossom honey
  • 1/3 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

directions

  • begin by making the dough. using a food processor pulse the flour, salt and sugar.
  • add the cubed butter, shortening and vanilla. pulse until a crumb like mixture forms.
  • add the cold water one tablespoon at a time until the crumbs begin to come together. turn out onto a pastry board and shape dough into a disk. if dough seems wet, add a bit more flour. if the dough seems dry, add a bit more water.
  • wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.
  • in a large mixing bowl mix the peaches with the honey, sugar & vanilla.
  • sprinkle with cornstarch & cinnamon. toss until evenly combined.
  • set aside while you roll out the pie dough.
  • heavily flour a smooth surface & roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thing.
  • line pie dish & fill with peach mixture.
  • top crust with remainder of dough, in a lattice top or braided edge! bonus points for two braids;)

this post was created in partnership with bee raw. they make a ton of different raw honeys in fun flavours. find the georgia blossom honey i used here!