hungry desi » Basil

Toasted Fergola

nithya — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:38:04 +0000

Chewy like Israeli couscous. But better. Because it’s pasta. Have you tried toasted fergola yet? I drenched it in a fresh tomato-pesto sauce.

Spicy Pesto 3 Ways – Basil-Mint Pesto Tofu Scramble

nithya — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:30:54 +0000

For my third and final Spicy Basil-Mint Pesto dish, I only had about 2 tablespoons of pesto left. I got a little creative, borrowed some elements from Rajat’s tofu scramble and came up with a hearty breakfast of spicy pesto mixed with scrambled tofu, potatoes, onions and tomatoes topped off with chipotle flavored tostada shells. It made for a healthy, egg free breakfast.

Spicy Pesto Third Way: Basil-Mint Pesto Tofu Scramble

Grocery:
2-3 tablespoons spicy pesto
1 package tofu
1 yellow onion, diced
Half a beefsteak tomato, diced
1 potato, boiled, peeled and cubed
Half a 28 oz. can white tuscan beans, drained and rinsed
Handful of tostada shells or tortilla chips

1. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until translucent.
2. Squeeze the water out of the tofu. Use your hands to crumble into small pieces and then add to the skillet and cook until golden.
3. Add the beans and tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are melted and the beans softened.
4. Add the potatoes.
5. Mix about 1/4 cup water with the pesto and pour over the scramble. Cook on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes and then serve hot with tostadas.

You might be also be interested in this tofu scramble and these other pesto dishes, pesto marinara and pesto bruschetta.

Spicy Pesto 3 Ways: Basil-Mint Pesto Bruschetta

nithya — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:23:43 +0000

Earlier this week, I blogged about a Spicy Basil-Mint Pesto Sauce we made and my fondness for recipes that use simple, readily available ingredients which can be recreated into other dishes out of leftovers. So last Wednesday I made a pesto sauce that we used for a hearty dinner of Pesto Marinara on Whole Wheat Linguine. The next day, I used some of the leftover pesto to make this bruschetta style appetizer. Also makes for a great snack! Stay tuned for the healthy breakfast that I made using my last bits of pesto.

Spicy Pesto Second Way: Basil-Mint Pesto Bruschetta

For the Spicy Basil-Mint Pesto recipe click here.

Additional Grocery:
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced into pieces about half to three-fourth inch thick
Handful thinly sliced garlic (optional)

Making Pesto Bruschetta: This is an easy appetizer to make for a dinner party because you can make the pesto a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator. It’s also a really colorful addition to a dinner table (and while I love food to taste good, looking pretty is nice too). When you’re ready to serve, arrange the bread slices on a cookie tray. Smear a little Olivio or butter on one side of each piece of bread. Sprinkle the garlic pieces over the bread so each bread piece has one or two pieces of garlic. Spread a generous layer of pesto over each slice of bread. Pop the tray into the oven at about 350 degrees or into a toaster oven for about 4-5 minutes or until the bread starts to look a little golden around the edges. Eat while still toasty.

Serve this alone as an appetizer or alongside pasta. We had ours with leftover Pesto Marinara on Whole Wheat Linguine (happy to report that it made for great leftovers).

You might also like this quick Bruschetta with Ricotta Salata.