Surprise Pesto
I had plans to make pesto tonight with the basil off my plant. I went out to harvest it and my plant was DEAD! I totally had to improvise and what I came up with was a winner!
Ingredients:
-3 cups spinach
-3 sprigs rosemary de-stemmed (about a TBSP)
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-2 tsp olive oil
-6 garlic cloves
-1/2 cup chicken broth (vegetable broth would work too)
-1/4 cup wine
-Juice of 1 lemon
-S+P to taste
Instructions:
-Throw the spinach, rosemary, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic into a food processor. Process until smooth.
-While that’s doing it’s thing, reduce the wine and broth together. (I actually cooked the chicken in the wine and broth and when I tasted the pesto the garlic was too strong and needed to be cooked down a bit-that’s why I mixed the two)
-Add the pesto to the wine/broth mixture. Add lemon and S+P.
-Toss with pasta and top with whatever protein you desire.
Here’s Shaun’s:
Mine (there is pasta underneath and that’s vegan parm):
And Lucy’s:
I originally didn’t give her much sauce but she ended up LOVING the sauce, so she got much more.
(Caption: “Mommy don’t bother me, I’m EATING!”)
Shaun and I both gave this a 3 out of 5. Not bad! Actually, quite delish!
To refresh your memory, in this household our rankings:
-1 = bad-don’t ever make it again
-2 =okay, tweak it and try again
-3 = good, put this on the monthly menu!
-4 = very good, put this on the monthly menu in heavy rotation
-5 = FANTASTIC (this is reserved for really amazingly outstanding meals)
Shaun is a tough judge and a 3 from him is a great rating!
Lucy gave it a 5!
Category: Recipes 13 comments »
Oh no! Basil is usually so darn hearty, too. I doubt you had this around the house, but FYI: mint + lemon juice makes a really interesting substitution for basil, too (plus the spinach and nuts and all that, obviously).
I love that Lucy is such a good eater! She’s always so happy in your photos … enjoying whatever good foods her momma makes for her. FANTASTIC job, Chelsea!
There was lemon in this too-thanks for reminding me! Updated.
YUM! Your plate looks amazing. I don’t think I have ever told you but I am incredibly impressed that you work, are a mom and manage to cook like that! (Oh and BLOG!) You really have the bar raised high. How do you do it? All you organization?
Lu is SO cute, and she eats so well! You feed her great food, she is going to have an amazing expanded palette.
Michelle-Thank you. YOU are such an inspirational Mommy to me, so to hear you say that makes me so happy.
Amber-THANK YOU. I’m happier when I’m busy 🙂 My job is such that I’m on the computer all day long and need breaks-my manager encourages them 🙂 Here’s my weekday schedule:
5:30: Wake Up
5:45-6:45: Gym
6:45-7:20: Get ready (thankfully Shaun does most of Lu’s morning routine-I only pick out her clothes)
7:20-7:45-Drop Lu off at daycare
7:45-8:30-Commute to work
8:30-9-Blog
9-5-Work-I usually eat lunch at my desk and catch up on blogs-I should probably go for walks!
5-5:45-Commute home
5:45-6:30- Cook dinner, hang out with Lu
6:30-7-Eat dinner
7-7:30-Put Lu to bed OR clean the kitchen (Shaun and I switch off)
7:30-10 FREE TIME! I usually blog, catch up on blogs, do housework, and hangout with Shaun
I’m blessed to have a VERY helpful husband and a child that is a fantastic sleeper! When she was waking up every 2-3 hours I was a walking zombie and basically was able to go to work and take care of her and that was it. We ate lots of Trader Joes and take out!
Wow I am very impressed by your schedule! clearly i need organization tips from you! I am like that too the busier I am the more I get done, If I nothing goig on I quickly turn into a slug. And maybe it’s just me but it’s almost like the more I blog the more I do, it’s like a snowball effect but in a really good way. And oh though you might enjoy this post my friend wrote http://deesgarret.blogspot.com/2010/01/project-2010-setting-smart-goals.html. I guess because we are all goal focused right now. I am working on my 30! Right now it is just in my mind, I have to write it down =)
BTW I really like the Live,Laugh, Love, Eat just be thing at the top of your blog =)
Chelsea your schedule is amazing. I read it and wanted to take a nap. I wish we lived closer so I could hang out with you more and hope some of it rubbed of. I would also hope some of Lucy’s good eating would rub off on Ava. I really wish I knew where my good eater went.
Haha I just realized that I said hang out with you more even though we have never hung out IRL. MMT makes it feel like we hang out daily…hahahah
I’m so amazed by your daughter’s willingness to eat all of this grown-up food!
YUM!!!! I love pesto with spinach, but I’ve never made it with no basil! I believe you if you say it’s good- I must try this!
Looks yummy! Lucy is so adorable! 🙂
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