Fresco del Jardin: Green & Gold Pesto Trio

Nothing is better on a summer evening than a little bit of pesto. It goes with anything, doesn't require you to fire up the oven, and there are so many fun and tasty variations!

To add a pop of color to my plate for last week's small dinner party,  I decided to make three different pestos that could be used to pair with the chicken or mix with the Zucchini ribbons. Having three different kinds helps to mix up each bite!

Let's start with the Pea + Mint Pesto. The idea for this came to me when my mom and I were at the Kokomo Farmer's Market during one of my visits home. Every year when I was growing up we would buy pounds of fresh peas from a local farm, shuck and freeze them for this winter. I actually loved this job because I really love the taste of fresh, raw peas. When I was helping her with the latest round the taste brought back some great memories and I knew I had to turn it into something new!

Pea + Mint Pesto

What you need:

4 cups fresh (or frozen raw) peas
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup walnuts, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

The plan:

Whiz your peas, mint and walnuts in a food processor pulsing 3-4 times to get everything chunky and broken up. Next, turn the processor on and add the olive oil, slowly pouring it in as the ingredients become incorporated. Mix on high for a minute or so. Add salt and pepper to taste then give it one last whirl. Serve cold or store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

This unexpectedly, sweet and salty pesto not only makes a great dipping side but also goes well with a crudites platter or even as a sandwich spread. This recipe makes more pesto than needed for the trio but I enjoyed it days later with carrot sticks!

Next, let's move on to the basil pesto. This is a traditional pesto and I made it with a recipe I know by heart, if you will. There are SO many variations of this recipe out there but here is what I threw together:

Basil Pesto

What you need:

2 cups of Genovese basil
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan freshly grated cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

The plan:

Whiz around the basil, pine nuts, lemon juice and cheese in a food processor. Over the next minute on high add in the olive oil until all the ingredients are incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste but remember the cheese is already salty so you won't need much more!

And finally, the piece de resistance, the Squash Blossom Pesto. I'll start this off by saying, this is not an original recipe, just a lucky find on another remarkable blog- The Runaway Spoon. I have to say, this is one of my favorite summer recipes that I have found! The earthy squash blossoms and salty Parmesan are such beautiful partners. I could eat this with a spoon but it was fabulous with the chicken. Be sure to check out The Runaway Spoon's recipe here for golden, glorious pesto of your own!

Check back later this week when we dive into another recipe from this plate!

Fresco del Jardin, a summer dinner for four

Last week, I had the joy of hosting 3 of my closest girlfriends for some much needed food and togetherness. I wanted to make it a special evening with a menu full of fresh veggies from the garden so I called the evening "Jardin del Fresco" meaning, fresh from the garden. 

Here's a breakdown of the main course:

Keep checking back this week as I'll be highlighting some of the recipes I created for the dinner party. For now- here is the menu and some photos of the evening!

The menu

The table

Sweet Potato Fries & Curried Greek Yogurt dip

Maria's Strawberry Shortcake

In the Kitchen: Summer Quinoa Salad

Now that the weather is consistently much warmer, it's time to start preparing cold summer salads. I absolutely love summer salads because so many veggies are available and I get to be creative with all the new stuff in my garden.

One of my favorite salads of all is Quinoa Salad. Quinoa (Kee-no-uh) originated in South America back around some odd 6,000 years ago. The Incas actually believed the crops to be sacred, calling them "chisaya mama" or for those of us that don't speak Incan, "Mother of all Grains". They treated it so much like a diety, that when the Spanish Conquistadors showed up they actually forbid the indigenous people to grow quinoa and switch their crops to corn instead. Talk about being a little xenophobic. I mean, who is afraid of a type of grain? Really? Anyways, quinoa is chuck full of protein (12-18%) and unlike wheat or rice it contains a balanced amount of amino acids.

This is a great side with grilled meats but sometimes I like it just on it's own.

Here's the recipe!


What you'll need:
1 Cup quinoa (Good Earth has the best price in their bulk section, remember to buy local!)
1 1/2 Cups water
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 herb of your choice (I like to use basil or cilantro)
Any assortment of fresh or frozen veggies of your choice ( Usually throw in a cup of corn, red onion, peas, carrotts and tomatoes)

The Plan:
Throw your quinoa and water into a covered pot and bring to a boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, turn your heat to low for 20 minutes. Don't take the lid off until its done (I always have a hard time with this step, but it's worth it). Your quinoa will end up the consistency of couscous.

Put your quinoa in a plastic bowl and put it in the fridge until it cools (or freezer for a quick chill). Once it has cooled down, add the veggies, herbs, seasonings, salt, and pepper. Stir. Done.


Enjoy!