Walnut Pesto Tuna Pasta Salad: Perfect Labor Day Salad

Labor is coming... just a couple more days. This particular holiday doesn't hold the same splash of impact as when I was a kid. It makes me miss being hauled to family functions, sometimes camping or swimming outside, or going to my grandma's house, playing games with cousins, aunts, and uncles, and OF COURSE eating way too much really good food. It was heightened particularly because it was the last big fun thing before the the start of school the following week.

As an adult, married, with a kid, the holiday's meaning has adapted to mean a quiet relaxed gathering with friends or without friends, watching sports, eating grilled comfort foods, going for a nice walk, and just enjoying the day off. I must say the going for the walk part was a lot easier in California Haha. Here in Southern Arizona its pretty warm for long walks, although the weather is slowly cooling. Finally. Happily cooling down.

Speaking of good food.....

I have to tell you about this walnut parmesan pesto tuna pasta salad! Its absolutely yummy and perfect for labor picnics, family gatherings, and bbq's. It has no mayo and can be made in about 9-17 minutes depending on your altitude (how long it takes to boil water at your house). The hardest part is waiting for the water to boil. You boil pasta, drain pasta, soak pasta in cold water to stop the cooking, chop veggies, open a can of tuna, drop stuff into a bowl, and combine. Ta Dahh you are done. You can even do the pesto the day before and save yourself like 3 minutes. My four year old even commented wow dinner was fast tonight mom. Yup fast enough I felt like I could heat up some bread in the oven to make the salad into a full meal :)

Note: As most foods if you can keep it in the cooler, in the shade until its time to eat you can add an hr or two to the food's shelf life. Although, its not really a good idea to gamble with your families stomachs, unless you have that devious streak running through your head about someone always pinching your cheeks and calling you little so and so, just remember nothing can hang out in the heat for hours and hours and still taste good. Error on staying safe. Anything served outside and let sit outside should be tossed at the end of the day. With this pasta salad with yummy cheesy, nutty pesto dressing I am not sure you will have that problem.

Pesto Tuna Pasta Salad (Mayo Free) 

Adapted from Everyday & Racheal Ray Magazine

Makes 3-4 meal size portions or 6-8 side portions 

Step 1: Make pesto

In a food processor blend together 1/2 cup of chopped or whole walnuts or pieces (whatever is cheaper), 1oz of good parmesan cheese grated already or in slices, 1 handful of basil (1/8 cup- 1/4cup), 1 cup of fresh parsley (half of a bunch rinsed well and roughly chopped), 1/2 tsp lemon juice, and a large drizzle of olive oil 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup. Blend it together for maybe a minute until its smooth to your liking. Taste it, add salt and pepper to your liking. Most of the time I only need 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4-1/8 tsp pepper because of the nuts and cheese. Set aside or refrigerate it for when you need it. Can be made in advance.

Step 2:  Pasta

Boil your pasta as per directions on the box. I boiled 4 oz which is someplace inbetween 1/4 and 1/2 of a regular sized box. I always go 1 minute under the directions on the box for al dente just incase it takes me a minute to get to the stove. You never know with a 4 yr old around ;)  As soon as the timer goes pour the pasta into a strainer and run COLD water over it to stop cooking. Another method is to have a strainer resting in a large bowl of cold water and ice. Whatever method you do - just do it so your pasta doesn't get mushy. You want it to absorb all those yummy pesto flavors and it won't if it keeps cooking and gets overcooked. I used whole grain rotini because I like the spiral shape and the whole grain for the kiddo. It also helps with the whole eating fiber thing that we are all supposed to be doing.

Step 3: Vegetables & Tuna

In a large bowl combine 1 stalk of celery, 12 grape tomatoes washed & halved, 1 can of tuna regular sized (6 oz) drained, 2 green onions sliced thin (if you have kitchen scissors this is really quick and easy), 1 red pepper finely chopped, and some salt and pepper to taste.

Note: the recipe didn't call for capers but capers always taste awesome with tuna.  I used all red grape tomatoes but for a stunning presentation spend an extra dollar fifty and buy two colors. It will make your salad pop with life.

Step 4: Toss & Eat or Refrigerate for later

Toss the tuna and veggies with the cooled pasta. Coat everything with that delish pesto you previous made.

List of ingredients for shopping: 

1/2 cup of chopped or whole walnuts or pieces
1oz of good parmesan cheese grated already or in slices
1 handful of basil (1/8 cup - 1/4cup)
1 cup of fresh parsley (half of a bunch rinsed well and roughly chopped)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
olive oil 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup
1/4 tsp salt & 1/4-1/8 tsp pepper  (or to taste)
1 stalk of celery
half of package or 12 grape tomatoes, washed and halved
6oz regular can of tuna, drained
1 red pepper
2 green onions or scallions, whites and green parts finely chopped
4-5 oz of whole grain pasta (depending how heavy you want the pasta to be) I went lighter with 4oz
capers (optional)

Stay safe & have a good Labor Day! If you are swimming with kiddos please be extra careful. Be in the water with them, leave your phone, and apply sunscreen all day long.... yeah the mom in me had to say that.  

From my kitchen to yours! 

Pepperoni Pizza

Red Pepper Pesto Pepperoni Pizza (trust me) 

Pizza. Every kid's favorite food, right? Okay and well a lot of adults. During the fall we regularly have pizza every Monday night football. This version gives the ol' pepperoni stand by a push into adult sophistication and ups the nutrition up a bit. The name is Red Pepper Pesto Pepperoni Pizza to be exact. It even sounds a bit more refined. Wow what a difference a bit of pesto makes in the place of tomato red sauce on a pizza. I have been on a pesto kick for a few weeks now. It started with the cilantro walnut pesto I made for fish tacos, and then parsley walnut pesto I made for pork chops (both of those can be easily be found under the dinner tab). So naturally I saw this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine and got super excited. Try it now or make it when summer hits... amazing flavor 

I needed some comfort food to start the busy weekend. Its been one of those days.... okay I will level with ya. Any day in which you have a doctors appointment that you have to strip off clothing for the doctor  - I personally think pizza should always be in order! I am making a new household rule :) 

So I picked up a loaf of french bread from the bakery and whipped this up in under 30 minutes. Super flavorful. Super yummy!!! My son hasn't even noted that he's eating 2 different veggies. The first thing you taste when you crunch into this delight is the freshness of the basil, red pepper, and tomato. Then you taste the creamy melted cheese. The pepperoni isn't a star of this pizza pie although it certainly can be if you add more than I did. So if the pepperoni is a supporting cast member, the red pepper shines brightly as the star of the show. As a veg with tons of vitamins I am happy to let it shine in the company of cheese and bread and pepperoni, probably a mom thing. Red bell pepper has fiber, vitamin a, vitamin b-6, manganese, niacin, potassium, riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamin c. Some of those change when cooked, but if you roast it you aren't using any water and it doesn't change the vitamin c level which makes me happy when colds are still hitting people so hard this winter/early spring. To read more about nutrition, please click here. The original Rachael Ray recipe, from the 2010 magazine, that this was adapted from can be seen, by clicking here. 

Serves 4 

To make this amazing pizza gather these ingredients: 

1. Loaf of french bread, split horizontally 
2. 2 red bell peppers
3. 1 Tb olive oil + more for drizzling
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1/4 tsp pepper
6. 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
7. 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
8. 1/2 Tbs lemon juice
9. 1 & 1/2 - 2 cups of shredded cheese for topping the pizza 
 (use the cheese of your choice. I used one labeled pizza) 
10. half a package of pepperoni (about 1 1/2 oz) 
11. One roma tomato, chopped into chunks

Directions 

1. Preheat your bbq or grill. 

2. Remove the core and seeds from the red peppers, and quarter them. Put them in a bowl with the olive oil and toss until they are all coated. 

3. Roast the peppers for 5 minutes on each side until they are charred

4. In a food processor put the 1/3 cup shredded cheese, basil, chopped tomato, salt, lemon juice, and pepper. 

5. Let the peppers cool and then remove some of the charred black skin. I left about half because I like the smell and taste of "bbq" foods. Put the red peppers in the food processor and let it pulse for about 10 seconds. 

6.  Start drizzling in some olive oil until it comes together like a liquidity paste. Taste it to make sure the salt & pepper is right. 

7. Preheat oven to 350. 

8. Cut the french bread. Pull out some of the middle sections and save them for breadcrumbs later. I threw about a cups worth of the inside fluffy bread into a zip lock bag and threw it in the freezer. But removing some of the bread you can really load the yummy pesto and cheese on. Save the bread calories so you can spend them on some real flavor. 

9. Spread the pesto over the bread (this amount will fully cover plus so pile it on or use some for something else). I am thinking this pesto would taste amazing over chicken. Layer on the cheese and pepperoni and bake. 

10. I used a oven and cookie sheet at 350 for approx 8 minutes until everything looked melted and hot. But you could do this on a grill quite easily or a pizza stone. Make it your own ;) 

This is the ultimate comfort pizza meal. 

Perfect for the upcoming 3 day weekend. 

From my kitchen to yours... happy Friday!

Walnut Pesto Crusted Fish Tacos

 

Recently I have been playing around with pesto. I had no idea that there are so many things to do with pesto. Its SO good and SUPER easy to make. I caps that word on purpose because I thought pesto was this super hard thing until I saw it being done on tv by celebrity chefs. Oh my its not hard at all!!! I am new at this pesto game so please excuse my excitement while geek out and want to put it on everything. So far I had tried pesto with basil and walnuts, and then with cilantro and walnuts.... the ideas are whirling and spinning. Super excited about this!!

Here is my fish taco recipe using cilantro walnut pesto. Usually I make fish tacos on the bbq or on a grill pan on the stove. This is an way with the oven was faster and easier and less clean up. This is part of our weekly dinners now. This was the best fish taco I have ever eaten. Serious. We lived in Ca for 8 years right off the ocean. This beats all. Hands down. No contest. Try it. You won't be disappointed!! 

Serves 4 people

Ingredients: 

• 3 large pieces of Cod fillets (approx a pound or a bit more)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 cup cilantro 
• olive oil to drizzle
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• Taco shells - whatever you prefer - we like soft shells - easier for the kid
• taco fixin's: lettuce, tomato, green onion, salsa, avocado, green onion, shredded cheese
• 1 cup of good white wine or chicken broth or water if you are in a pinch but the other two are really preferable

Serve with: chips, more salsa, and or some kind of white or brown or wild rice or in the summer I like to serve tacos with corn on the cob since you are eating with your fingers already

As you can my 3 yr old was attacking some of the prepped condiments just as fast as I was making them. Surprised there was any tomatoes left by the time the fish was done! 

Directions: 
1. In a food processor whirl together or pulse a few times the walnuts, salt, pepper, cheese, and cilantro. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it starts to look smooth probably 1/4 -1/2 cup. Then taste it. Add more salt or pepper as needed. 

2. Chop up your taco fixin's and preheat the oven

3.  Place the fish pieces in an oven safe skillet. Top each piece of fish with a generous helping of pesto. Smooth it out as it will become the crunchy crust. 

4. Slowly pour in your liquid of choice (wine, broth or water) around the fish in your skillet. You want to keep the topping in place. 

5. Bake the fish at 350 for approx 7-10 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. Fish doesn't take too long. Don't have to worry about it drying out with the yummy flavored liquid giving it a bath (wink). 

6. Turn the broiler on, and broil for an additional minutes 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. 

7. Cool slightly before serving.  Should chunk into big pieces easily. Serve family style with taco fixin's

Easy. yummy. best tacos. I. have. ever. eaten.  

           

See I told you would like them. 

Salty, Nutty, Cheesy, Crunchy, Delicious

 From my kitchen to yours

Walnut - Basil Pesto Crusted Pork Chops

Lately I have been finding fun ways to use fresh basil. A couple days ago I made some awesome mozerella stuffed meatballs in spaghetti with a generous handful of basil, and some bruschetta on the side. Yesterday I made Tomato Basil Hidden Veg soup for lunch. But so far these Walnut Basil Pesto Pork Chops are my favorite! I love pork. Yes I know its not that healthy. But bacon, pancetta, sausage, pork roasts, pork tenderloins, and well chops.... are so flavorful, and carry other flavors so well. 

This recipe began with the idea of making a homemade pesto. Before this I had never ever made pesto before, but wasn't put off. It was exciting like an adventure. After all I never have made a nut meal out a nut dish, I didn't like. My smart alec brother would say something here like "its because you are a nut". So I went for it. Parmesan Cheese. Olive oil. Walnuts. Fresh Basil. Salt. Pepper.  Lemon juice. All the ingredients whirling around in a food processor. It was a cinch to pull together. I thought pesto was hard. ummmm... no. You can totally do this too. 

uncooked 

This dish is easy to pull together it just takes some prep and time. Make the pesto a few hrs ahead of time and cover the pork with it. Then bake it off in the oven. Make some yummy sides for it and eat. I served mine with wild rice (made with chicken broth for more flavor) and broccoli. The pesto was so good with the pork I wanted to lick my plate off the last time I made this. Try it. Its totally guest worthy but easy enough to do on a weeknight. 

cooked: look at that beautiful golden crust!

Ingredients:

1. 2 small handfuls Fresh basil (approx 3/4 cup)
2. 1/4 cup good Parmesan cheese (off the cheese isle)
3. 1/2 cup walnuts (whole or pieces whatever you have or can get on sale)
4. approx 1/2-1 cup olive oil, for drizzling in enough to make it look like a thick paste, I was just pouring - not really measuring this part
5. 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 
6. 1/2 tsp salt 
7. 1/4 tsp pepper
8. 3 pork boneless thick cut pieces (mine were an inch and half thick maybe)
(although this makes enough pesto to cover 5 pieces if you are cooking for a larger family)
9. Thermometer (you don't want to over cook your pork) 

Directions:

1. Mix the pesto up in a food processor until smooth

2. Top the pork pieces with the green thick spread

3. Let the pesto start to soak into the meat for at least half hr in the fridge. 

4. Bake the pesto crusted pork chops in the oven for 45 minutes at 350. At the 45 minute mark check the temperature. I always cook mine until its past the pink just a tiny bit. My husband freaks out if there is pink at all. But pork goes from pink to a dried out piece of meat super fast. I aimed for a temp of 160 (which is normally medium). 

5. Broil on high (for 2 minutes to get the top golden brown to give it color, texture, and a bit of crunch. If you do like your meat a bit more pink, once the temp inside is 150 degrees go ahead and broil since it will continoue cooking a bit even a few minutes after you pull it out of the oven. For safety you should make sure the meat is 160 degrees after broiling. 

6. Let the meat rest a few minutes and so you don't burn your fingers

7. Serve and eat with the sides of your choice. 


As with many things in life... 
this incredible meal is worth waiting for.  This is not a 30 minute meal. This is not a crock pot meal or make ahead although you certainly could make the pesto a day ahead. Enjoy and take a moment to savor life! 

Have fun creating a great meal! From my kichen to yours.