Pesto-Parmesan Rice Cake

I love it when I put ingredients together - in no time at all - that instantly becomes something I know I'll make on repeat. This is one of those things.

I was thinking 'quick snack.' I had in mine a plain rice cake with crunchy peanut butter and jalapeño jelly. . .but instead I realized what I actually had were Quaker Tomato & Basil Rice Cakes. So. . .this happened. . .Mmmm, as I said, this one will go on 'repeat' for me! 

Spread some really good pesto on a savory rice cake. Cut some green onion, or garlic shoots on top then sprinkle with grated Parmesan-Romano cheese. Microwave 20 seconds to blend the flavors and melt the cheese just a bit. Oh boy.

Another variation of this could be to replace the pesto with half of a mashed avocado. . .Lin

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad

Ohhh, no matter what variation of a Beet Salad I make, I always love it!
This might be the first time I've paired orange and beet, and definitely the first for the greens I used.

Cover the bottom of a glass pan with EVOO. Scrub and dry your beets with a paper towel. Don't peel them - root vegetables absorb so many great nutrients through the skin, so don't lose those. Cut them in similar size pieces and put them cut side down in the pan.

Brush the outsides with the oil from the pan and season with garlic salt, black and cayenne pepper. Roast in a preheated 375° oven about a half hour or until a fork inserted comes out easily.

While that's happening, make a bed of baby arugula and microgreens in a big salad bowl. Today I used red cabbage, kale and basil microgreens. Add sliced Vidalia onion, zest and segments of a Caracara orange, a big handful of sprouted pumpkin seeds and some sharp cheese (crumbled feta, blue cheese or shredded parmesan-romano work best). 

When the beets are done, cool just enough to touch and cut into chunks. Toss all this together and drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Don't make this one ahead of time.

It's better made-and-served right away. . .And then it will be
Perfect. . .and. . .DE-licious! . .Lin

Walnut Basil Pesto

Using the amount of Basil shown here, with stems removed, I added a generous amount of Moroccan EVOO, 2 handfuls of chopped walnuts, about 1-1/2c grated parmesan-romano cheese blend, about 3/4c chopped chives, cayenne and black pepper, and a good sprinkle of Lowrey's Garlic Salt. 

Blend all this well in your food processor. 

I didn't do actual measurements since I wasn't planning to blog this. It turned out well though, so I'm at least sharing the idea behind the adventure.

I had some of this last night with steamed shrimp over angel hair pasta. Ohhh, it was so good!

Have fun and be bold with your cooking. . .Lin