Making A Mess

Food-losophy

Posts tagged Basil

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Miss summer? Here is a simple Watermelon Salad that’ll bring back a taste summer. But only for a second because that’s how long it’ll take you to munch it down! 

It’s amazing how simple ingredients can be transformed into something extraordinary by a little culinary alchemy. Experiment with flavors and remember, simple is often best.

Ingredients

  • Ripe Watermelon, cubed
  • Fresh Basil*, chiffonade (finely sliced)
  • Key Lime (or regular lime) Zest, enough that you smell it**
  • Key Lime (or regular lime) Juice, just a touch
  • One of your best EVOOs (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • Salt, just a touch (not to make it salty but to enhance the natural flavors of things)
  • Black Pepper, freshly and coarsely ground (this is important!), enough that you smell it**

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 
  2. GENTLY toss to dress up the watermelon. If you must, use your fingers but not a metal spoon.

* Mint is a good substitute for this. And feel free to try other herbs that are fragrant, summery, clean, and crisp in flavor. I’ve never tried it but off the top of my head, some workable candidates include cilantro, arugula, sorrel, chervil, and dill. So in other words: have fun!

** Trust your senses. If it looks good, smells good, then it probably tastes good. 

Filed under Watermelon Salad Appetizer Dessert Quick n Easy Healthy n Delicious Basil Simple Summer

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This bomb Tomato Salad is a foolproof dish. And despite its simplicity, in my opinion it’s one of the most delicious things on the face of this planet! You just can’t go wrong with a combination of vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, crunchy cucumbers, caramelized onions, and cheese. The key is to use the freshest local ingredients that you can find, and to treat them with respect. Ingredients 3 parts ripe Tomatoes, cut into large bite-size chunks 1 part Cucumber, slice into half-moons  1 part Cipolline al Balsamico*, leave whole or cut into halves if large Fresh Basil, chiffonade  Generous splash of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) Generous drizzles of Balsamic Glaze from Cipolline al Balsamico Salt n Pepper Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated Method Combine all ingredients, toss GENTLY with FINGERS.  (Optional) Top individual serving plate with several small nuggets of room-temperature goat cheese. This will add a certain degree of creaminess to the dish. But do NOT mix in with salad! I had some Cipolline al Balsamico on hand, so I’m using it in this recipe. But alternatively, feel free to roast some regular onions in an oven (400F) with a generous amount of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and then a GOOD balsamic vinegar in the dressing. Warning: it’s not easy to find a good balsamic vinegar in a regular supermarket. You might have to go to a specialty store for that. But hey, enjoy the trip! I find something novel and interesting almost every time when I’m in a specialty gourmet shop. * The recipe for this can be found in my blog!

This bomb Tomato Salad is a foolproof dish. And despite its simplicity, in my opinion it’s one of the most delicious things on the face of this planet! You just can’t go wrong with a combination of vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, crunchy cucumbers, caramelized onions, and cheese. The key is to use the freshest local ingredients that you can find, and to treat them with respect.

Ingredients

  • 3 parts ripe Tomatoes, cut into large bite-size chunks
  • 1 part Cucumber, slice into half-moons 
  • 1 part Cipolline al Balsamico*, leave whole or cut into halves if large
  • Fresh Basil, chiffonade 
  • Generous splash of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • Generous drizzles of Balsamic Glaze from Cipolline al Balsamico
  • Salt n Pepper
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients, toss GENTLY with FINGERS. 
  2. (Optional) Top individual serving plate with several small nuggets of room-temperature goat cheese. This will add a certain degree of creaminess to the dish. But do NOT mix in with salad!

I had some Cipolline al Balsamico on hand, so I’m using it in this recipe. But alternatively, feel free to roast some regular onions in an oven (400F) with a generous amount of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and then a GOOD balsamic vinegar in the dressing. Warning: it’s not easy to find a good balsamic vinegar in a regular supermarket. You might have to go to a specialty store for that. But hey, enjoy the trip! I find something novel and interesting almost every time when I’m in a specialty gourmet shop.

* The recipe for this can be found in my blog!

Filed under Balsamic Vinegar Basil Cucumber Healthy n Delicious Onions Salad Simple Tomatoes Vegetarian

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What I realized the other day was how I only have a little over a month in Canada before I leave for Sydney, Australia for school! This very thought motivates and super-strengthens me to eat healthy and exercise regularly, in preparation for the new chapter. After all, I don’t have much time before I take my clothes off on a sunny Australian beach. Needless to say, I have a lot of work ahead of me, but it will be summer in January!!! But I was getting tired of Kashi Seven Whole Grain Cereal with skim milk for breakfast, as a part of my new healthy diet plan… 

Entonces, I decided to make some low-fat whole-wheat muffin, to “mix” things up a bit (no pun intended) and keep the health box ticked. But ordinary whole-wheat muffins don’t excite me very much, especially when they are low-fat. Luckily, I had some ripe bananas and guavas at home. Exotic enough for me! To top this, again no pun intended, I whipped up a basil yogurt icing with a hint of goat cheese and lemon zest. 

So here it is, my Banana Guava Bran Muffin with Basil Yogurt Icing.

Ingredients (make a dozen)

  1. 2 bags (400 g total) of Dr. Oetker Bran Pouch Muffin Mix, or your favorite muffin mix, enough for 12 muffins
  2. 2 Eggs
  3. 4 Tbsp Grape Seed Oil
  4. 1 cup Water
  5. 1 cup chopped ripe Guava*, skin peeled, pulp and seeds removed
  6. 12 Banana discs 
  7. 1 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt, or Pressed Yogurt
  8. 1/4 cup young Soft-ripened Goat Cheese (the crumbly creamy kind)
  9. One handful of fresh Basil leaves, minced
  10. Zest of 1 Lemon
  11. Pinch of Salt

Method

  1. For ingredients 1-4, mix batter according to the specific manufacture’s instruction. 
  2. Stir in guava.
  3. Divide the batter into nonstick muffin tins and slightly press a banana disc into each muffin cup**.
  4. Bake @ 400F for 18 minutes or according to manufacture’s instruction.
  5. Meanwhile, combine yogurt and goat cheese in a bowl. Stir until smooth.
  6. Add the lemon zest and minced basil, plus a pinch of salt, into the yogurt/cheese mixture. Mix well.***
  7. When the muffins are done baking, let them cool completely before icing.

* The guavas we get in most grocery stores in North America are usually still pretty raw, unfortunately. If you are craving for some ripe and fresh guavas then it’s a good idea to buy some ahead of time and allow them to ripen on your windowsill. A good way to check to see if they are ready is by slightly squeezing them, like you would to an avocado. If they are rock hard, put them back on the windowsill, where they belong. If they give a little bit, they are good to go. A BETTER way to check is to simply smell the guavas. You’ll know!

** I wanted guava to be the star of the muffins, with banana as the sidekick, so to speak. So I opted to only put the banana in the center of the muffin to give a surprise pocket. But feel free to mush up the banana and mix it right in with the batter.

*** If you must, you could also blend in 1/4 cup sugar to sweeten up the icing. But let’s be honest, that’s not doing anybody any good. Simple sugar has no place in a healthy diet. 

Filed under Guava Muffin Yogurt Basil Whole-wheat Baked Fruit Breakfast Quick n Easy