Jump to content

Fresh Basil


MrsMarks

Recommended Posts

I have LOADS of it in my garden spreading like a weed!

 

Curious what your favorite uses for it are? 

 

I love bruschetta over baked chicken drizzled in balsamic. YUM. But I will get tired of it if that is all I do... ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tomato basil soup. My cheater method is to dump two cans of diced tomatos (w/ the liquid), a 6oz can of tomato paste, and a can of coconut milk into a sauce pan. Heat it up, blend with immersion blender, and season to taste. If it's too thick, add a little stock until it's at a consistency that you like.

 

 

I've also made beef with basil which is a Thai dish and, technically, should be made with Thai basil, but we thought it was pretty good with regular basil. I can't find the recipe that I used, but this one from Everyday Paleo looks good: http://everydaypaleo.com/thai-basil-beef-lettuce-wraps/. You may need to substitute something for the chili sauce since those tend to contain sugar. Red pepper flak should work to give you some heat.

 

 

You can also search the recipes over at The Foodee Project for more inspiration: http://www.thefoodee.com/?s=basil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh my heavens that sounds SO good!

 

 

Tomato basil soup. My cheater method is to dump two cans of diced tomatos (w/ the liquid), a 6oz can of tomato paste, and a can of coconut milk into a sauce pan. Heat it up, blend with immersion blender, and season to taste. If it's too thick, add a little stock until it's at a consistency that you like.

 

 

I've also made beef with basil which is a Thai dish and, technically, should be made with Thai basil, but we thought it was pretty good with regular basil. I can't find the recipe that I used, but this one from Everyday Paleo looks good: http://everydaypaleo.com/thai-basil-beef-lettuce-wraps/. You may need to substitute something for the chili sauce since those tend to contain sugar. Red pepper flak should work to give you some heat.

 

 

You can also search the recipes over at The Foodee Project for more inspiration: http://www.thefoodee.com/?s=basil

 

Mmm! I didn't think about tomato basil soup! That sounds fantastic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Whole30 Certified Coach

It doesn't use much basil, but I've been making a kale salad lately that I think is really good:

 

head of kale, stems removed - tear into small pieces and massage with 1 tbsp olive oil and good sprinkle of salt

 

tear up a big handful of basil leaves and chop up 2 nectarines or peaches and add them in

 

dressing: 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic, more oil if you want

 

I bunch of kale and 2 nectarines makes me 2 servings.  I make it every other day ;)

 

This is the original recipe - which I'm sure would be good post W30 (minus the bread, but maybe with the honey and corn and cheese :) ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn't use much basil, but I've been making a kale salad lately that I think is really good:

 

head of kale, stems removed - tear into small pieces and massage with 1 tbsp olive oil and good sprinkle of salt

 

tear up a big handful of basil leaves and chop up 2 nectarines or peaches and add them in

 

dressing: 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic, more oil if you want

 

I bunch of kale and 2 nectarines makes me 2 servings.  I make it every other day ;)

 

This is the original recipe - which I'm sure would be good post W30 (minus the bread, but maybe with the honey and corn and cheese :) ).

MM that does sound yummy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

My friend introduced me to fresh herb omelettes. They're now my favorite. I usually add chopped basil, chives & parsley. The flavours dance their way across my tongue.

 

Glad your's is growing like a weed. Any tips? Mine is struggling this year.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Tomato basil soup. My cheater method is to dump two cans of diced tomatos (w/ the liquid), a 6oz can of tomato paste, and a can of coconut milk into a sauce pan. Heat it up, blend with immersion blender, and season to taste. If it's too thick, add a little stock until it's at a consistency that you like.

Holy cow, what a good cheater method! Totally stealing this!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend introduced me to fresh herb omelettes. They're now my favorite. I usually add chopped basil, chives & parsley. The flavours dance their way across my tongue.

 

Glad your's is growing like a weed. Any tips? Mine is struggling this year.

I wish I did! Honestly I am shocked it took off so much! Not to mention it's the only thing the deer haven't touched... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy cow, what a good cheater method! Totally stealing this!

 

I love it because I pretty much always have the ingredients already in my pantry. A bonus is that it fits the dietary needs of ALL my friends (vegetarian, dairy-allergy, celiac, and soy intolerant.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can't use up everything in recipes, don't let it go to waste. When I have extra fresh herbs, I pop them into my blender with a little bit of water, and blend until I get a slurry. Then pour that into ice cube trays and freeze. You can add the herb ice cubes to any recipe that calls for fresh herbs during the cooking process like soups, stews, curries, sauces. They key is to try and use as little water as you can get away with so the frozen cube is mostly herb, not water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you made chimichurri sauce before? It's an herb-based vinaigrette type sauce (though with less oil than a salad dressing) and I literally put it on everythingggg. Here's my favorite two recipes for it! There's also a great recipe in Practical Paleo for a macadamia nut pesto. 

 

http://www.realfoodwithdana.com/pan-fried-plantains-and-basil-chimichurri/

 

http://www.realfoodwithdana.com/roasted-cauliflower-with-mint-basil-chimichurri/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

THAI SWEET POTATO AND CARROT SOUP

 

Ingredients

For the Soup

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or substitute olive oil)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground dry ginger)
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1½ pounds carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 quart low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional - salt to taste for vegetarian)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup basil, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry paste, then saute another 2 minutes.
  2. Add the diced sweet potatoes, diced carrots, and broth. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 15 or until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, leaving a few chunks if desired. Alternatively, transfer small portions to a counter-top blender and puree in batches, being careful not to let the steam blow the top off the blender. Return soup to Dutch oven.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and black pepper, cilantro and basil.  Simmer for 3 minutes and serve.

 

Recipe by The Wanderlust Kitchen at http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/thai-sweet-potato-carrot-soup/

3.2.2708

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...