Cilantro Pesto

Right now my cherry tomato plants are going a little too crazy! I planted three different kinds in addition to a roma tomato plant, so I could have homemade tomato sauce frozen throughout the winter. I had no idea my plants would get so big! I am getting a shirt-full of cherry tomatoes every single day. I haven’t made any sauce yet, but this salad was a great opportunity to use some up along with cucumber that I know everyone has growing like crazy, too. I used basil as the herb because I have tons of that in my garden and from the CSA, but you could easily use cilantro, parsley, dill, etc. This salad is fresh, slightly creamy from the avocado, and perfect for a summer side dish! It stays nicely in the fridge for a couple days but will have some browning of the avocado and basil, so if you are making it for an occasion, make this dish the day of.
Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
Directions:
Add all the chopped veggies into a serving bowl, add the lemon and olive oil and toss to coat. Just before serving, add salt, pepper, and basil.
It’s been over 80 degrees everyday, and when it’s that hot out, I want something a little creamy and cold. Ice cream always seems to do the trick. I have tried several variations of coconut milk ice cream and I can honestly say that “you can’t go wrong!” However, I am a huge foodie and will watch the Cooking Network for hours for flavor inspiration. One day, I was watching a show where the couple went back to Tuscany to cook a traditional meal and olive oil ice cream was on the menu for dessert. Really? Wouldn’t that taste absolutely disgusting? I started researching it and I found out that this is a super traditional concept where olives are grown. When you have good quality olive oil, it tends to be on the fruity side. Who knew?!
We have a store called the Olive Branch in Granger and I knew they had tons of infused olive oils. I went out to check it out and I was completely torn between one of the citrus infusions like lime, meyer lemon, or blood orange, but I ended up going with roasted almond. The reason I chose Roasted Almond infused olive oil was because I could not resist the thought of using their espresso balsamic vinegar as a reduction over the top! Done. Had to go home and make it….right after I did the Regional workout #6.
It turned out great and I am going to say that this is an awesome option to add healthy monosaturated fats to your diet without the heat! It really took on the flavor of the olive oil. Try it with basic EVOO or ANY of the infused olive oils at the Olive Branch! I considered trying to infuse my own with vanilla but sometimes I just get impatient when I have an idea….
*Lurong folks use honey instead
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and blend until smooth. Put into the ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions!
I put some of the espresso balsamic in a saucepan and reduced it gently while the ice cream was processing. I drizzled it over the top to eat it….pure magic.