Perfect Pesto

I went to the Farmers market this morning, which by the way is my idea of a perfect Sunday...LOVE IT!!  Anyway I got my hands on a lovely bunch of fresh organic basil and decided it was pesto time.

So here it is, my recipe for fast and fabulous pesto. 



Fresh basil, minutes from the farmers markets smells delicious

Ingredients:

1 bunch of basil
80gm Pine nuts (you can also use walnuts)
50gm Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of cold pressed olive oil
salt & pepper


Method:

Pre 'wazzing'

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz on high until you get desired consistency. 

You may need to occasionally scrape down the sides of processor to make sure that everything mixes well.

Spoon into glass jar (for some reason it just stores better in glass) making sure that you don't leave any air pockets (tap jar on counter top). 

Then pour a little olive oil on top and seal jar.

Store your pesto in the fridge.

This won't last long . . . . trust me.

It can be used in lots of delicious ways. 

I am going to be using mine this week on my slightly tweaked version of 'Very Vege Lasagne' from one of my favourite new blogs Farmer K's Kitchen.

Enjoy xx

Food really does matter!!

I recently watched a couple of documentaries that quite literally scared the hell out of me, The Beautiful Truth and Food Matters. Woah!! Talk about eye opening.  You see I have a love affair with food that varies from super healthy to super bad.

One of my biggest vices, until recently, was crisps.....oh I could smash a large bag of them in minutes, lick my fingers and then wonder if there was a second packet.  That is until I learned that they are loaded with MSG....that's right nasty MSG, they just call it something else on the packet (check out this link Truth in Labeling). Ever wondered why you can't stop at just one or two handfuls?  MSG is a flavour enhancer that actually turns off receptors in the brain that tell you "I have had enough", it makes you want  more...and more....and more.  My other weakness....sugar, in particular chocolate.  Luckily I have found,  Loving Earth, an amazing Australian company based in Melbourne.  They truly make the most delicious raw chocolate and are a hub for all your superfood needs.  Take a look at their website and get ready to drool, you will be hot footing it to your nearest health food store to stock up.

Anyway as a result of watching the doco's nothing  processed has passed my lips since Saturday.  I  have spent a lot of time making the effort to cook everything from scratch.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all lovingly prepared with quality ingredients (organic/pesticide free where ever possible).  I also downloaded a great IPhone app called Chemical Maze.  It helps you to decipher preservatives/additives etc so you know what you are putting into your mouth.  I went through my pantry and did quite the clean out.

My goal is to continue educating myself about nutrition, preparing healthful foods and making small changes day by day so that this new way of eating becomes a way of life.  I have no doubt that I will fall off the wagon along the way, but I will get straight back on because this means a lot to me.

Here are some pics of this weeks cooking.