Now that fresh basil is more plentiful–I’ve got a lot already in the garden–let’s make good use of it by preparing this quick, flavorful oil. Remember that preparing ahead when you have time (the weekend?) makes eating well  EASIER when you are busy.  This delicious oil keeps in the fridge a week or so and is very convenient for dressing boiled eggs, salads, pasta, steamed vegetables, grains, and breads–make a pizza with the gluten-free bread I linked and use the basil oil instead of tomato sauce.  It is reminiscent of pesto (see recipe here) but a lot easier!  All you need is a blender.

Also, if you are using it for salad dressing, just add 1 Tbsp. of this oil per 1 cup of salad vegetables and toss.  Then drizzle 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for each Tbsp. of oil and toss again. 

1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt to taste

Place basil leaves, salt, and garlic in the blender container.  Pour enough olive oil over them to just cover  (about 1/2 cup).  Blend until really smooth.  Place in glass jar and cap.  Ready for use immediately.  Keep refrigerated.

This is a gelatin dessert that is light and not too sweet–perfect for warmer weather.  Read through the directions carefully before beginning since there are several steps and some could be confusing and some require extra time for chilling.

I like serving this gelled dessert with strawberries which are a low sugar fruit.   It is made with organic, pure pineapple juice (bottled, not made from concentrate–found in health food stores).   Best to keep the portion size small as too much fructose, even if it is from whole fruit or whole fruit juice, is not a good thing.  It can contribute to a fatty liver and who wants that? 

Also, the gelatin won’t set if you add fresh pineapple juice or pineapple fruit to it–the pineapple has to be heated (canned or pasteurized) to deactivate the enzyme that prevents gelatin from working.  One other note, you could use organic whipping cream instead of the coconut whipped cream.  The recipe for coconut whipped cream is here. 

Serves 4
1 Tbsp. of gelatin (I use Great Lakes–be sure to get their gelatin as the collagen they sell won’t gel.  You could use Knox but Great Lakes is much better quality.)
1/4 cup cold water
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
2 cups organic, made from fresh fruit not concentrate, pure pineapple juice
1/8 tsp. sea salt
zest from 1 orange or 1 tsp. orange extract
coconut whipped cream made from 1 can of classic coconut milk (follow link above for recipe).

Soak the gelatin in the water in a cup and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.
Combine the egg yolks, sugar, juice, and salt in a sauce pan.  Use an immersion blender to blend (or a hand electric mixer).  Stir constantly over low heat until it simmers but do not boil it–as soon as you see some steam start to rise from the mixture take it off the heat and add the dissolved gelatin.  Stir very well. Add the orange extract or zest and stir again.   Pour half of this mixture into a small pyrex baking dish that you just rinsed with cold water–pour all of the rinse water out but do not dry the dish as this wetness will help remove the dessert when you serve it. (Remember, you are making 4 servings so that your dish should be the right size for later dividing into 4 servings–you could use any glass container you have as long as it has a flat bottom.)  Leave the remaining half of the mixture in the sauce pan. 

Note:  Your final product will have 2 layers–one plain and the other creamy with the whipped coconut cream folded into it.  Cover and refrigerate both  halves of the mixture.  You want the half in the pyrex dish to set or gel plain while the other half in the pan needs to be combined with the whipped coconut cream later–as soon as it starts to gel.  It may take an hour or two for the latter to start to gel so keep an eye on it.  As soon as it thickens enough to mound a little on a spoon, remove the pan from the refrigerator and fold in all but 1/4 cup of the whipped coconut cream.  Save the  1/4  cup of  whipped coconut cream in the refrigerator to dollop on top of the final product later.

The other half of the mixture in the dish in the refrigerator is likely close to set.  As soon as it jiggles like jello, remove from the fridge and spoon the creamy mixture on top and use a spatula to evenly spread it.   Cover and return to the refrigerator so that the top layer gels more.  It should be ready to serve in an hour or so.  Right before serving, top each portion with the remaining whipped coconut cream and strawberries if desired.

Is it difficult for you to make a great salad part of your daily diet?  Want to make it easier?  If so, take the time to prepare a variety of cultured and marinated vegetables ahead.  All you will have to do then to make an excellent salad is to prepare a bed of lettuce and/or other leafy greens.  Toss the greens with some good quality extra-virgin olive oil and  top with whatever combination of prepared veggies you have in the fridge.  Marinated veggies will keep in the fridge for at least a week and cultured veggies for a month or more, so  it’s well worth it. 

The carrot recipe below was inspired by Sally Fallon’s “ginger carrots” in Nourishing Traditions.  I changed it mainly with the addition of lemon juice.  I’ve made it without the ginger and instead used fresh chives and it was equally good.  And don’t forget the cultured cabbage (sauerkraut)–I always have some red cabbage sauerkraut in the fridge (see the recipe here).  I’ve also posted a zucchini relish that is cultured.  Remember that the cultured veggies are usually salty so that you likely won’t need to add salt to your salad.

I am including a few other ideas below in the way of marinated vegetables.  Marinating is quicker (fermenting takes a few days) because it does not involve fermentation by lactic acid-producing microorganisms.   I like having the red onions and the daikon radish available.  Be sure to spoon some of  the vinegar onto your salad with the veggies–the flavor is a nice variation.  Don’t forget to keep olives in stock too as they are another great addition to this type of salad.  Check out the marinated cauliflower recipe I posted previously.

Cultured Carrots

4 cups packed of grated organic carrots
1 Tbsp. sea salt
juice of 1 organic lemon
1-2 Tbsp. finely grated ginger root or 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Scrub the carrots very well– no need to peel them–and grate them into a medium-sized glass bowl.  Add the other ingredients and mix well.  If you really like ginger, use 2 Tbsp. instead of 1 Tbsp.  Pack  this mixture (with a spoon) into a wide-mouthed, quart-sized mason jar. For a weight, fill an 8- ounce  canning jar with water and put its lid on.  This small jar should fit into the mouth of a wide-mouthed mason jar.  Press the carrots down further by pushing down on the small jar–it will be sticking up out of the larger jar but that is ok.  Leave it there and cover the whole thing with cheese cloth held in place around the larger jar’s mouth with a rubber band. Keep  on your kitchen countertop out of direct sunlight for 3 days being sure to press down on the small jar every day to keep the carrots under the liquid–taste them each time to see how you like them.  You may prefer to ferment them 2 instead of 3 days–after fermentation, cap and keep them refrigerated

Marinated Red Onions

1 large red onion, chopped fine
1/2 to 1 cup organic, raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey

Mix 1/2 cup of the vinegar with the honey in a mason jar (either a pint or quart-sized).  Add the chopped onions and stir well.  If the onions are not totally submerged in vinegar once you press then down with  a fork, add more vinegar until they are.  Cap and refrigerate.  Marinate for at least 8 hours before serving.  Keep refrigerated.

Marinated Daikon Radish

1 medium daikon radish, scrubbed with vegetable brush, peeled if skin is     not smooth and white, and then sliced in 1/8 inch rounds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (the herb flavored varieties are good but plain is fine too)
1 tsp. honey, optional

If you are using honey, dissolve it in the vinegar in a bowl.  Add the radish slices and stir well to coat them.  Transfer to a pint-sized mason jar, cap, and refrigerate.  If convenient, give the jar a shake whenever you open your refrigerator to keep them evenly coated.  Ready to serve in 4 hours.  Keep refrigerated.