#dastony

With an abundance of fresh basil on my hands, I needed to use it up quickly before it started to turn. I whipped up a basil spread and wrapped it in some chicken with roasted peppers... This is one of those dishes that looks like you spent a whole lot of time making it, but it's actually reallllly simple- you can let them believe you spent hours in the kitchen ;)

To make the pesto spread, I soaked a small handful of cashews (I LOVE Sunfood's, they are extra creamy) in water for a half hour. I added them to a food processor with 2 handfuls of basil, 1 tbsp sesame seed butter (Stone ground Dastony is the best), garlic, salt, and lemon juice to taste. Blend well and add additional amounts of either ingredients if desired. 

For the chicken, take a boneless chicken breast, and lay it in the middle of a large piece of foil. Fold the foil over the chicken, and pound the chicken flat with the flat side of a meat tenderizer.... If you are without one of those, grab a rolling pin, heavy book, something, and pound away.

Once chicken is thin, about half the thickness you began with, sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings. I added a bit of dried basil and garlic. Spread a large spoonful of the pesto on one side of the chicken. I had a jar of roasted red peppers, but you can make your own very easily for this step. Lay a few thin strips of peppers on the pesto, then beginning at one end, roll the chicken as tightly as you can. 

Lay on a baking sheet and bake until chicken is cooked through. I began at medium heat (350) and went up a bit to (450) for about 45 minutes for the thickness of my chicken. I also broiled the tops a bit to get them a little brown before serving. 

These would be great with some spaghetti squash and marinara, grilled asparagus, roasted broccoli, or a simple caesar salad.

I love meat. I really love fruit. I also just so happen to LOVE starchy veggies. I could eat my weight in avocado, plantains, and carrots, so sometimes I have to pull myself back a little and remind myself to get more greens. My Amazing Grass smoothies help get a ton of my daily green nutrients, but its nice to eat them as well sometimes. This salad is a result of needing some extra veggies for the day, not having mayo on hand, and celebrating the versatility of nut butter, specifically the creamy, stone ground Dastony kind.

Since I was going to be eating this salad with plantains, I chose lime and coconut to give me a little tropical vibe- they always remind me of a trip to central America, as they were our favorite snack throughout the trip.

This is a great base for adding chicken, oranges, avocado, you name it. I opted to keep mine pretty simple and almost coleslaw like.

First pull kale from the stem, and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. I used 4 leaves for about 2 handfuls of chopped kale.

Mix with a handful of shredded cabbage.

Use a julienne slicer or spiralizer (or just shredded carrots) and shred 1 large carrot.

In a small bowl, mix 2 tsp Dastony cashew butter, 3 tsp lime juice, 1 tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp honey. Mix very well and pour onto salad. 

Now get your hands in there and massage dressing into salad well.

At this point I added some delicious organic coconut flakes

Throw in the fridge to soften a bit, then toss again before serving. I added some cilantro, green onions, and a drop of lime juice right before serving. 

It was a great, fresh and light side for dinner... enjoy!

While browsing grilling tips and Cinco de Mayo recipes last week, I stumbled upon TheVegan8.com- a great vegan recipe site which has this amazing little recipe for a Tex Mex dip that they use, drizzled on sweet potato. Many times during cookouts, we throw some frozen sweet potato fries (organic, no additives) in the oven to enjoy with our main course and this dip seemed like the perfect accompaniment. I tweaked it just a little and it came out great! Here's how to make it yourself.

Tex Mex Dipping Sauce

1 tsp each of: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder

Pinch salt

2 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp Dastony sesame seed butter

.5 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp raw honey

3 tbsp water

(makes about half a cup)

Mix all together well and serve immediately! I found it thickens up a bit when chilled so better to whip this up right before eating. 

Need some extra inspiration? 

Take a pork tenderloin and toss it in the crock pot for about 6 hours. Cover with salt, pepper, garlic, and some water or broth.

Once tender, drain water, pull meat apart and cover with any leftover BBQ sauce you might have from making your ribs (find the recipe here, just 4 ingredients)

Chop some cabbage into thin strips (coleslaw like) and toss in this tahini sauce.