all things food
This article is a part of Mayo Week—seven days celebrating all things mayonnaise—presented in partnership by our friends at Primal Kitchen.
Mayonnaise is a savior in a spread, a miracle in a jar, a genie in a bottle. Besides decking out our sandwiches…
This article is a part of Mayo Week—seven days celebrating all things mayonnaise—presented in partnership by our friends at Primal Kitchen.
Mayonnaise is a savior in a spread, a miracle in a jar, a genie in a bottle. Besides decking out our sandwiches and dressing up our grain bowls, it makes the fluffiest pancakes, the fudgiest chocolate cake. It can even remove watermarks from tables, stickers from jars, mistakes from the past.
This basil pesto recipe is a flavor-packed classic Italian sauce starring basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese! Got…
This basil pesto recipe is a flavor-packed classic Italian sauce starring basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese!
Got a load of fresh basil? Then run, don’t walk, to make a batch of this basil pesto recipe! It’s savory, garlicky, creamy, peppery, and you can slather a smear on anything. Is there anything better? Use it to take pasta from plain to magnificent, or throw it on a pesto pizza for maximum flavor. If you’re never made basil pesto at home: now is the time!
Basil pesto is a sauce that originates in Italy (the city of Genoa, more specifically). The word pesto comes from an Italian word that means “pounded” or “crushed”. A pesto can refer to any type of sauce that is crushed, but pesto alla genovese, the version of pesto from Genoa, is the most popular version. The traditional ingredients in basil pesto are fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and salt.
Pine nuts are traditional in basil pesto, but they can be pretty expensive here in the US. In this pesto recipe, you can use cashews or walnuts as a substitute. We’ve tested and both turn out fabulously! You can use any type of nut you prefer. Our favorite is pine nuts because they make for the best classic flavor. But the cashew version is delicious, and we always have cashews around.
Another feature we added to our basil pesto recipe is a squeeze of lemon juice! It helps to brighten the flavors and takes this sauce to a while new level.
Basil pesto is traditionally made in a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients together, but modern recipes typically use a blender or food processor. You’ll simply blend up all ingredients, then add the olive oil until the sauce becomes creamy.
Here’s how to make basil pesto:
There are many ways to change up pesto! Here are a few variations on basil pesto for you:
Here’s an important note! The best way to store homemade pesto, if you’re not going to eat it all at once, is to freeze it. Here’s how to freeze basil pesto:
Ever grown basil? Basil is easy to grow at home: it’s very hardy as long as you place it in full sun! Basil adds an aromatic flavor to such a wide variety of recipes. If you’re looking to grow your own basil plant, go to this step-by-step guide, How to Grow Basil.
When you harvest branches of your basil plant and bring them inside, they’ll wilt after about an hour unless you follow this trick! Place a little water in the bottom of a large ball jar, then place the stems inside, cut side down. Add the top and it will stay fresh for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator! (See How to Store Basil for more.)
Once you’ve made your basil pesto: what to do with it? There are thousands of recipes for how to use basil pesto online and in cookbooks. To help you sort through the clutter, here are our best recipes with pesto:
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use Vegan Pesto.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes 
Yield: Heaping 1 cup (about 18 tablespoons) This basil pesto recipe is a flavor-packed classic Italian sauce starring basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese!
*Pine nuts are traditional, but can be expensive. We’ve tested both cashews and walnuts and they have great flavor. Since we often have these stocked in our pantry, we use these variations more often than pine nuts.
**You also can do the same method using a mortar and pestle, adding the basil leaves gradually and crushing them against the sides of the mortar.
Category: Sauce
Method: Blended
Cuisine: ItalianKeywords: Basil pesto, basil pesto recipe, Pesto recipe, Pesto
This peanut noodles recipe makes a fresh and simple meal! The bowl stars creamy peanut butter sauce, crunchy veggies, cilantro,…
This peanut noodles recipe makes a fresh and simple meal! The bowl stars creamy peanut butter sauce, crunchy veggies, cilantro, and lime.
Need dinnertime inspiration? Cozy up to a bowl of these creamy, zingy peanut noodles! This is one of our favorite fresh, easy dinner recipes and it comes together in less than 30 minutes. The peanut butter sauce is lusciously creamy, bursting with flavor from soy sauce, fresh lime juice and honey or maple syrup. Mix it together with luscious noodle strands and crunchy veggies and top with loads of fresh cilantro and crunchy peanuts. You’ll never want the bowl to end!
There are many ways to make peanut noodles: here’s our favorite way to do it! It starts with a simple 5-ingredient peanut sauce and a handful of vegetables. For the noodles, you can use whatever type of long noodles you like! We used udon, but you can use soba or substitute rice noodles for a gluten-free option. It even works with spaghetti in a pinch! Here are the ingredients for this peanut noodles recipe:
Here’s an important note about cooking this recipe: rinse the noodles after they’re done cooking! Rinsing pasta is not required for something like Italian spaghetti or penne. But for udon, soba and rice noodles, rinsing is helpful to remove the starch that builds up during cooking.
If you don’t rinse, the noodles can become very gummy and mushy, absorbing the sauce and becoming dry instead of saucy. Rinse your noodles after cooking, and you’ll notice a big difference.
This peanut noodles recipe is very simple: stir together the peanut sauce, cook the noodles, cook the veggies, and stir it all together! On its own, it’s a tasty vegan dinner recipe. Because it doesn’t have a protein other than the peanut butter, you may want to add more protein to make it more filling. Here are a few ideas:
These peanut noodles are best the day they are made, because the creamy sauce smothers the pasta best when it is piping hot! When you refrigerate peanut sauce, it becomes very thick and solid (just like peanut butter does in the refrigerator).
You can store the noodles for up to 2 days refrigerated. Before serving, reheat them on the stovetop and add a splash of water or lime juice to make the sauce creamy again. You may also want to add a few pinches of salt or a little soy sauce to enhance the flavors.
This peanut noodles recipe is versatile and can flex to meet many dietary needs. Here’s how to adjust the recipe:
This peanut noodles recipe is an easy dinner recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes (that also happens to be a vegan dinner!). Here are a few more quick and easy plant-packed dinner recipes you might enjoy:
Vegetarian, dairy-free, plant-based and vegan. For gluten-free, use tamari and rice noodles.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Yield: 4 This peanut noodles recipe makes a fresh and simple meal! The bowl stars creamy peanut butter sauce, crunchy veggies, cilantro, and lime.
Category: Main dishMethod: StovetopCuisine: AmericanKeywords: Peanut noodles, peanut butter noodles, peanut noodles recipe, peanut sauce noodles
Barbecue sauce does not belong in the top tier of condiments. It certainly doesn’t crack the top five (ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, and ranch are all superior). However, barbecue sauce—typically a reduction of tomato, sugar, vinegar, and sp…
Barbecue sauce does not belong in the top tier of condiments. It certainly doesn’t crack the top five (ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, and ranch are all superior). However, barbecue sauce—typically a reduction of tomato, sugar, vinegar, and spices—is still a practical and enjoyable condiment. Often thick, tolerably sweet, and with a glimmer of spice, it’s an adequate partner for anything that’s warm, salty, possibly grilled, and maybe a bit greasy. Think: typical barbecue offerings like ribs, chicken, pulled pork, baked beans, but also fried foods (nuggets, fries, wings, etc.), pizza, and burgers.
Unlike ketchup or mayonnaise—which thankfully maintain fairly standard tastes and consistencies (the eradication of watery mayo is one of society’s greatest feats)—barbecue sauce covers a wide spectrum of flavors and textures. Within the United States, this condiment has many different regional iterations. For instance, in North Carolina, the sauce is thin, vinegar-forward, and orange in color. If you head further south to Alabama, you’ll find a mayonnaise-based, “white” barbecue sauce. Of course, there are international variances as well, chiefly represented by the rich histories of Japanese and Korean barbecue sauces, often flavored by soy and mirin.
Friends, we know mangoes are SO good it’s challenging not to devour them all right off the cutting board. But take it from a fellow mango enthusiast: This time it’s worth letting them make it to the blender. You’re going to want a batch of this bright,…
Friends, we know mangoes are SO good it’s challenging not to devour them all right off the cutting board. But take it from a fellow mango enthusiast: This time it’s worth letting them make it to the blender. You’re going to want a batch of this bright, naturally sweet turmeric mango vinaigrette around for a salad recipe coming tomorrow!
Grab your blender and 9 ingredients (mostly pantry staples) and let’s do this!
This dressing is as simple as blending and enjoying!
Oh, curry! You never let us down. We’ve done green and red curry pastes, but considering panang curry is one of our favorite Thai curries, it was time we tried our hand at homemade panang curry paste!
Our inspired version is vegan, gluten-free, and nat…
Oh, curry! You never let us down. We’ve done green and red curry pastes, but considering panang curry is one of our favorite Thai curries, it was time we tried our hand at homemade panang curry paste!
Our inspired version is vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened but makes a similarly rich, peanutty, savory-sweet curry that’s just as good as takeout (stay tuned for that recipe!).
This sauce is SO good we licked the blender clean. Inspired by Peruvian aji verde, this dairy-free version is equally creamy, spicy, smoky, and vibrant!
Just 5 minutes, 1 blender, and 8 ingredients required for this versatile condiment perfect fo…
This sauce is SO good we licked the blender clean. Inspired by Peruvian aji verde, this dairy-free version is equally creamy, spicy, smoky, and vibrant!
Just 5 minutes, 1 blender, and 8 ingredients required for this versatile condiment perfect for bowls (recipe coming soon), salads, tacos, roasted potatoes, chicken, and so much more. Let us show you how it’s done!
What is Aji Verde?
Ají verde is a green hot sauce commonly served at Peruvian restaurants.
Aji Verde Sauce (Peruvian-Inspired, Dairy-Free) from Minimalist Baker →
Wondering what to do with carrot tops? Make pesto! If you’ve made it before and thought “Hmm, that’s resourceful, but I wouldn’t make it again,” we urge you to give this version a try! Thanks to a little help from fresh basil, it̵…
Wondering what to do with carrot tops? Make pesto! If you’ve made it before and thought “Hmm, that’s resourceful, but I wouldn’t make it again,” we urge you to give this version a try! Thanks to a little help from fresh basil, it’s just mildly earthy and worthy of saving in your recipe box!
It adds an herby brightness to pasta, quinoa, roasted carrots, potatoes, chicken, and much more. Bonus? It’s dairy-free and comes together in just 5 minutes in a food processor or blender.
There’s a (not-so-secret) secret that can take an average plate of veggies to the next level. Want in? It’s sauce! The secret sauce, if you will. We’re BIG fans of all kinds of sauces because they add flavor and pizzazz with minimal effort, and this he…
There’s a (not-so-secret) secret that can take an average plate of veggies to the next level. Want in? It’s sauce! The secret sauce, if you will. We’re BIG fans of all kinds of sauces because they add flavor and pizzazz with minimal effort, and this herby, garlicky green tahini sauce does just that!
Just 5 minutes and 8 ingredients required for this Mediterranean-inspired condiment, friends.
Herby Green Tahini Sauce (5 Minutes!) from Minimalist Baker →
Inside: Keep reading to find out how to make this delicious bechamel sauce, which can be used in a lot of great recipes, from scratch. Today I want to share …
The post Homemade Bechamel Sauce appeared first on My Latina Table.
Inside: Keep reading to find out how to make this delicious bechamel sauce, which can be used in a lot of great recipes, from scratch.
Today I want to share a basic recipe bechamel, which is a creamy white sauce that is easy to make and goes great in a variety of recipes. In Mexican cuisine, flavorful sauces play such an important role. That is also the case in Italian cuisine, seeing as how a lot of pasta dishes have a variety of different sauces.
This recipe is super easy to make and is one of my favorite recipes when I am getting ready to do some Italian cooking. My kids love Italian food, so we often are experimenting with different types of pasta and sauces, including this one.
Bechamel is one of the “mother sauces” of Italian cuisine. In its basic form, it is a white cream sauce that consists of a combination of butter, flour, and whole milk. It can be used in a variety of Italian recipes, but is most well known as a layer in lasagna. It also can be used as the base sauce for macaroni and cheese and other pastas.
This is one of the most simple recipes that you can make. To start, you need the following ingredients:
Start by heating up a large saucepot over medium heat and add the butter, letting it melt. Be careful not to let it burn, because that will affect the flavor.
After the butter has melted, add the flour to the pot and mix well until a somewhat thick paste forms. The French term for this initial mixture is a roux and is what will eventually thicken this sauce. Let it cook over low heat for a couple of minute, but do not let it burn.
Add a cup of milk, stirring constantly, and then slowly add the rest of the milk. You will want to stir it constantly for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. At that point, you can add the nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste and stir.
The final result should be a smooth, creamy sauce. The longer you leave it over the heat, the thicker it will become. If it gets too thick, add a bit more milk and continue stirring.
That is it! Now that you have your bechamel sauce, you can use it in your favorite Italian recipes or even as a sauce for tasty veggies.
Let me know in the comments below how it turned out and what your favorite way to serve it is.
The post Homemade Bechamel Sauce appeared first on My Latina Table.
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