Category: Nut-Free

Basil Week: Kale and Arugula Pesto

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Bad news!! MY BASIL PLANT IS DEAD! I went to check it this morning and it only had about 10 shrivelled leaves on it. All of my other herbs are growing like crazy, and I don’t think that it got enough sun. I salvaged as much as I can, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to make a full on basil pesto like I’d planned. So, I used some kale and arugula instead! The colour, texture and flavour of this pesto is still amazing though. I can’t wait to eat it on pasta, fish, veggies, and in wraps! I used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts or almonds, because they’re cheaper and still have a really good taste. Other than that, the ingredients you’ll need are super simple; lemon, garlic, olive oil, kale, arugula, and of course, a little bit of basil. Here’s the recipe!

Kale and Arugula Pesto

Serves: 4 (this recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto)

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  • 3 cups kale and arugula mix, packed
  • 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds, hulled
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 6 tbs olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend the basil, kale and arugula, lemon, garlic, and sunflower seeds until combined but chunky.
  2. With the blender on low speed, stream in the olive oil. Continue to blend until you’ve reached a fairly smooth texture.
  3. Enjoy with pasta, fish, veggies, salads and wraps!

And with that, Herb month has come to an end! I’ve enjoyed coming up with new recipes for all of the different herbs that I’ve grown, and love having my own little garden! Hopefully my other plants don’t die off😬😬. Thanks for reading my posts throughout the month;) I cant wait for summer- I have some awesome ideas! See you then☺️😊

PS. I’m planning to show you guys my July Bullet Journal today as well, so keep your eyes peeled!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Basil Week: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

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Whew! I can’t believe that it’s already the last week of herb month already! I have to say, I’m probably the most excited for basil week, mainly because of this pasta recipe. It’s creamy, flavourful and just super delicious. The sauce is a great alternative to the usual marinara, and healthier than Alfredo. I used my favourite chickpea pasta, but you can use any variety that you’d like. Here’s some tips on growing basil before I give you the recipe;)

Basil plants like lots of sun, so make sure that they get 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Keep the soil that they are planted in moist. When the basil plant has produced fairly big leaves, you can pick them off and leave the smaller ones to grow. I pick leaves as I need them, but if you want to store your basil the best method is freezing. Let’s get into the first recipe of Basil Week: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Serves: 2

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 large red bell peppers
  • 2 tbs olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Cut the red peppers into square pieces and toss them with the extra olive oil, some salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until soft and slightly charred.
  3. While the peppers are roasting, cook 2 servings of pasta according to the package directions.
  4. In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted peppers, 2 tbs olive oil, garlic, basil, and a bit more salt and pepper. Blend until a smooth sauce forms. Taste and season accordingly.
  5. Drain the pasta and add the sauce to the pot, coating the noodles.
  6. Scoop into two bowls and top with chopped basil. Enjoy!

Mmmmmm! Does it get any better than that? Enjoy this recipe, and don’t forget to check in on Wednesday for another great basil post;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked

 

Berry Banana Smoothie Bowl

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Hello! In my world, there are two types of breakfasts; breakfasts that I make on weekdays, and breakfasts that I make on weekends. Weekday breakfasts normally consist of greek yogurt with banana and peanut butter, but on weekends I like to shake it up a bit, since I have more time. This Berry Banana Smoothie Bowl is sweet and refreshing, and adding spinach gives you a boost of vitamins to start your day. The recipe says that it makes one to two servings, but I don’t think that you’ll want to share after tasting it. I love smoothie bowls because the toppings are totally customizable, so go crazy! I hope this recipe starts your weekends off right!

Berry Banana Smoothie Bowl

Makes: 1-2 servings

Total Time: 5-10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

For the Smoothie:

  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries
  • 1/2 cup packed spinach
  • 2 bananas, chopped and frozen

Topping Suggestions:

Directions:

  1. Blend all Smoothie ingredients in a good blender. You may need to add a splash of water or almond milk if your frozen ingredients aren’t blending.
  2. Pour into a bowl and serve with toppings of your choice!

Enjoy these delicious smoothie bowls!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)

Dark Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

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Hi everyone! This week I had a bunch of ripe bananas lying around my house, so I decided to make some banana bread. I looked up a recipe on Pinterest, and thanks to The Happier Homemaker, I baked up a tasty treat! However, I did change some of the ingredients to make it a bit healthier. In my version, there’s no refined sugar and I used oat flour. I also added in some dark chocolate chunks. Yum! I hope that you enjoy this lightened up recipe.

Super Moist Banana Bread

Makes: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 80-90 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 chia egg (made by soaking 1 tbs of chia seeds in 1/3 cup water for 15 minutes)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Directions :

  1. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add in the melted coconut oil, egg, vanilla and maple syrup and mix well.
  3. Next, measure out the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and dark chocolate and stir into the banana mixture.
  4. Pour the batter into a loaf pan greased with coconut oil. Bake for at least 45 minutes.
  5. If you notice that the outside is browning but the inside looks a bit raw still, don’t worry. Remove the loaf from the oven, let cool, wrap with tinfoil and place in the fridge. Once the loaf has been in the fridge for a bit, the inside will firm up.
  6. Enjoy!

I hope you like this healthy, incredibly moist banana bread! Thanks again to The Happier Homemaker for the inspiration for the recipe! I’m going to go have some right now…

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Chickpea Nutella

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Hello again! I’m back, and this time you only had to wait ten days in-between posts! I think that’s a new record. Seriously though, this “Nutella” is amazing. If you’re skeptical about the whole chickpea thing, don’t worry, I was too. But the end result was this delicious chocolatey spread that goes well with just about everything. There is an option to add some peanut butter, which I obviously did, but if you’re sick of all the peanut butter recipes on this site than feel free to take a break from it! Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of peanut butter. Before I give you the recipe, I want to commemorate shaneandsimple.com for coming up with it:)

Ingredients:

  • 1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
  • 1/4 creamy natural peanut butter (optional)
  • 1 small ripe banana
  • 1/4 cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp water (or more; add until you reach your desired consistency)

 

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until desired consistency is reached. Add more water if needed.

 

And……………. wow, that’s pretty much it. I think that’s the simplest recipe ever! Enjoy this spread on toast, with fruit, or anything else that needs chocolate on it! (Which is pretty much everything.) Thank for checking out this recipe! I’ll definitely be posting more in the summer – this darn invention called “studying for final exams” is killing my free time! Enjoy this spread in the meantime!

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;))