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Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

October 3, 2015 by Shari Eckstrom 7 Comments

Garden Fresh Pasta

I haven’t always been a pasta lover.  

In times past I saw pasta only as a vehicle for a grey, pasty, congealed type of sauce with chunks of meat sprinkled in and cooked to oblivion.

And then I discovered gardening.

Garden Fresh Pasta Suddenly I had access to fresh garden tomatoes, sweet white onions, and crisp delicious peppers in every color of the rainbow, My world of pasta changed in an instant.  

Garden Fresh Pasta is one of my favorites. It is a simple meal that can be thrown together quickly. Change up the spices, throw in a few herbs and the possibilities are endless. I love spicy, so when I don’t have any homemade chili oil ready to go, I substitute cayenne pepper instead.  I love the added benefit that cayenne pepper gives to boost my immune system. It’s even better when I’m using my own cayenne peppers I have dried from the garden.

Garden Fresh Pasta Another of the things I love about this salad is the juice from the tomato makes up part of the delicious dressing. So, I pick out the juiciest looking tomatoes I can find. Usually this means a vine ripened tomato like a Beef, or Celebrity variety. A Roma or any Italian variety is usually too dry for this salad. Also, don’t worry about the seeds from the tomatoes. You will want to scrape up every bit of tomato juice for the yummy dressing to cover your pasta and you wont even notice the seeds.

Orecchiette Pasta with garden fresh veggies, feta and toasted walnuts all add up to a wonderful mouthful of delicious fresh flavor. 

5.0 from 3 reviews
Garden Fresh Pasta Salad
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 1- 2 tbsp chili infused olive oil or substitute ½ tsp cayenne pepper with 1 -2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 links Italian sweet sausage
  • 1 lb package of Orecchiette (may substitute any shaped pasta)
  • 4 vine ripened garden fresh tomatoes chopped with liquid reserved
  • ½ cup chopped white onion
  • 1 cup chopped colorful peppers (whatever you have available)
  • ¼ cup chopped Walnuts
  • ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup chopped flat italian parsley
  • ½ tsp garlic salt
  • 1-2 tsps sea salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Lay walnuts on a baking sheet.
  3. Roast walnuts until they start to brown and smell toasted, 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Cool.
Italian Sausage
  1. Heat saute pan to medium.
  2. Add 1 tbsp chili infused oil (or oil and cayenne pepper)and cook sausage until well browned on all sides and cooked completely through, adding additional oil as necessary.
  3. Remove from pan, cool and slice into ¼ inch rounds.
Pasta
  1. Cook according to directions on package.
  2. Drain pasta in colander and rinse in cold water to stop cooking process.
  3. Pour into large bowl and place in refrigerator to chill while preparing vegetables.
Basil
  1. Place 1½ Tbsp olive oil in saute pan heated on Medium low.
  2. Add chopped basil and stir.
  3. Remove from heat after basil has wilted and turned bright green in color, about 1 minute.
  4. Cool.
Assembling your Salad
  1. Add tomatoes with their reserved liquid, peppers, onions, Italian sausage, olive oil basil mixture, parsley, garlic salt, salt, and freshly ground pepper to the chilled pasta and stir gently.
  2. Sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted walnuts.
  3. Serve immediately.
Notes
Great Tip
Prepare walnuts, Italian sausage, pasta and vegetables (with the exception of the tomatoes, because you want every dip of that juice for your dressing) earlier in the day. This way, your salad will be quick to throw together when you are ready to eat it.
3.3.3077

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: SOME OF THE LINKS IN THE POST ABOVE ARE “AFFILIATE LINKS.” THIS MEANS IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND PURCHASE THE ITEM, I WILL RECEIVE AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION. REGARDLESS, I ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS OR SERVICES I USE PERSONALLY AND BELIEVE WILL ADD VALUE TO MY READERS. I AM DISCLOSING THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S 16 CFR, PART 255: “GUIDES CONCERNING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS IN ADVERTISING.”

Filed Under: Entrees Tagged With: fresh, simple, spicy, tomato, tomatoes, whole food

5 Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden

September 27, 2015 by Shari Eckstrom 8 Comments

5 Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden 5 Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden

Guest post by Jennifer Riner of Zillow

Indoor herb gardens allow renters and homeowners who lack green thumbs to take a stab at horticulture. Consider it an entry-level form of gardening to open the doors for more advanced outdoor cultivation, if or when space allows. Not to mention, herbs are almost a necessity in the kitchen if you cook fresh food for yourself or your family regularly. Why buy dried versions of herbs you can pick fresh at home for free?… 

Read More »

Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: Garden, Herbs, whole food

Vanilla Almond Milk

September 13, 2015 by Shari Eckstrom 11 Comments

Vanilla Almond Milk

I have never been a big fan of almond milk. I’ve purchased it a few times at the store and every time I was wholly unimpressed. I couldn’t understand what the big deal was. To me it tasted either bland and chalky or sugary sweet.

When I made the choice to cut down on the dairy in my diet I had to rethink my decision. Almond milk could be very useful. I knew the only way I would use it was if I made it myself. I then could control the process and know exactly what went into it.  I wanted all natural ingredients, no added sugars, and it had to be tasty. 

Recipes for almond milk are abundant and making my own proved to be quite simple. With a few ingredients and some simple equipment I made a delicious, all natural lightly sweetened almond milk I love.  Dates and whole bean vanilla combine with almonds to give this vanilla almond milk a wonderful flavor. I can tell you for certain… my coffee has never tasted better. 

Dates and whole bean vanilla combine with almonds to give this vanilla almond milk a wonderful flavor. A simple recipe with all natural ingredients.

 

Vanilla Almond Milk
 
Print
Serves: 3½ cups
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • water for soaking almonds overnight
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 pitted dates
  • 1 whole vanilla bean
Instructions
  1. Place almonds in bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  2. After almonds have soaked the required time, drain and rinse.
  3. Place almonds, dates, vanilla bean and 4 cups water in blender.
  4. Blend on high for several minutes until almonds, dates and vanilla bean is thoroughly ground.
  5. Strain almond mixture through nut-milk bag into container.
  6. Chill and serve.
3.3.3077

Recipe shared with: 

Happiness is Homemade; Tasty Tuesday; Hearth and Soul Blog Hop; Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop; Creative Spark Link Party; Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop; Let’s Get Real Friday Party

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: SOME OF THE LINKS IN THE POST ABOVE ARE “AFFILIATE LINKS.” THIS MEANS IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND PURCHASE THE ITEM, I WILL RECEIVE AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION. REGARDLESS, I ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS OR SERVICES I USE PERSONALLY AND BELIEVE WILL ADD VALUE TO MY READERS. I AM DISCLOSING THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S 16 CFR, PART 255: “GUIDES CONCERNING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS IN ADVERTISING.”

Filed Under: Drinks, Gluten Free, Pantry Tagged With: Gluten Free, in the pantry, paleo, Real Food, simple, whole food

Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips

September 6, 2015 by Shari Eckstrom 21 Comments

Rosemary and Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips are baked to perfection for a satisfying crunch. A healthy and whole food treat you can feel good about sharing.

ROSEMARY SEA SALT SWEET POTATO CHIPS

Sometimes I want to eat the potato chip. There is something primal in that salty, crunchy texture that goes way beyond snacking.  The only problem with indulging my cravings is most of the time they are store bought and anything but healthy. Even the so called “healthy” chips have way to much fat and little or no redeeming value. Thus my dilemma; how to satisfy my craving and keep it real all at the same time.

Sweet potatoes are the “hallelujah epiphany” I came up with. 

In doing my research on how to transform these nutritious healthy gems into tasty chips, I wanted to find just the right crunch. I found that everyone had a different answer on how to achieve it. The ingredients were mostly the same but the temperatures recommended varied a lot. And so, I ignored them all and set off on my own journey and I’m glad I did.

Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips are spot on; baked to perfection for a satisfying crunch. A healthy and whole food treat you can feel good about eating and sharing, though in my case the sharing is a little more difficult…I want to keep them all to myself.

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
55 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into ⅛" rounds
Instructions
  1. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or wax paper. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  3. Place 2 tbsp coconut oil into medium sized microwave safe glass bowl.
  4. Microwave oil for 30 seconds to liquefy.
  5. Add sliced sweet potatoes to bowl and stir gently to coat.
  6. Place sweet potatoes onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper in single layer.
  7. In a small bowl, mix together sea salt and rosemary.
  8. Sprinkle sea salt and rosemary over sweet potatoes.
  9. Place sweet potatoes in center of oven (cook one pan at a time if necessary. It's important to have good air flow between the pans).
  10. Close oven door and immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees.
  11. Cook sweet potatoes for 50 to 60 minutes turning pan 180 degrees every 10-15 minutes for even browning. Once sweet potatoes begin to brown, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  12. The sweet potato chips will continue to crisp up as they cool.
3.3.3077

Sun Basket
Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potatoes shared with:

Merry Monday Link Party, The Mommy Monday Blog Hop; Tasty Tuesday; Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop; The Wednesday Round Up; Creative Spark Link Party;Worthwhile Wednesdays; Create it Thursday; Let’s Get Real Friday Party; Foodie FriDIY; Happiness is Homemade; Hearth and Soul Blog Hop; Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: SOME OF THE LINKS IN THE POST ABOVE ARE “AFFILIATE LINKS.” THIS MEANS IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND PURCHASE THE ITEM, I WILL RECEIVE AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION. REGARDLESS, I ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS OR SERVICES I USE PERSONALLY AND BELIEVE WILL ADD VALUE TO MY READERS. I AM DISCLOSING THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S 16 CFR, PART 255: “GUIDES CONCERNING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS IN ADVERTISING.”

Filed Under: Snacks, Whole30 Tagged With: Gluten Free, healthy, pure food, Real Food, recipes, simple, whole food

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Welcome to Pure Grace Farms. It's great to have you stop in for a visit. We are a small farm nestled in the foothills outside of Boise, Idaho where food is organically grown, prepared and preserved for optimum benefit to body and soul. Read More…

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It has long been a passion of mine to live off the grid and develop a greater level of sustainability. Life and circumstances have not always cooperated with my passions. Sometimes my desires come face to face with reality. I am learning to live within that happy middle ground, finding …A sane approach to sustainability. Read More…

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