Tomato Garlic Dressing

I have a son graduating from high school tomorrow, the World Cup starts in mere hours (which is a VERY big deal in a house full of soccer fanatics) and I’m prepping a party for 75. Needless to say, there is lots going on, so our meals have been necessarily simple this week. But that doesn’t mean that I have to give up good taste. I whipped up this quick dressing for my lunch salad, and it was great.

1 cup grape tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp tahini, optional but gives better texture

Throw all ingredients into a blend and blend until smooth. Drizzle over the salad of your choice. That’s it!

Arugula Cilantro Pesto

I have been a hard-core flower gardener for a long time, but for some inexplicable reason, I did not attempt a vegetable garden until this year. I had no idea what I was missing! It is heaven to be able to pass by my little patch just before a meal and grab a pile of greens for my salad.

It is becoming very clear, however, that the vegetable garden runs on a timetable of its own. All of a sudden, the garden says I must use a whole bunch of X at once, so I sometimes have to be creative. Luckily I love puzzles.

Today, it was arugula and cilantro. If I had any doubt before why arugula is also known as rocket in some areas, I am clear now. Mine went from a hand full of tiny starts to an overflowing mass of green in just a few weeks. I have piles and piles of it. We’ve been eating a lot of arugula salads, of course. We love how the peppery flavor wakes up an otherwise run-of-the-mill salad.

Tonight, I was looking to do something a bit different, so decided to mix it up into an arugula cilantro pesto of sorts. I couldn’t make a traditional pesto, of course, because that would entail lots of olive oil and a hard cheese - neither of which are exactly a good fit on a low fat vegan diet.

A quick search turned up several possible recipes, most of which were too high in fat. I combined a few and made my own substitutions. The version I came up with is very tasty, but be forewarned, the flavors are strong. If you love arugula and cilantro, you’ll love this, but if you aren’t a fan of either, this might not be your favorite.

The best idea I picked up from my web searches was to use garbanzo beans in place of some of the usual fat. So I guess this is kind of like a cross between a hummus and a pesto. The only fats are from nut and seed butters so technically, it is Eat to Live friendly. Even so, this recipe does contain enough fat that it is best used in small amounts as a flavoring or condiment. Think of it like an extra flavorful nut butter and use it accordingly. Luckily, the flavors are so strong that you really don’t need to use much.

The obvious uses would be as a sauce for whole grain pasta, or as a dip for vegetables. I mixed this into a mushroom barley risotto to give it a little flavor kick and it was fantastic. It is also great spread as a thin layer on a whole grain tortilla (I used Ezekiel). Though I didn’t try it yet, I bet it would make a great salad dressing if you whisk in a little rice vinegar.

This is a cinch to prepare and can make a very large pile of arugula disappear in no time at all!

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This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of pesto. You can easily double or triple to suit your needs.

1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp walnuts
2 cups packed arugula
1/2 cup packed cilantro, stems and leaves
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 Tbsp tahini*
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp almond butter

Place garlic and walnuts in bowl of food processor and pulse to chop. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and consistency if necessary. If you prefer a thinner version, you can add a tablespoon or so of water.

*Tahini is sesame seed butter. It is available in most better grocery stores or middle eastern markets. Tahini has a very distinctive taste that is hard to replace, and is the secret to a really top-notch hummus. If you don’t have any on hand, try substituting additional almond butter.