Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Salsa Pesto, Stuffed Globe Zucchini, and More

It’s been awhile, but Sunday I got to enjoy my son’s company for dinner and prepare a tasty meal. On the menu:

Baked Tofu with Salsa Pesto
Stuffed Globe Zucchini
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Squash Pickles
Peaches and Coconut NadaMoo


The Salsa Pesto was fabulous – with crackers, on tofu, and on my pintos. I adapted a recipe from Newman’s Own. I hope you’ll try this pesto – Chase says it’s completely addictive. And it’s a beautiful fresh green color!




Salsa Pesto

½ cup medium hot salsa (I used a locally made fresh salsa – yum!)
2 cloves minced garlic
1-1/4 cups firmly packed fresh spinach
½ cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
½ cup toasted nuts (I used sunflower seeds)
¼ cup olive oil
pinch salt

Mix all together in blender or food processor until thick and smooth.


The Stuffed Globe Zucchini was also really delicious. I used this recipe from famed chef Eric Ripert, using about a tablespoon of bac-o’s instead of ham, and utilizing my lovely farmers market zucchini and tomatoes. The filling looks as wonderful as it tastes.



Ready to bake.


Done!


Chase is not much of a fan of zucchini, but he ate all his portion.

I had not made homemade pickles in a long long time, and I’m not sure my previous attempts were very successful. But when I saw Vegan Homemade’s recipe for Squash Pickles, I was anxious to try again. I made my own pickling spice, since I had none on hand, and reduced the sugar to 1/3 cup. All who tried these pickles really really loved them. I think they are wonderful. They are easy to make and ready to eat after an overnight stay in the fridge.



Thank you, Erin, for this terrific recipe!


So, here’s Chase’s dinner plate – Tofu topped with Salsa Pesto and resting on Squash Pickles, Stuffed Zucchini, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, and homemade pintos.



And my plate, same as Chase’s but with pintos topped with pesto instead of tofu.




I can’t get enough of our fresh Texas peaches these days. I knew our dessert would need to include peaches and I just can’t bring myself to cook them when they are so delicious out of hand. So I figured I would just serve them with ice cream. Fortunately, I received an email from Amy, maker of NadaMoo, stating she had recently discovered my blog and wanted to thank me for saying nice things about her ice cream by sending me some vouchers.



Thank you again, Amy, for such a kind and generous (and yummy) gift! I chose Creamy Coconut to go with our fresh peaches. Look how beautiful white the ice cream is!



Amy told me that new flavors are out and also that NadaMoo is now available in Colorado and California! Please check your favorite vegan friendly grocers and try some of this delicious, nutritious ice cream.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow looks tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I'm also a big fan of Italian food. Can't wait to try this recipe on my own.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

That salsa pesto and the stuffed zucchini (I grew up on that dish!!) look AMAZING!!! Your Sunday dinner meals never disappoint :0)

I wish NadaMoo was available at MY Whole Foods - looks great!

Sarah said...

The salsa pesto looks delicious. I am going to have to try and make it. And the herb-stuffed zucchini also looks delicious. Adding them both to my recipe list. :)

Erin said...

The salsa pesto sounds like a keeper for sure. And globe zucchinis are so cute, the stuffed recipe sounds great.

I'm so glad you liked the squash pickles! I wasn't so sure it'd be anybody else's thing, since none of my friends liked them all that much. But I like em. Good call on reducing the sugar, I like a sweet pickle with plenty of sugar to balance the vinegar.

Those peaches are gorgeous, and how nice of NadaMoo to send you a coupon! I'm hoping to try each and every kind of vegan ice cream once I move to CA.

Kati said...

This meal totally looks like a summer Thanksgiving to me! And salsa pesto...who would have thought?

Anonymous said...

I love those globes! So beautiful and I bet delicious, too! And how cool are you for getting free vouchers! Just goes to show that what comes around, goes around! :)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Chase's plate looks like it could've been served at a five-star (make that EIGHT-star) restaurant. It's just so beautiful!

A.M. said...

That salsa pesto sounds delicious - I bookmarked it.

Both your plates look amazing.

I wish NadaMoo was available in the Netherlands; it looks really good!

Katy said...

That pesto looks so good! I'm tempted to go make some right now!
Chase sure is lucky to have you cooking for him!

Anonymous said...

mmm! your blog is full of colors as usual! that salsa pesto is a must try, especially for this holiday! thank you for sharing the recipe!

Kate said...

The stuffed globe zucchini looks wonderful!

JENNA said...

Salsa Pesto? I've never heard of it. It seems like something that I would just love! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Mmmm, that salsa pesto sounds delicious. What I'm really drooling over though is that NadaMoo with fresh peaches. Boy does that look good.

The Voracious Vegan said...

The stuffed zucchini looks gorgeous and I can't wait to try that salsa pesto. Thanks for the great ideas!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

What a gorgeous meal Diann! The pesto does sound good and I would never have thought of topping beans with it, mmmmmm!
I think that was a really nice gesture from Amy and the ice cream looks really good with those peaches :)

Sam said...

What a meal! I love the salsa pesto idea! I bet that would be good over baked potatoes... I'm going to have to try it! I wish I could find NadaMoo up this way, it looks super creamy!

jessy said...

the stuffed zucchinis look amazing! and the ice cream looks super stellar, too (hooray for the vouchers)! your salsa pesto looks perfect & so green & pretty! i need to try something like that - it looks too tasty not to! :)