For lack of a more interesting life . . .

I don't have adorable childish antics going on around here.  Nor do I have a bunch of projects or events that I can report on.  Life lately has been work, sleep, work, sleep, work ... sleep.

The weather has been anything but summer-y.  The laundry, dishes, dog's bath, dusting, vacuuming, and other daily mundanes don't seems meaty fodder for an audience. 

SO, for that reason, today you get a couple recipes.  Just so I have something to post and you know we are all still alive under the Big Sky.

My friend Ashley and I went to Farmers Market last Saturday specifically hoping to find garlic scapes.  Bozeman isn't reliable for it's seasonal productions so we were skeptical that we would actually find them.  1/2 way round the pavilion we fulfilled our quest - the rest of the market was just gravy!

Scapes are such a lovely beginning to summer, even if it doesn't look or feel like summer yet.  The mild garlicy-green flavor is addictive, and makes one of the best pestos EVER!

5 simple ingredients:
9 scapes with the flowers cut off (18 above - I doubled my recipe)
1/3 c. pecans
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or Hemp oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper - to taste

I wanted to show you a close up of the salt I use.  It's fabulous!  It's called Alae.  A traditional Hawaiian Sea Salt that is non-processed and rich in trace minerals, all of which are found in sea water. A small amount of harvested reddish Hawaiian clay (‘Alae) enriches the salt with Iron-Oxide.

The pesto process is simple.  Blend nuts and 1/2 the oil until a fine crumble.  Cut scapes into 1/2" long pieces and add to processor with remaining ingredients.  Puree' smooth.  Mine is never perfectly smooth, but the 'chunks' are very fine so they don't detract.
It'll keep for a week in the fridge, but you can freeze it in small containers and pull it out as needed.
My friend Ingrid suggested I add some vinegar and a little more oil and use it as a salad dressing!  Genius!!!
It's also delicious as is mixed with sour cream for a dip as well.  Sometimes I add it to the batch of hummus I'm making for an added flavor.  It's wonderful on a GF Pasta with a little Romano sprinkled about.  I'm eating it at lunch today with avocado, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber, Farro, and the recipe below rolled in seaweed paper!  It's so versatile.

I've been on a sort of cleanse for a couple weeks and can't have meat or dairy or grains so I've been bothering every friend I know for ways to make things taste meatier!  This one wins in my book!
Here's the recipe:
2 cups sliced mushrooms (these are baby bellas)
A gallon sz ziplock baggie
Enough coconut aminos to coat them. (about 3/4 c)
(Do you know about coconut aminos? From the coconut tree's sap! 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamins and has a nearly neutral pH. A comparison between coconut tree sap and soy, shows that coconut sap contains 2-14 times the amino acid content of soy. And it is a raw, enzymatically alive product!  Get rid of your Soy Sauce!)
I lay these flat in the fridge over night and then melt 1 tsp. coconut oil in a med. hot pan, drain the shrooms and sautee' them in the oil for just a few (5-8) minutes, turning them once.
They'll store in an air tight baggie in the fridge for a week (if they last that long without being gobbled).
I have added them to Polenta, Quinoa, and spread them with green olive and red pepper tapenade.  Anything meat would go in works for these babies.
Nom Nom!
I dropped one on the floor when I was packaging them up and Cricket rushed to grab it, then growled at me and started walking away when I started to correct her.  They must be meaty enough for her!!  Sheesh!