Pesto Filled Scones

On a lazy Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, I was in the mood for some baking experimentation - as well as a savory snack to munch on. A fairly quick and easy option was scones, and it had been some time since we tried out any new scone flavors - so I decided to put a new twist on our original savory scone recipe!

These scones might look like any other savory scone at first glance, but there is a surprise center that oozes with basil pesto deliciousness once you bite into it! If you’d like to make it more indulgent, add a small ball of Mozzarella cheese along with the pesto filling. I topped them off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese, and these tasty tidbits definitely hit the spot!

Base ingredients: (makes ~20 small scones)

Click here for our base ingredients

Add-ins

~½ cup pesto sauce (I used our spinach walnut variety)
~3 TBSP freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Follow the same steps as the spinach feta scones (link) to prepare the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ½ inch thick, then cut into approximately 2 inch squares.

Place about 1-2 tsp of pesto on each piece of dough, slightly off-center. Fold the dough over and pinch shut, sealing with some water if necessary.

Place on a baking sheet, leaving about one inch of space between the scones. Brush the tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 12-15 minutes until the tops turn golden brown. Let the scones cool before storing in an airtight container. They can be enjoyed at room temperature, or slightly warmed up.

These scones make a great anytime snack!

~Karla

    
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April Fools!

The concept of “April Fools” is deeply rooted in history. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392), which was set “thirty days and two” after March, and which many people mistook to mean “March 32” or “April 1,” a vain cock, Chauntecleer, is tricked by a fox. A French poet, Eloy d’Amerval, in 1508 referred to a poisson d’avril, literally “April fish” - and to this day in France, Belgium, French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, and even Italy (with pesce d’aprile), April 1 is celebrated with attempts to attach paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting victims.

 

Keeping up with the tradition of trickery and pranking, we’re bringing you a collection of our recipes that feature uncommon twists - usually substituting one ingredient with another “healthier” ingredient. We promise these uncommon twists are still super delicious!


 

Oil-free french fries (featuring egg whites)

Spaghetti and Beet Balls (featuring spinach and beets) - these are similar in nature to our no-meat balls

Zucchini Lasagna (featuring zucchini "noodles")

Spinach Walnut Pesto (featuring spinach and walnuts)

Enjoy a day of foolery and deliciously different food!

~Karla & Gayatri

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Of fish and fools - a brief history of April Fools Day...and some delicious recipes to go along with it!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-fools.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Friday, April 1, 2016

Spaghetti and Beet Balls

Who says spaghetti and meatballs is something only meat eaters can enjoy? You could always put a vegetarian twist on it and make a veggie patty into a sphere, or to really convince yourself that it’s indeed a comparable dish, you could make spinach and ricotta balls, give them a rhyming name and call them “no-meat” balls, or make “beet” balls with beets, black beans and cashews. Fine, it’s still not quite the same, but all puns aside, these delicious and moist beet balls are wonderful with spaghetti, salads, sandwiches, or just on their own as a snack.

Ingredients:

3 medium beets

¾ cup cooked black beans (or from a can)

½ cup packed spinach leaves

¼ cup raw cashews

2 Tbsp quick oats

1 clove of garlic

½ tsp grated ginger

1-2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp paprika (adjust to taste)

Salt to taste

Wash the beets and cut into halves. Leave the skin on and steam for ~15 minutes until they’re tender. Peel off the skin. Alternately, you could boil or roast the beets in the oven.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Add the steamed beets along with all other ingredients to a food processor and process until the mixture is well combined and starts to come together. Shape into 1” balls and arrange them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. Flip them over gently and bake for another 5-7 minutes until lightly browned and firm to touch.

Let cool and store in airtight container in the refrigerator. For a delicious healthy snack, serve the beet balls with yogurt (or sour cream) and paprika.

To pair the beet balls with spaghetti, make an avocado pesto sauce by blending together 1 Tbsp spinach walnut pesto, one mashed avocado, enough water to get a creamy sauce consistency and lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste. Mix the sauce with cooked spaghetti and enjoy with beautiful red beet balls.

~Gayatri

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Not your average spaghetti and meat balls! This vegetarian pasta dish uses beets for a delicious flair.http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/12/spaghetti-and-beet-balls.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Saturday, December 26, 2015

Spinach Walnut Pesto

Pesto is one of my favorite condiments - the aromatic sweetness of basil contrasting with the kick from the raw garlic is perfect to jazz up many savory dishes. It’s a wonderful spread for toasts and sandwiches, can be used as salad dressing, or as a sauce for pasta. The possibilities are endless! However, it is fairly high in calories owing to the cheese, oil and nuts that are typically used to make pesto sauce. I wanted to cut down on some of those ingredient quantities and also add some healthier greens. This spinach walnut pesto is a modification of the delicious basil pesto recipe. Check notes at the bottom for recipes using pesto sauce.

Ingredients:

1½ cups packed fresh baby spinach

¼ - ½ cup fresh basil leaves

2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and ground black pepper for seasoning

Pulse the spinach, basil, garlic, walnuts and cheese in a food processor until a coarsely ground mixture is formed. With the food processor running, add oil and process until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Use in your favorite recipe, or make a delicious healthy snack with pesto as a dipping sauce for carrots and sweet peppers.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

~Gayatri

Notes:

Some delicious recipes you could make with the spinach walnut pesto:

Christmas tree shaped pastry

Pesto cavatappi

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A healthier pesto recipe thats just as delicious as the original - spinach walnut pestohttp://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/12/spinach-walnut-pesto.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Sunday, December 20, 2015

Pesto Cavatappi

My family and I frequent the restaurant Noodles & Co., and I always get their pesto cavatappi dish. The pasta is always cooked just right and the pesto so flavorful, I always leave feeling satisfied, and usually wanting more (since a good portion of my noodles always goes to my 2-year-old!). The dish is pretty simple - noodles covered in pesto with some mushroom and tomato chunks thrown in - so I decided to try recreating it myself. This way I could personalize it with my own pesto and by increasing the amount of tomatoes and mushrooms, making it a bit more nutritious. There’s also the added benefit of homemade being a little easier on the wallet :)

Ingredients: (makes 6-8 servings)

~1 cup basil pesto (recipe here)

½ lb mushrooms (I used baby portobello, but any will do)

3-4 tomatoes (I’m partial to Roma tomatoes)

½ lb cavatappi pasta (may also be referred to as cellentani or fusilli rigati) - of course, any other pasta will work as well

1-2 TBSP canola or olive oil

Black pepper, garlic (ground or minced) to taste

Slice the mushrooms and roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and tomatoes, seasoning with pepper and garlic.

In a large pot, cook pasta per instructions. Once pasta is al dente, drain the water. Mix in the sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir in pesto a little at a time until desired flavor is reached.

Serve up as-is or as a complement to your favorite protein, such as Parmesan-crusted chicken, pictured above.

~Karla

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Spirally pesto pasta goodness!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/11/pesto-cavatappi.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Monday, November 9, 2015

Basic Basil Pesto

Pesto is one of those wonderfully versatile sauces that can add flavor to a variety of foods such as pasta, sandwiches, soups, pizza, etc. It’s super easy to make and is really nice to have on-hand for snacking or throwing together a last-minute meal. Plus, you can personalize everything about pesto from the taste to the texture, and use a multitude of variations such as adding spinach, broccoli or sun-dried tomatoes, or substituting different nuts - you really can’t go wrong!

Ingredients: (makes about 1 cup)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

⅓ cup pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt, pepper to taste

*Note: all ingredients may be adjusted to taste and texture preference

Put basil leaves, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse until the cheese is fully mixed in. You might have to occasionally scrape down the sides with a spatula. With the food processor running, slowly add the oil until the mixture is smooth and the desired consistency is achieved. If you add too much oil and the pesto is too runny, add a bit more cheese to thicken it up again. I added a bit more oil and processed a little longer to achieve a creamier consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as an appetizer with pita wedges, toasted bread or crackers, or toss with pasta for an easy, flavorful sauce.

~Karla


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Basic basil pesto - a flavorful and versatile sauce!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/10/basic-basil-pesto.html
Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Tuesday, October 20, 2015