Chickpea Pesto Salad

It is so, so, very hot in Illinois - 95 degrees but feels like 118. Walking to work had me feeling both melty and on the verge of angry hysteria. (I'm from New England, and I'm meant to survive in the bitter cold with a root cellar full of turnips. Not to walk around under a stupid, giant Midwestern summer sky! STOP. BEING. HOT. AT. ME!!!)

But a redeeming feature of the day was that I'd brought some delicious cold chickpea salad for lunch. That, plus the fact that I work in an extremely well air-conditioned basement, cheered me tremendously, so I can highly recommend this salad for unendurable hot times.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas (You can save a good bit of time by using 2 cans instead, but I'm making an effort to get through the many little jars of dried beans that live in my pantry. Next on the list - about 2 cups of darling little adzuki beans!)
• 1/3 cup diced sweet onion
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 1 cup diced tomatoes, or 1 can diced
• 1/2 cup snow pea pods - roughly chopped
• (Any other veggies you'd like to add)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup pesto, to taste (pesto recipe: blend three cups basil, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup parmesan,1/2 cup toasted nuts (pine/almond/walnut), salt and pepper to taste.)
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and pepper to taste

 Directions

• If using dried beans, soak for 5 to 6 hours, and then boil until tender.
• Combine beans, veggies and pesto in a bowl.
• Stir in honey, salt and pepper. 
• Chill for an hour or two.
• Brisk and delicious!

P.S. - You know what else would be good in this? Bacon or pancetta,  fried very crisp and crumbled.

Perfect Family Pesto

I've had a few requests to post this- I will try to get back on the job! I've been cooking quite a bit lately and will post some new recipes soon-
Perfect Pesto- I think roasting the garlic and toasting the nuts makes all the difference!
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed, dried, mostly stemmed.
 6 – 8 Roasted garlic cloves
 1/2 c grated Parmesan or soy’veggy Parmesan “ found in health food stores
1/2 c or to taste toasted pine nuts *
1/2 tsp salt

combine in processor and grind- then add3/4 c olive oil slowly in drizzle

*These are really spendy right now- I’ve substituted toasted walnuts- and it’s ok, but not really as good in my mind. I think the poor pine nut producers are suffering from a pest. OH!

Cilantro Pesto

This one is so easy, and great- spicy from the cilantro and mellowed by the nuts.
Try this on grilled salmon with a corn and tomato salad. Or with shrimp fajitas with avocado, mango, and black beans. Or fish with mango salsa and green chili polenta!
Hmmm- maybe try it with the beer OR with wine...not both?
Cilantro Macadamia Nut Pesto-

~Combine in food processor:
2 cups, loose packed, washed and dried,fresh cilantro leaves, (it takes a while to remove the little leaves from the stems- it’s ok to have a few stems, but make sure you process them till finely chopped) 6 – 8 roasted garlic cloves, (or 2 minced fresh), 3/4c dry roasted, salted macadamia nuts , and juice from 1 lime.

~Process until roughly ground and then slowly drizzle in:
3/4 c olive oil or peanut oil
~Process until finely ground and creamy.

~ Add salt to taste- if you like it spicier- increase the cilantro a bit.

Serve with shrimp or chicken or fish-