Homemade Green Pesto Pasta

On Tuesday I finally tried making green pesto with my new hand blender and basil plant. I cooked it with pan-fried yellow and green peppers, quorn chicken and fusilli pasta. My Blackberry camera doesn't do this justice and the colours look a bit odd, but it was delicious. It turns out its super easy to make, and tastes miles better than the pesto you buy in jars.

Here is the recipe for the Green Pesto if you'd like to have a go yourself :)

Green Pesto

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh basil

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of garlic

2 tablespoons of pine kernals/pine nuts

150ml ofolive oil

2 tablespoons of Parmesan (I bought shredded Parmesan, but any will do)

Salt + freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Put the stripped basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil into a container.

2. Immerse the hand blender in the mixture, press and hold the on switch on the highest setting and purée until fine.

3. Finally, add the Parmesan. If you bought shredded Parmesan like me, blend this up into the mixture too - you won't need to do this if you bought it powdered or ground fine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can keep the pesto in a screw top jar or sealed container which I think just about everybody has laying about the house somewhere. Cover with a small layer of olive oil and it will keep for about a month in the fridge.

It should make about 2-3 servings, but if you want to make more it's easy to adjust the recipe. I'd love to hear your results if you've made this. I'm going to try Red Pesto next time :) Happy cooking!

Homemade Microwavable Potato Chips

Ingredients:
1 russet potato
Non stick spray
Parchment paper or glass plate
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the inside of your microwave. Carefully slice1/3 of a potato into paper thin slices using a mandoline, vegetable peeler, or sharp knife. You don’t want to cut any more than this because any extra slices laying around waiting to be cooked will turn pink in color. Completely coat the parchment paper with non-stick spray and place the potato slices in a single layer. Spray the potato slices with non stick spray and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn off the rotating option on your microwave and cook for 4-5 minutes. Cooking times will vary based on the strength and power of your microwave. Some chips may turn very dark brown. Ideally you want them light and golden. Also in my microwave some of the chips on the outside layer didn’t cook as quick as the ones towards the middle, so you may need to remove the ones in the middle and cook the outer ones for an additional minute. Repeat the process until you’ve used your entire potato. Enjoy!

If you don’t have parchment paper you can easily use a glass plate. If you don’t have non-stick spray you can brush the parchment paper or glass plate with vegetable oil.. lay the potatoes down, and give the potatoes a light brush over again with oil. Also, the less crowded your plate and parchment paper is, the less problem you will have with the outside chips not cooking as quick as the ones in the middle.

Found this nifty recipe here: http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/potato-chips-recipe/