the best green seasoning [pesto marinade]

Looking to add that extra kick to your meals?  Want to give your meat a fresh juicy flavour? Or just wanting to try something new?  You have got to try this green seasoning.  You can use it to flavour virtually anything: chicken, ribs, roast, sauces, salsas, etc. 

I love using it as a marinade to meat. It's great on chicken (preferably under the skin, if applicable)  and great on ribs as well.  I used to only use dry rubs or straight BBQ sauce, which are great too, but I love the fresh taste of all the herbs and the added moisture.  I'll still add the sauce but I make sure that the green seasoning has some time on the meat first. 

This recipe calls for pimento peppers, which you can find at a Caribbean  store.  If you can't find pimento peppers you can substitute with banana peppers, or your favourite pepper.  You can adjust to your spice tolerance but I find that the 'hotness' is mellowed out during cooking. 

GREEN SEASONING

what you need

1 bundle of Cilantro (about 1-2 cups)

1 stalk of celery (include leaves if you have it)

1 head of garlic (about 11 cloves)

4 green onions (scallions)

1 bunch of fresh thyme (about 3/4 cup)

3/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup of water

pinch of salt (optional)

1 onion, or 2-3 shallots (optional)

2 pimento peppers (or 1 banana pepper)

*note: all measurements are rough estimates I may add more/less depending on how I like the taste

make it

Put everything in a food processor/blender and blend well.  You may need to mix in batches depending on the size of your appliance.  I found that a 3-cup food processor does fine, so does a nutribullet cup. 

You'll want to form a nice bright green, slightly runny (but still thick) paste.  The colour may darken over time but that's normal. 

storing+freezing

You can keep the mixture in an air-tight container in the fridge for a couple months. 

If you'd like to keep it longer I recommend freezing.  Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.  Once fully frozen you can pop them out and store them in a freezer bag.  I prefer freezing in an ice cube tray because its easier to control your portion sizes.  

This recipe was adapted from: caribbeanpot.com's green seasoning

homemade waffles anyone?

Who doesn't love a nice warm waffle? What mom doesn't love a quick healthy (homemade) breakfast?!  My son loves his waffles and I love that this recipe is so quick and easy. We can avoid buying those nasty-who-knows-what's-in-them frozen waffles and pre-mixed packages and go for something completely homemade. 

Having the dry ingredients all ready to go is a huge bonus with this recipe. Anything to make things quicker, and healthier home-cooked meals that much more accessible. This recipe makes about 6 small sized waffles (palm sized) and is easily doubled. Any extras do really well in the freezer. I like to cut parchment paper about 1/2 inch bigger than the waffle (on all sides) and I slip that between the waffles, put them in a large freezer bag and you're good to go. When you'd like a waffle simply pop them in the toaster. 

To make the waffle mix (dry ingredients):

1 cup flour

1.5 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

(Store in an air-tight container)

To make the waffles, you will need:

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp oil

Make it healthier, I use:

 - whole wheat flour

 - organic coconut sugar 

 - organic farm fresh eggs 

 - coconut oil (or another healthy oil)

To make the waffles:

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy; the fluffier the better. You can use a hand whisk if you'd like but I like to use an electric hand mixer to whip more air into it. Add in 3/4 cup milk and 2 Tbsp oil (in the picture I had mixed both coconut oil and olive oil as my husband isn't a fan of the full 'coconut-ty' taste).

Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Let the mixture rest while you heat up the waffle iron. When the iron is hot, pour the waffle mixture onto the surface making sure to get into all the grooves. Cook according to the manufacture's instructions. 

Serve with syrup, fruit or even whipped topping as a treat. These are also great as dessert with some frozen yogurt and chocolate sauce. As I mentioned above, these can be frozen and popped in the toaster at a later date.

Note: I find that with my waffle iron I like to cook them and then flip them over and cook them again. But every one is different. The waffle iron that I have is made by Sunbeam. I've had it for years and it still works great. I have considered buying a big 'professional' one but I just don't have a need for it right now. This one works great and is small enough to be neatly tucked away in the cupboard when not in use.

I thought I'd also mention that having this quick recipe readily available makes it that much easier. Check out how I did it:

Gotta love a label maker :)