When I can get my hands on lots of good basil, I like to make a big batch of pesto to keep on hand.  As long as you don’t mind brown or make sure to keep the air out, pesto keeps just fine and works well on sandwiches or to make a quick meal with pasta.  This rich pesto is shown here on a homemade tortilla. It’s also good on fingers.

Ingredients
1/2 cup walnuts (or whatever seed or nut you have on hand)
10 cloves garlic
3 small bunches fresh basil or about 5 cups. I use the stems, too, if they aren’t too woody
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup hemp seed oil

Measure your oils into the same measuring cup, set aside.  Add all other ingredients to food processor and process until paste forms.  You may need to help it along, but it seems quickest to just put it all in at once instead of chopping things up separately.  Slowly drizzle oil into processor bowl while processor is running.  Use immediately or pack the pesto into a jar.  You can store this in the freezer or fridge, but either  way, if you don’t want a small layer of brown pesto (which seems to me to just be an aesthetic thing), make an air barrier with either plastic wrap (press it right into the pesto) or oil.  If you’re freezing it, you could even get fancy and freeze it in an ice cube tray and then remove the pesto cubes to a bag once they are frozen.

If you have a little extra time for cooking breakfast, this oatmeal is really worth it. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used homemade rice)
1/2 tablespoon oil (I used coconut)
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
pinch salt

Optional:
Fruit and nuts of your choice
Maple syrup, to taste

Put wet ingredients in large measuirng cup or other suitable container.  Microwave on high until they begin to bubble but do not boil.  While this is microwaving, add oil to skillet over medium heat.  Stir in oats and keep stirring until golden, about 2 minutes.    Carefully pour warm liquid mixture into skillet with oats.  Bring to simmer and let cook until oatmeal thickens, about 20 minutes.  Add salt.  At this point, you will want to stir with a chopstick or spoon handle.  Keep stiring this way every few minutes until the oatmeal reaches the consistency of pudding (or whatever consisitency you’d prefer).  This should take no more than 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Adding frozen fruits will help cool it down to a temperature suitable for eating.

Ingredients

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup hemp seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt (may omit or reduce to taste)

Directions

Place all ingredients in food processor.  Pulse until small particle consistency is reached.  Put in sprinkle jar if you have it, refrigerate and use as you would Parmesan cheese.

It might not look like much, but it is quite versatile.

Ingredients

2 cups hemp seeds (separated)
1/3 cup coconut oil
water
3 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Start by making 8 cups of creamy hemp milk (it has a fat boost for extra creaminess):

If you have a large-capacity, high-powered blender, add both cups of hemp seeds to the blender along with the coconut oil and water to bring the total volume to the 8 cup mark.  Blend until very smooth.  About 1 minute.

If you have a regular blender, add 1 cup hemp seeds to your blender.  Fill with water up to the 4 cup mark.  Blend until very smooth.  If you have a high-power blender, up to 5 minutes.  If your blender gets hot, let it rest before doing the next batch.

Pour the hemp milk into a large pot on medium heat on the stove.  Back at the blender, add another cup hemp seeds, 1/3 cup coconut oil, and fill with water to the 4 cup mark.  Blend until smooth, add contents to pot on stove.

Heat milk until it bubbles around the edges but has not reached a full boil.  Turn off heat and add vinegar and salt.  Stir gently for 2 minutes while curds form.  Let rest at room temperature (off the burner) for an hour and a half.  After it’s rested, line a large strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.  If you have some use for slightly savory hemp milk, feel free to reserve.  Drain off whatever whey you can and let the curds sit in cheesecloth and strainer for an hour or so to finish draining.  The finished hemp ricotta will have a smooth consisitency.  This can be used in many applications (see below).  Store unused hemp ricotta in fridge.

Here’s a couple things with the hemp ricotta to get you started: chocolate chip cookies,  zucchini lasagna roll ups.

My mom had the cookbook page that this recipe was on taped inside a cupboard door in the kitchen when I was growing up.  If I knew what cookbook it was from, I’d cite it.  In pie season, I tend to have it memorized.  It makes one 8-or 9-inch two-crust pie, so plan accordingly.

Use as you would any other pie crust.  If you are making a pie that requires a pre-baked crust, preheat oven to 375 degrees, prick crust with fork to prevent air bubbles from forming, cover with foil and bake on middle rack about 25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake about 10 more minutes until it is golden brown and…crusty.  I like to use whole wheat flour, in which case, it tends to take up to 5 tablespoons of cold water.  This recipe is flexible depending on humidity, air temperature, etc..

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups flour
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Directions
Mix flour, oil and salt until particles are size of small peas.
Sprinkle in in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.  (If pastry seems
dry, 1 to 2 tablespoons oil can be added.  Do not add water.)  Gather pastry into a ball.
Divide pastry into halves; place 1 half cut side down and flatten into round. Place flattened round between two 15-inch lengths of parchment paper.
Wipe table with damp cloth to prevent paper from slipping.  Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate.  Peel off paper.  Ease pastry loosely into plate.  Use as directed for pie.
Roll top crust in same way as bottom crust.  Cut slits after peeling off top paper.  Place pastry paper side up on filling; peel off paper.
Trim and pinch edges.

A delicate flavor like vanilla might be better off with a different technique (maybe cornstarch-based).  I think the vegan egg replacer lends this recipe a somewhat “chemically” taste.  My sweety pie likes this recipe though.

Ingredients
1.5 cups vegan milk of your choice
1 can coconut milk
.25 cups maple syrup
2.5 tablespoons (7.5 teaspoons) egg replacer (equivalent of 5 eggs)
5 tablespoons water
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Warm vegan milk, maple syrup, and salt in medium saucepan.

Pour can of coconut milk in a large bowl and prepare ice bath under it. Add vanilla to coconut milk and stir until well mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk vegan egg replacement. Once the milk and sugar mixture is warm, add the egg mixture to the pan by tempering. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the custard base coats a wooden spoon. Try to avoid letting the mixture stick to the bottom of the pan.

Pour custard from pan into bowl over ice bath, stirring until cool.
Cover with plastic wrap so that it comes into full contact with the custard to prevent a film from developing. Place in fridge until completely chilled. This may take a few hours.
Once chilled, freeze base according to ice cream maker’s instructions.