Basil & White Bean Dip

Basil & White Bean Dip

I like chumus but have been wanting to try a white bean dip for a while. I made my ginger, basil & pine nut crusted salmon earlier this week and had some leftover basil, so I decided on a basil &white bean dip. All I used was a can of white beans, fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt to taste (canned beans can be pretty salty already so taste before you add any salt). You can also add olive oil for extra richness, but I didn't want to add the fat that goes with it.

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. can small white beans
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor or immersion blender attachment.
2. Chill and serve with crudite, pita chips or crackers.

The cost:
beans: .69
basil: 1.99
lemon: .19

Grand total: $2.87

Basil, Ginger & Pine Nut Crusted Salmon

I love doing crusted fish; it adds such a great texture, and you can do so much with different flavors. Last night, I decided on one of my favorite flavor combinations--basil, ginger, garlic & pine nut. It's pretty much a pesto coating, with ginger added for an extra little kick. I used my immersion blender attachment to grind everything into a paste, smeared it on the salmon, then baked it open in the oven. Yum!

P.S. I made this recipe with macadamia nuts over Passover and it was a huge hit. You can also use one whole fillet rather than a few smaller ones.

Basil, Ginger & Pine Nut Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

12 large basil leaves
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1/8 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
fresh salmon (about 16 ounces)

Directions:

1. Finely chop ingredients (excluding salmon) by hand or grind in an immersion blender.
2. Place salmon on a baking sheet, spread basil-nut crust over fish, and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until salmon is cooked to your preference.

The cost:
basil: 1.99
nuts: 4.99
ginger: .89
salmon: 8.99

Grand total: $16.86; serves 2 + lunch tomorrow

Tomato Basil Scramble

I spend the first half of Passover with my sister and her family in Dallas. Her in-laws have a sheep farm where they also raise chickens, and we took a trip up there to visit. And brought back some beautiful eggs my nephews collected that morning!

If you've never had a farm-fresh egg, I highly suggest you do. The yolks are a richly dark yellow, almost orange, and the flavor--well, it's worlds above store-bought.

For breakfast the next day I made myself this tomato basil scramble. Vine ripened tomatoes + fresh basil + farm-fresh eggs = WOW.

Tomato Basil Scramble

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 small shallot, sliced thinly
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
4 basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil in small skillet and saute shallot until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add tomato and cook 2-3 minutes more.
2. Combine eggs, salt and pepper and add to skillet, then sprinkle basil on top. Stir and cook until done to your liking (you could also do an omelet).

Variations:

• Add some sliced mushrooms in step 1.
• Sprinkle in a little cheese.
• Experiment with other herbs like dills, cilantro or chives.

The cost: <2.00

20 Below: Basil, Ginger & Garlic Stuffed Chicken

Upon request (and somewhat of a challenge) from one of my lovely readers, I'm going to start a series of "20 Below" posts where I will highlight an entire meal for 4 people that costs less than $20 ($5.00 per person). I hope all of you penny pinchers enjoy these posts--and if anyone else has a particular blog topic request, please let me know!

Boneless chicken breasts are simple and quick to cook up, but there are merits to making chicken on the bone (in addition to it being quite a bit cheaper), like all of the tasty bits you can stuff under the skin (although you can also pound boneless chicken breasts thin, fill them with goodies, roll them up and then bake them).

You can stuff chicken with pretty much anything; here I use basil, ginger & garlic, but you could do:

• Rice cooked with onions, mushrooms & grated carrots
• Rosemary & whole garlic cloves
• Lemon slices & black peppercorns
• Mustard seed, garam masala and onion slices

Just to name a few :)

Basil, Ginger & Garlic Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

16 large basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 chicken quarters, skin on
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Stuff 1/4 of basil, garlic and ginger under the skin of each chicken quarter.
2. Place chicken in baking pan and sprinkle with salt & pepper.
3. Bake covered at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

The cost:
basil: 1.99
ginger: 1.39
chicken: 7.42

Grand total: $10.80; serves 4

Add roasted brussel sprouts ($2.49) & rice (1.99)

Meal grand total: $15.28

Price per person: $3.82

Heirloom Tomato & Basil Salad

I used to think that a tomato was a tomato, but the truth is different varieties can vary dramatically in taste and texture. I have become a big fan of heirloom tomatoes; they come in a myriad of colors, shapes, and sizes, and they always taste so fresh and delicious. They are a bit more expensive than regular tomatoes, but it's totally worth it.

I love combining tomatoes with basil; although it's more of a refreshing summer salad, I still like to make it year-round if I can find good basil.

Heirloom Tomato & Basil Salad

Ingredients:

1 container mini heirloom tomatoes (I like grape tomato size)
6-8 basil leaves
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Slice tomatoes in half, or if you are using larger tomatoes, into bite-sized pieces.
   
2. Wash and rough-chop the basil.
   
3. In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil and spices. Add tomatoes and basil and stir to coat.
4. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

The cost:
tomatoes: 3.29
basil: 1.99

Grand total: $5.28; serves 4-6