Bell Pepper and Pesto Goat Cheese Spread

This is the second time since getting to France that I have made this spread because really, after the first time, I have just been craving more! Super simple to make and great for a snack or as part of a meal.




I'm afraid the pictures don't do it justice.

Bell Pepper and Pesto Goat Cheese Spread

1 Bell Pepper, chopped (color of your choosing though red is quite nice)
2 garlic cloves, minced
several glugs of olive oil
several teaspoons of pesto spread (home-made or store-bought)
1 pound of goat cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook until soft (3-5 min). Should the olive oil evaporate or be absorbed, add more, nothing is worse than burned garlic.
2. Place the goat cheese and pesto in a bowl and mix. Top the cheese with the pepper and garlic combo - still hot off the stove. Give the cheese a few seconds to melt and then mix all the ingredients together until everything is well-mixed and melty.
3. Serve with crackers, toasted bread, or use it as a sammy spread (which I will be doing tomorrow!)



As Bart and Homer once said "You don't win friends with salad." That may be so - but trust me - you will win friends with this spread.

Atrichoke Hummus

I've been making lots of hummus based sammys lately because its filling, nutritious, and darn yummy. I spied this recipe on Pinch My Salt's Blog. After I made my ownPesto I started looking for more spreads I could make my own in the food processor. This was great.

Artichoke Hummus

1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
small squirt of Sriracha (optional)

Home-made Pesto

Pesto is delish and it's a prominent feature in lots of veggie sammys and other foods because its so flavorful. I always bought pre-made pesto at the store but now that I have a food processor I thought, shit sonnn, I could make that.

And so I did.




Basil Pesto (Makes about a cup)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
Handful of spinach leaves (this is not traditional and I got the idea from another blogger and it turned out to be a good tip)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parm or Romano
1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 med. garlic cloves, minced
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil, spinach and pine nuts in the blender and pulse a few times. Add the garlic and pulse a few times more.
2. Slowly add olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is running. Stop, scrape down the sides. Add grated cheese, pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.




I made some awesome fish which I ate before I could photograph. I also made some flatbread to go with a couscous dish I made a few days back.