PESTO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

I was craving pesto all week, a rare occurrence. I've never been a "pesto craving" kind of girl, until now!

So I zipped over to the market on my way home from school to pick up the ingredients missing from what was available in my kitchen.

To my dismay, there were only very large bags of pine nuts -- too big to justify leaving in my pantry for a couple of years until my next pesto craving.

I thought about how much I love cashews, and decided that would be a delicious substitute, but only roasted cashews were available. (Talk to me about what slow roasting does to nuts... it's not good).

Leaving the store, I planned to make the recipe with whatever nuts (except walnuts, ick) were in my pantry. And that's what I did!

In place of pine nuts, I incorporated half almonds and half hazelnuts. The pesto came out tasting awesome!

PESTO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted

1 cup basil, packed

4 cloves roasted garlic

1 can water packed artichoke hearts (I use a little less)

1/2 cup vegetable broth

METHOD:

In a food processor, pulse nuts until finely ground but do not puree.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, roasted garlic and artichoke hearts in a food processor, and pulse to coarsely chop.

Add vegetable broth and process until mixture becomes a thick paste.

Serve as an appetizer with crostini and raw vegetables (as in my photo above). For a main dish, toss with pasta and/or steamed vegetables.

Store unused pesto covered in refrigerator.

CHEF'S NOTES:

This pesto would be yummy as a layer in lasagna, or on wraps or pizza. Also, blend a bunch of it with chickpeas, tahini, vegetable broth and lemon juice for a rich, tasty hummus!

TOFUTTI SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

Back at Kahle's Party....

Friend J.P. showed up with a super-size house plant and blew us all away. Our cat Scootie really liked this plant. See him there under the table?!

Bro Beau and I supplied lots of yummy breads to accompany fine cheeses and my Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Spread:

TOFUTTI SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

Re-hydrate a handful of Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the liquid.

Coarsely chop cooled Tomatoes and place in a medium bowl.

Add one 8-oz. container of Tofutti (vegan cream cheese), 1 teaspoon dried Basil, and 1-2 Tablespoons of the Tomato liquid. Blend until smooth.

Refrigerate overnight for best flavor, and serve with fresh breads or crostini.

We hired a guitarist, Dom, to play live for an hour during the festivities and he was a hit with all the guests. Ron and I sat in on a couple of songs by request.

Also, our friend Dave made us a fantastic, out-of-this-world candle holder! It's a unique design, and as you can see from the photo, it goes perfectly with the decor in our dining room.

We love dragons, and these two fire-breathers will definitely do the job of protecting the flame.

Plus, when not holding candles, this phantasmagorical piece could serve as a dish for mashed potatoes, or a soup terrine, or even a platter for lamb chops!