Basil and Walnut Pesto

I've had some requests for my favorite pesto recipe. I grow sweet basil and purple basil, this time of year it is growing out of control, so I'm thinking of every way possible to use it all up. Pesto is the perfect thing to make when you find yourself with excess amounts of fresh basil. Some of my favorite uses for pesto are: tossed with pasta and fresh tomatoes and as a spread on my turkey and tomato sandwich, but there are a million uses for it! Traditionally pesto is made with pine nuts, however, I never have pine nuts on hand, I keep walnuts around for their exceptional health properties (walnuts have 5.5 g of Omega 3's and 28 grams of Omega 6's per 100 grams). *This is another recipe that's not ultra healthy, but I feel it has enough merit to post here :)

Pesto:
2 Cups Packed Basil Leaves
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Walnuts
3+ cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Boiling Water (optional)

I put all the ingredients in my food processor and blend away. If I have pasta on the stove, I use a few spoonfuls of the hot water from the pot to add to my pesto, if not, I microwave a dish of water and add it in. Adding boiling water to your pesto thins it out (which I like) and also releases more of the flavorful oils from the basil leaves and garlic. mmmmm!

Chocolate Banana Whole Wheat Pancakes

These are not ultra healthy, however, because my kids LOVE them so much I can justify making them often; I rationalize that they're a relatively healthy food that the boys will eat. I add a few tablespoons flax seed and sometimes even sprinkle their pancakes with chocolate chips when I pour the batter into the skillet for extra mommy points with the boys. Yummy! I usually make a double or even triple batch, then put the extras in resealable baggies and either refrigerate them or freeze them to use for a 30 second breakfast on busy mornings.

Ingredients:Serves: 5 , Servings:
10 pancakes

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2-3 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
2 ripe bananas
2 egg whites or 1 egg substitute


Directions:Prep Time: 15 minsTotal Time: 20 mins
1-Combine the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and salt, sift in the flour (to remove some of the larger pieces particularly in whole wheat flour), and mix. 2-Mash the bananas (I put the milk, water, eggs and bananas in my blender because it is easier to make them extra smooth). 3-Add the water, skim milk, vanilla, and egg to the mashed bananas and mix. 4-Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir. 5-Heat the griddle to medium/medium-high, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 6-Pour the batter into the griddle. Flip when bubbles appear. Cook until golden brown on both sides.