Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

When I was in college I worked at a small vegetarian cafe in town.  One of my favorite items was the sun-dried tomato pesto.  We served it as a sandwich topped with tons of veggies.

I love to spread it on bread, add some cheese, and toast it.  It has a hearty texture and would also work well with pasta or on some chicken as a topping.


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto:
(Book Lover’s Café)

12 sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
½ cup blanched almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts.
Re-hydrate sun-dried tomatoes in hot water. Let stand for 15 minutes, drain. (Unless packed in oil)

Mix everything in a food processor.

It's awesome!!

Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love balsamic vinaigrette.  It's one of my favorites and this version is my favorite without a doubt.  It's a little thicker than most which I love because it coats the veggies more.  It is worth keeping some fresh, homemade dressing at home... if for no other reason than to show off to people that you make your own dressings.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
(Book Lover’s Café)

1 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp sugar
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups olive oil

Mix everything except oil in food processor. Slowly drizzle olive oil while processing.

Thai Peanut Noodle

When I was in college I worked for a small vegetarian cafe.  We served a lot of really interesting foods and working there made me expand my palate. One of the side dishes that I eventually learned to love was the Thai Peanut Noodle salad.  We served it cold which is fine, but when it's warm it's amazing.

This can be made gluten free by using gluten free soy sauce, but make sure you check your peanut butter.  If it's not natural there could be some fillers.


Thai Peanut Noodle:
(Book Lover’s Cafe)

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
½ tablespoon hot sauce
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup water
1 package of mung bean (cellophane) or rice noodles

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add noodles. Lower heat and simmer for eight minutes.
Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, and water in a bowl until smooth.
Rinse and drain noodles in cold water. Toss with peanut sauce and garnish with chopped green onions.