basil

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lmr9
lmr9 Posts: 628 Member
in Recipes
Yesterday I bought this GIANT bunch of fresh basil at a local farmer's market for $2 (score!). I don't want any of it to go to waste. Ideas of how I can use it?...or preserve it for future use?

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  • katzav
    katzav Posts: 67
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    pesto! yummm!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Make pesto - basil, pine nuts, parmesan, lots of olive oil, a little salt and some garlic. Whizzed up. It lasts about a month.
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
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    If you can't use it up, you can portion it into ziploc bags and freeze it. I used to do this when I had a herb garden.
  • sophiessweets
    sophiessweets Posts: 61
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    Try adding a few leaves to your salads and sandwiches. Or how about sliced tomato, avocado and basil on multigrain crackers?
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
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    One of my fav. sandwiches: Basil, Tomato, and Mozzarella. Check out this easy to make recipe -

    I tend to use a low-calorie bread.

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basil-Tomato-and-Mozzarella-Sandwich/Detail.aspx
  • bjenny12345
    bjenny12345 Posts: 118 Member
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    Pesto freezes well too, also I love basil on salads, in red sauce over noodles, on sandwiches in place of lettuce. With tomatoes and mozzarella for a snack, it is one of my favorite herbs!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Insalata tricolore - tomatoes,mozarella and basil. I like to make this on little cocktail sticks as an appetiser with a mozarella pearl, half a cherry tomato and a basil leaf threaded on each stick.
  • miriamtorason
    miriamtorason Posts: 208 Member
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    Also! What I used to do when we would get huge bunches of herbs was to use one of my fridge magnets (I have some that have clips, like for large bunches of paper) to hang the herb I wasn't going to use from the fridge - in a day or two, you can take it down and crumble it, then you don't have to buy dried basil (or whatever you're using) from the store, either!
  • art4fun69
    art4fun69 Posts: 151 Member
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    Love basil in my scrambled eggs or omlets--ummmm YUM. Cant wait for my herb garden to start producing.
  • lesliefoste
    lesliefoste Posts: 137 Member
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    Pesto is one of my favorite things to make with fresh basil, but it's pretty high-calorie. Here's a lower cal recipe that I just got from a friend. I haven't tried it yet, but she said it's really good.

    4 garlic cloves, peeled
    3 cups fresh basil leaves
    1 oz. parmesean cheese
    1/4 cup ricotta cheese
    1 minced shallot
    2 T olive oil

    Blend it all together and toss your pasta with it. I like to add chicken to mine for some extra protein.
  • thebirchtree
    thebirchtree Posts: 11 Member
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    Fresh Basil is lovely in a Tomato sauce
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
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    Fresh basil goes well with thai/vientames style dishes, salads, curries & stir fries.

    Add it to a turkey/pork/chicken stir fry with thai green curry paste, a little coconut milk, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, spring onions & garnish with fresh basil and corriander (cilantro).

    Look up some thai larb (ground meat salad with fresh herbs) in lettuce wraps- yummmmmm!!
  • rachelowow
    rachelowow Posts: 47
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    Basil goes great in a silken tofu shakes with lemon!!
  • theladebug
    theladebug Posts: 54 Member
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    Basil is also wonderful in spring rolls. Take rice paper wrappers and fill with fresh veggies, basil and cooled cooked shrimp. Dip in either soy or mix soy with a little peanut butter & a little water to make a super fast super easy peanut sauce
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
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    You can freeze it!
  • kje2011
    kje2011 Posts: 502 Member
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    bump
    I grew basil in my little garden last year. I did make pesto and froze it in icecube trays. when I needed it, voila, just put one or two cubes in my recipe (like spagetti sauce or a crockpot dinner)
  • kateanne27
    kateanne27 Posts: 275 Member
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    I have a small basil plant and put it in just about everything, I love just tearing the leaves, and some parsley leaves in a spinach salad, I also put the leaves whole on fish fillets before baking them, fresh basil is great in marinades, you can also put some torn basil leaves and smashed garlic in a glass bottle with olive oil and make a yummy oil for drizzing on pasta, bread, veggies, or making baked pita chips.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I don't think it matters that pesto is quite high in cals as you use so little, it only works out at about 40 per serving. Compared to the pasta or bread you are having it on, it's negligible.

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