Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add walnuts in a single layer and stir for about 2 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Combine the walnuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add the basil and spinach and pulse until coarsely chopped.
5. Add the lemon juice.
6. While mixing on low speed, add the olive oil in a slow stream until all the ingredients are fully blended.
7. Add the salt and pepper and pulse a few more times to combine.
8. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pesto Shrimp with cherry tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup pesto

Directions:

1. Saute onion in coconut oil and then add garlic.
2. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the onion and garlic.
3. Cook shrimp for 1 minute and add tomatoes.
4. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until shrimp is bright pink and the tomatoes are tender.
5. Toss with pesto.

*serve with spaghetti squash or rice.

Balsamic vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp mustard
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp minced fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

Roasted root vegetables in curry sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peeled diced:
• potato
• rutabaga
• parsnips
• carrots
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions:

1. Toss together all ingredients in large bowl.
2. Spread in one layer on 2 baking sheets (don't crowd or they'll steam instead of roast).
3. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned.
4. Top with curry sauce.

Curry Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
• grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Saute onion for 3 minutes and add ginger for 1 minute and then garlic for 1 minute.
2. Add curry and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Season with lime, salt and pepper.

Butter Croissants

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated to warm (105°F–110°F)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)
• 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter

1. Make dough:
   1. Stir together warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast in bowl of standing mixer and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn’t foam, discard and start over.) Add 3 3/4 cups flour and salt and mix with dough hook at low speed until dough is smooth and very soft, about 7 minutes.
   2. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand 2 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, a little at a time, to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Form dough into a roughly 1 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until cold, about 1 hour.
2. Prepare and shape butter:
   1. After dough has chilled, arrange sticks of butter horizontally, their sides touching, on a work surface. Pound butter with a rolling pin to soften slightly (butter should be malleable but still cold). Scrape butter into a block and put on a kitchen towel, then cover with other towel. Pound and roll out on both sides until butter forms a uniform 8- by 5-inch rectangle. Chill, wrapped in towels, while rolling out dough.
3. Roll out dough:
   1. Unwrap dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and lifting and stretching dough (especially in corners), into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle. Arrange dough with a short side nearest you. Put butter in center of dough so that long sides of butter are parallel to short sides of dough. Fold as you would a letter: bottom third of dough over butter, then top third down over dough. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush.
4. Roll out dough:
   1. Turn dough so a short side is nearest you, then flatten dough slightly by pressing down horizontally with rolling pin across dough at regular intervals, making uniform impressions. Roll out dough into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle, rolling just to but not over ends.
   2. Brush off any excess flour. Fold in thirds like a letter, as above, stretching corners to square off dough, forming a 10- by 5-inch rectangle. (You have completed the first "fold.") Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour.
5. Make remaining "folds":
   1. Make 3 more folds in same manner, chilling dough 1 hour after each fold, for a total of 4 folds. (If any butter oozes out while rolling, sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking.) Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours but no more than 18 (after 18 hours, dough may not rise sufficiently when baked).

Directions:

1. Roll out and cut dough:
   1. Cut dough in half and chill 1 half, wrapped in plastic wrap. Roll out other half on a lightly floured surface, dusting with flour as necessary and stretching corners to maintain shape, into a 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Brush off excess flour with pastry brush and trim edges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.
   2. Arrange dough with a short side nearest you. Cut in half horizontally and chill 1 half. Cut remaining half vertically into thirds, forming 3 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half to make 2 triangles, for a total of 6 triangles.
2. Shape croissants:
   1. Holding short side (side opposite tip) of 1 triangle in one hand, stretch dough, tugging and sliding with other hand toward tip to elongate by about 50 percent.
   2. Return to work surface with short side of triangle nearest you. Beginning with short side, roll up triangle toward tip. Croissant should overlap 3 times, with tip sticking out from underneath; you may need to stretch dough while rolling.)
   3. Put croissant, tip side down, on a parchment-lined large baking sheet. (Curve ends inward to make a crescent shape if desired.)
   4. Make more croissants with remaining 5 triangles, then with remaining rolled-out dough, arranging them 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting, and shaping procedures with chilled piece of dough.
3. Let croissants rise:
   1. Slide each baking sheet into a garbage bag, propping up top of bag with inverted glasses to keep it from touching croissants, and tuck open end under baking sheet.
   2. Let croissants rise until slightly puffy and spongy to the touch, 2 to 2‚ hours.
4. Bake croissants:
   1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 425°F.
   2. Remove baking sheets from bags. Spritz inside oven generously with spray bottle and close door. Put croissants in oven, then spritz again before closing door. Reduce temperature to 400°F and bake 10 minutes without opening door.
   3. Switch position of sheets in oven and rotate sheets 180°, then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake until croissants are deep golden, about 10 minutes more.