I am so behind on the blog and vlog and basically all things Homstead right now. After South Dakota, the kids had to get ready for remote learning for their respective schools, and I reported back to my full-time job in higher education; and, well, as I’m sure most of you can imagine, there’s quite a lot to do and quite a lot to learn to navigate given everything going on in the world. We are still here on the Homstead: gardening, taking forest and garden walks, filming vlogs, cooking, canning, and preserving and are anxious to share more with you all once we settle in to our new routines for the semester. 🙂
In the meantime, I have a backlog of recipe posts, so we’ll be leaning on those a little more than normal. This is one that takes advantage of some of the herb abundance in the high summer garden and also features those bright, intense, fresh flavors I crave when it’s hot and sunny.
Chimichurri Chicken
Yield: 4 adult servings
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 recipe chimichurri pesto
sea salt and pepper
Chimichurri Pesto:
4 ounces fresh cilantro
2 ounces fresh basil
1 ounce fresh flat leaf parsley
6 cloves garlic
2 T lemon juice
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C walnut oil (optional)
1 fresno or anaheim pepper, seeded, or about 1/2 t dried red chile flakes
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 C olive oil
Instructions:
Assemble the chimichurri pesto by combining all ingredients except olive oil in a blender. Blend until very well combined, then drizzle in olive oil. Reserve half in the freezer for another meal.
Pour chimichurri pesto over chicken and marinade overnight, or at least 3 hours.
Remove chicken from marinade and season with sea salt and pepper. For best results, grill until the chicken is done. You may also bake the chicken on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven until nearly done then use the broiler to finish.
Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes
2 organic sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into frites
6 T olive oil
1/2 t black pepper
a dash or two of cayenne pepper
1/4 t smoked paprika
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t coriander
1/8 t cinnamon
1/4 t garlic powder
sea salt (at the end)
Instructions:
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil and all spices but salt. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, rotate the pan and flip the potatoes, then bake another 10 minutes. Watch them to see that they don’t burn. Remove them from the oven and immediately season with sea salt.
Avocado Corn Salad (barely adapted from this recipe)
2 T salted butter
3 C of frozen corn
2 T organic sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 T homemade mayo
1/2 t chile powder
sea salt and pepper
1/2 C feta cheese
2 avocados, diced
1/4 C lime juice (1 to 2 limes)
a handful of chopped cilantro
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the corn and sugar and let cook until corn begins to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, green onions, jalapeno, chile powder, sea salt, and pepper. Cook 2 more minutes. Add the lime juice and cilantro and toss into a serving bowl. Add the mayo, feta, and avocados, stirring to combine. Serve room temperature or cold.
Hull Family Homestead 