• 5 green onions, minced
• 6 or 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package firm low-fat tofu, well-drained, sliced and marinated in soy sauce
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• cooked brown rice

Cook onions and garlic in water or stock or vinegar until tender. Add marinated tofu and cook another 5-10 minutes. Stir in basil, chili pepper sauce and soy sauce and heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Via

• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp minced shallots
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh marjoram, chopped
• 8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
• 8 oz fresh wax beans, trimmed
• 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green olives, halved
• 1/2 cup black olives, halved
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Create a dressing by mixing the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and shallots in a glass bowl. Then whisk in 1 teaspoon each of parsley, basil and marjoram. Whisk in salt and pepper.

Steam the beans until they are crisp-tender. Steam the potatoes for about 12 minutes or until they are tender. Heat the dressing in a microwave for about 30 seconds.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle with a little rice vinegar. Pour half of the dressing over the potatoes and toss to coat them. Mound the potatoes in the center of a platter.

Toss the beans and remaining dressing in the same bowl. Arrange the bean mixture around the potatoes. Sprinkle the top with onion, black and green olives, capers and the remaining herbs.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Via

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. red ripe tomatoes
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tb. olive oil
• 1 cup onion
• 6 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1- 28 oz. can of tomatoes
• 4 cups fresh basil (you can use less if you don’t have enough at hand or more if you like)
• 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a large cooking sheet pan with olive oil spray. Cut tomatoes into wedges. Add salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes.

In 8 quart stock pot on medium, saute 2 tb. olive oil, onion and garlic until brown. Then, add canned tomatoes, basil and stock. When roasted tomatoes are done, add them, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce temp and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Pulse in food processor in batches. Add salt and sugar substitutes to taste.

Makes 8 servings.

Via

Ingredients:

• 150 g of stoned dates
• 1 orange
• 200 ml of grape juice
• 1/2 lemon
• a few springs of fresh basil

Peel the orange (make sure to remove all the white stuff that’s under the skin) and cut into pieces of a shape that seems aesthetically appealing to you. Add to a bowl with the dates.

Put the grape juice in a small saucepan and squeeze the juice from the lemon into it. Bring to the boil and reduce to a light syrup by boiling vigorously, but watch out near the end as the liquid can easily evaporate too much and burn quickly. It should only take a few minutes to make the syrup.

Pour the syrup over the fruit, add the basil (chopped, if it’s fresh) and mix all the ingredients. Leave to cool and serve.

Makes 2 servings. In case you want to cook more use double portion of ingredients. In case you can’t eat all of it at a time just put it into the fridge, and eat it the next day.

Via

• 1 cucumber
• 4 medium basil leaves
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

First of all you should peel the cucumber, cut the tomatoes into wedges, and chop the basil leaves. To make the salad ‘good-looking’ slice the cucumber from end to end into long thin ribbons. Put all the vegetables in a mixing bowl of a proper size; then add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. This amount will be enough for two servings. If you want to make more of this salad simply double the ingredients.