VEGETABLE & HERB GARDENING FRENZY - BASIL

Yay!! My first post on my Vegetable & Herb Gardening Frenzy Series! I hope to go through as many vegetables and herbs as I can throughout the summer. Finally summer has arrived and I hope you are all as excited as I am. PUMPED! I will try to post 5 recipes, not only from my site, but from others too. And please feel free to post links to site that you know of as well, regarding the topic of the post of course.

So this week is BASIL! Who doesn't love basil? My son's favourite pasta has basil and this is my main event at #1 this week. I honestly crave this pasta and since it is dairy free we eat it with pleasure! It is beyond creamy, hence the blended cashews, and has an awesome flavour. Please try it!! Just click on the picture or the title to view each recipe. The other recipes are from my favourite sites.

Health Benefits of Basil - 1/2 cup basil
Vitamin K - 97.7%
Manganese - 12%
Copper - 8.8%
Vitamin A - 6.2%
Vitamin C - 5%
& Calcium, Iron, Folate, Magnesium, & Omega 3's.
Basil helps as an anti inflammatory agent, helps cardiovascular health and has anti-bacterial properties.

Happy cooking everyone and enjoy your summer!! Thanks for reading Mandy's Healthy Life.

Coming in at #5 is Sarah Yate's 'Honeydue Basil Spritzer' from A House In The Hills.

This drink is great. I added 3 cups of our home brewed Kombucha so it was alcohol free. The basil and honeydue melon go together so well. 

At #4 is Angela Liddon's Spring Salad with Strawberry Basil Dressing from Oh She Glows

This salad is perfect for summer. Who doesn't love a sweet dressing on their fresh organic salad!? YES PLEASE!!! Add this salad to everyone of these meals you see here for a complete dinner!

#3 is Kiersten's Basil White Bean Dip and Sandwich Spread from Oh My Veggies

Mmm this is a great sandwhich, just add your favourite gluten-free or sprouted grain bread with veggies and this awesome basil white bean spread.

At #2, is Angela Liddon's Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup from Oh She Glows

This soup is great for a rainy or overcast day. It is the perfect comfort food and it tastes devine! Please try and share this recipe!

And the recipe you have all been waiting for, coming in at #1, is my Tomato Basil Cashew Pasta from my blog (yes I know it's a bit rediclous that I put one of my own recipes in at #1 but we just love it so much)

LOVE LOVE LOVE! And so very easy to make! Need a night off? Well you praticly have one. No hour spent in the kitchen tonight!

Please accompany each dinner recipe with a salad to get tons of nutrition! Can you say Awesomeness!?!

That's all for my basil recipes for the week! For health benefits on basil read here.

Gardening Tip * Grow basil around your tomato plant. They totally thrive together.