I was desperate for a chocolate croissant with a latte and I needed to fill that hole quick or something illegal was going to happen. Luckily I had a few ingredients on hand. It’s a bit like a banana split without the ice cream.

Ingredients:
1 banana, cut into bite size chunks
1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces
honey to taste

Preparation:
Toast pecans in 300° F oven for 10 minutes.

Directions:
1. Put banana chunks in bowl and top with pecans.
2. Drizzle honey to taste.

Notes:
I suspect strawberry chunks would go nicely. Or even pineapple. Both!

I tend my basil plants all summer looking forward to this treat. Once made, the trick is to keep my six year old from eating it all before me.

Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves, tightly packed.
1 cup toasted pecans
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cup freshly, finely grated asiago cheese (85 grams).
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation
1. Dry roast pecans in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.
2. Cool completely.

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

Notes
This recipe will double well and freezes well. Pine or other nuts can be substituted for toasted pecans. Parmesan can be substituted for asiago cheese. This is excellent on most any meat from steak to shrimp. Try it on the grill. Your non-SCD friends will love it on pasta too. Try it on eggs too.

Freezing
I make a large batch of this and freeze it in one quart zip bags. Put about a cup into a bag, lay it flat and squeeze out all the air you can. This will keep well in the freezer for months.

Video:
Buying fresh basil is expensive so I grow my own. The one trick I’ve been taught is to prune the basil regularly to encourage more leaves to grow. It works great! Removing the flowering parts forces the plant to put its energy into growing more leaves, giving you a big basil bush. And who wouldn’t want a big basil bush? See the video for a demo of pruning your basil.

For more of my videos, including higher quality versions, visit my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/eatingSCD

This is my favorite candy. Your family and friends will love it too and won’t believe it’s from a “diet”. When you roughly chop these, they make for an excellent addition to a fresh salad.

Ingredients:
1 lb raw shelled pecan halves
3 large egg whites, preferably at room temperature
1 cup honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp additional unsalted butter, melted
salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Roast pecans in a large pan in a single layer for 10 minutes.
3. Cool pecans completely before continuing recipe.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until it reaches the stiff peak stage.
3. Add ginger, cinnamon and vanilla extract, mixing just to combine.
4. Slowly add honey.
5. Continue mixing just until combined.
6. Fold in cooled pecans.
7. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter on large, lipped sheet pan and cover entire bottom.
8. Pour pecan mixture onto sheet pan and spread out evenly.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned (see image).
10. Stir and return to over for 15 minutes.
11. Stir again and return to oven for 10 minutes, making sure nuts do not burn.
12. Place wax paper on a cooling rack and coat wax paper with 2 Tbsps melted butter.
13. Pour pecans onto buttered waxed paper and spread into one layer.
14. Lightly salt the pecans while they are still warm.
15. Let the pecans cool for about 10 minutes then transfer to storage.
16. When they are completely cool, cover and store.

Note that this treat will expand as it first cooks. That is why your pan needs to have a lip. If you try this with an unlipped pan, you will make a big nasty mess in your oven. The pan pictures above is 13 x 18 x 1 inches.

Keeps at least 3 weeks if you don’t eat them first.