News flash, cannabis is a cool ingredient that has a lot of flavor potential. From Pot infused Pumpkin Spiced Lattes to Ganja Butter Gnocchi these cooks go beyond the brownie to rewrite the recipe books.

Fresh cannabis chimichurri

Pesto provides endless opportunity to improvise as cooks can recombine any leaf, nut and cheese with a glug of EVOO and garlic. Kale, Walnuts and pecorino? Yum. Beet greens, hazelnuts and goat’s feta? Boom. Well, why not Cannabis.  an awesome blog puts a little extra green in their pesto using fresh leaves to elevate your next ribeye or grilled veggies.

Elevate your steak night with this chimichurri made from fresh cannabis leaves! If you didn’t know, cannabis is a tasty, nutrient-dense veggie that also has beneficial cannabinoids (at least 85!) which help your body maintain internal stability. According to Dr. William Courtney, raw cannabis is a very potent medicine without the intoxicating components one would normally experience when heating the plant. Will cannabis be the new kale?

Fresh Cannabis Chimichurri
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small shallot, halved
• 1  red jalapeño, seeds removed
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, stems removed
• 1/4 cup raw cannabis leaves, stems removed
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Salt to taste. 
3. Serve on skirt steak or roast chicken! 

Gnocchi in Ganja Butter

One of the world great dishes is fresh Gnocchi tossed in toasted brown butter and sage. It’s mostly do to the earthy, pungent sage balancing with the fat of the butter and cheese. Well, that’s what makes the flavor profile of cannabis a no brainer in this dish.

Ingredients

3 large baking potatoes
1 tablespoon plain olive oil
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups of all-purpose flour (add more if needed)
salt, to taste
weed-infused butter (optional)
grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese (optional)

Directions

1. First and foremost, always, always use baking potatoes. Leave skins on and rinse well. Boil in salted water until done. While hot, remove skins, then put potatoes through a sieve to insure no “lumps” remain

2. Using a large wooden spoon, combine all ingredients until fairly well mixed together. Flour a board, then mix and kneed the potato/flour mixture until it resembles bread dough. If you are uncertain as to the right of amount of flour to use for the right consistency, boil some salted water in a small pan. Roll out a portion of dough in the width and length of a cigar and cut into sizes of a small thumb (you can decide on the size of the gnocchi you want.)

3. Place a fork upside down and roll over the uncut side of a piece of dough you’ve cut over the fork. Some cooks just make an indentation with their thumb, but if you apply some pressure on the dough over the fork, you will end up with nice, small ridges; the idea being that they cook better with the ridges. Use a little piece of dough to roll at a time and cover the larger remaining portion to keep them from getting dry.

4. Cook one or two pieces for about 4 minutes. Remove and taste them. They should be firm but not too hard.

5. When you have finished cutting all the pieces, place them on a floured board or cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with flour. These can be covered with a dish towel for use the same day or frozen on the cookie sheet, then placed in a plastic bag for future use. If used on the same day, you will notice that they will turn slightly grey. However, this does not alter the taste. They will turn white again when boiled.

6. If you are going to use them right away, boil some salted water in a large pot adding a tablespoon of olive oil. When they rise to the top of the water, cook for about five minutes. Gently pour into a large sieve or colander. While still in the colander, rinse gnocchi under hot water to remove the flour you topped them with. This will keep them from sticking when you add the melted butter/garlic combo or the red sauce.

NOTE: After rinsing, gently pour the boiled gnocchi in a large bowl or oval platter. If using marijuana-infused butter, add a little coconut oil or olive oil with the butter, adding a few pieces of chopped garlic, browning lightly. Slowly pour over the boiled gnocchi. Sprinkle well with grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheeses. I generally grate and use all three. You can use a red sauce on the gnocchi after pouring the butter/garlic over them if you desire. Enjoy!

Frozen apple, kale and yogurt treats

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 green apple, unpeeled, cut into chunks
• ½ cup kale leaves, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea kelp powder
• CBD tincture, per dog’s needs*

Combine yogurt, apple, kale, parsley, kelp powder and CBD tincture in blender; blitz until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays; freeze until solid or up to 3 months. Makes 12 to 24 treats, depending on size.

Beef and Turkey stew

• ¼ cup flaxseed oil
• 5 ounces ground beef
• 5 ounces ground turkey
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 large carrot, finely diced 
• 2 ounces fresh spinach, about 2 cups, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• CBD-infused oil, as discussed with your vet

Heat oil in medium pan; add beef and turkey. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is fully cooked. Mix in stock. Add carrots and spinach; cook just until spinach wilts. Fold in rice and CBD oil; set aside to cool. Divide into portions and freeze for up to 1 month. Makes about 3½ cups. 

Marijuana Pumpkin Spice Latte

From Marijuana infused Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup) to Beef and Bean Chili, blogger Cannabis Cheri is a go-to resource for cooking with cannabis. Her take on this old fall favorite is far from basic.

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice plus more to garnish
• 1/4 gram decarboxylated kief or finely ground decarboxylated hash
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
• 1/4 cup heavy cream whipped until firm peaks form (or use canned whipped topping)

Instructions

• In a small saucepan mix together the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and dry ice kief. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, for about 30 seconds. Stir in the sugar and cook for another 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. Continue to cook, stirring, until mixture is very hot, but do not boil.
• To mix you can use a hand whisk, an immersion blender, or transfer contents to a blender. Blend until well mixed and frothy.
• Divide hot espresso between two mugs. Top each mug with half the pumpkin mixture. Top with whipped cream. If you like garnish the cream with a light sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice or ground nutmeg. Serve immediately.