Best By Pesto
(Best-o by Pesto. I had to, I’m sorry….no, I’m not.)
Pesto is my go-to when I want: low-effort, max tasty, and leftovers for days. When I’ve got greens I want to use up in a flash, I pesto. What I make is far from traditional, but still satisfying and comforting! It also happens to be vegan, thanks to the wonder that is nutritional yeast. I started making dairy-free pesto because I simply can’t resist showering my finished meals with fresh-shaved parmesan, so this is my compromise with myself. (I think it also makes for smoother blending.)
This pesto recipe is super forgiving and flexible! Think of it less as a recipe, and more as a loose framework. Don’t have walnuts? Swap in almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or yes, the classic pine nut. (I tend to keep almost every other nut on hand except for pine nuts, so I prefer to just use what I’ve already got!) I always have an abundance of parsley and spinach and/or kale, so that’s my typical pesto. (If I have basil, all the better!) Sometimes it’s a broccoli pesto (just blanch it before blending), or even a roasted red pepper! Sometimes, I reduce the salt, and add a couple of tablespoons of miso for a savory pizzazz.
This should yield you about 1-1.5 cups of pesto, to use as you will! Pasta, on eggs, in sandwiches, as a dip with crudites… world’s your oyster. Go forth and pesto!
Ingredients
3/4 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts (or nut/seed of choice)
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
Juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon
Mix of herbs and greens - parsley, basil, spinach, kale, etc. Minimum one cup.
1/2 cup olive oil
2-4 Tbsp. of water
salt and pepper, to taste (I recommend starting with a 1/2 tsp. of salt, and going from there)
The Cookin’ Part
Combine the nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, peper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and herb/green mixture in a food processor or blender and whiz it up.
While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, followed by the water, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Note: If your pesto is heavy on the parsley - it tends to pack a sharp punch, so the water also helps to mellow out the flavor.
Give it a taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice to your liking.