Pesto Sauce, Vegan and Oil Free
My basil plants are going crazy, along with my parsley. I have been drying it, but one thing I always loved was a good fresh pesto sauce. Now that I am eating much healthier I had to come up with a version without all that cheese and oil. I still wanted the creaminess you get with the olive oil, because I love it over pasta especially with some onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. So here is what I came up with. Man, I love this stuff!
Ingredients:
Big bunch of fresh sweet basil (about 2 cups pushed into a liquid measuring cup)
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 cup of your favorite nuts, (I used 1/2 raw cashews, and 1/2 sliced almonds)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup +- of water or veg broth (mushroom broth is a delicious choice too)
1 small lemon, juice only
1=2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 of small ripe avocado (optional)
Put all in a food processor and blend well. If you like your pesto more chunky, pulse till the right consistency. I like mine real creamy, so I blended for about 2 full minutes, adding T of water as needed to get the right level of creaminess. Serve by spooning over hot pasta or vegetables, and tossing together until warmed.
My basil plants are going crazy, along with my parsley. I have been drying it, but one thing I always loved was a good fresh pesto sauce. Now that I am eating much healthier I had to come up with a version without all that cheese and oil. I still wanted the creaminess you get with the olive oil, because I love it over pasta especially with some onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. So here is what I came up with. Man, I love this stuff!
Ingredients:
Big bunch of fresh sweet basil (about 2 cups pushed into a liquid measuring cup)
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 cup of your favorite nuts, (I used 1/2 raw cashews, and 1/2 sliced almonds)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup +- of water or veg broth (mushroom broth is a delicious choice too)
1 small lemon, juice only
1=2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 of small ripe avocado (optional)
Put all in a food processor and blend well. If you like your pesto more chunky, pulse till the right consistency. I like mine real creamy, so I blended for about 2 full minutes, adding T of water as needed to get the right level of creaminess. Serve by spooning over hot pasta or vegetables, and tossing together until warmed.