Vegan Pesto & 3 Ways To Eat It

Hello, Dolls & Gents,

Here is another recipe, which I have been consuming way often than I should be in the past couple of weeks. 

Today’s recipe focuses on a vegan pesto. But I also want to show you 3 ways how I eat this delight. Yes, it’s not entirely a pasta mix and that’s what makes pesto amazing.

I bet that a lot of you are familiar with pesto. But if you have never thought of making pesto at home, here is a blog post that can take you in the right direction. 

Let’s begin. I will include non-vegan ingredients for those of you who would prefer a diary and meat-based Pesto.

Ingredients:

Pine nuts /cashew nuts/almonds

Basil leaves (1 cup)

Garlic (2-4)

Onion (optional)

Chili (optional and can be substituted with sprinkled chili flakes before serving)

Pepper and salt

Lime juice

Half an avocado (chopped)

Olive oil

Coconut milk

Nutritional yeast (activate with a little bit of warm water) / Cheese  

Shrimp/chicken (for meat-based dishes)

*It is best to use a food processor for this recipe. But since I am living on campus, I multi-use my juicer for food processing as well*

Steps: 

Before you begin, Keep the lime juiced, this will make it easier to throw everything into the processor.

Next, go ahead and roast the pine nuts over low heat. Pine nuts are more suited for pesto as it doesn’t have an overpowering taste like peanuts. It’s perfect to bring out a subtle nuttiness in the pesto.

Once the nuts are ready. You want to begin by processing the basil. 2-3 pulses are enough, do not over process.

Then, add the roasted pine nuts along with garlic, onion, chili, lime juice, avocado, pepper and salt and finally, yeast. The yeast is going to provide a cheesy flavor to the pesto. Meanwhile, the avocado will add creaminess. 2-3 more pulses will be sufficient.

While the processor is pulsing the ingredients, add a splash of coconut milk (depending on the level of thickness you want); and allow the olive oil to drizzle in a thin stream. We don’t want a healthy pesto to be drenched in oil, even if it is olive oil.

Ways to eat:

You can definitely use this as a spread on toast. Great savory breakfast element which you can top with tomatoes or even an omelet.

It's perfect for pasta and even adds a nice twist to fragrant rice. To this, you can add either chicken or shrimp for a non-vegan option. Just boil or stir-fry the meat, and then mix it in with the pesto.  

You can also use it as a flavorsome dip for your favorite veggies or chips. 

Thank you for reading this blog post, and I hope you try this pesto recipe.