Homemade Herby Pesto
This recipe is SO easy yet so delicious. My food processor has quickly become one of my favourite possessions - it makes recipes like this so simple!
Store bought pesto (and just about everything else on the grocery store shelves…) is usually made out of poor quality seed oils which are highly processed and oxidise quickly, meaning that they can actually cause inflammation in the body. If you follow me on instagram (@thepillars.naturopathy), you’ll know that I make majority of the food I eat. I try to avoid the unnecessary ingredients that a lot of packaged foods contain like preservatives, added sugars, artificial flavours and colours, refined seed oils and flavour enhancers. Obviously it’s almost impossible to avoid some of these ingredients, but I like to choose products with the least amount of ingredients on their ingredient list when possible. I am absolutely ok with ingesting some of these things when I can’t avoid them, but I’m all for making healthier choices when they’re available to me!
Ingredients
2 cups of fresh basil
1 cup of spinach or rocket
1/4 cup of pepitas (pine nuts, or any nuts you have can be used, but I used what I had at home!)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2-3 minced garlic cloves (ensure they’re minced prior to blending, as you may have some big chunks of raw garlic roaming around in your pesto!)
Freshly grated parmesan - measure with your heart! (nutritional yeast can be used too for a vegan alternative)
Salt & pepper to taste
A few tablespoons of water if necessary for blending - or you can add more EVOO if you’d prefer
Method
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender together until you reach your desired consistency
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, but I don’t think it will last that long…
Spread on everything and anything - I made an EPIC cheese toastie and a chicken pesto pasta salad. YUM!
Enjoy!
Love,
Dominique
