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Next to green juice, and big ol’ kale salads, my favorite way to get raw greens into my hungry body is blended up into a tasty garlicy pesto. Mmmmmmm!! Despite the offensive amounts of garlic I sometimes use, I can really get down on some vegan pesto. I love it with any green or herb, and any nut or seed. Pesto is so fabulous because it’s easy to make, and by changing the herb or nut/seed you use, you have a whole different unique treat.
This weekend I invited my friend Shanequa over to make a couple of my favorite vegan pestos. I chose pesto for our kitchen date because I wanted her to see how easy they are to make, and how versatile too.
For example, my favorite ways to use pesto are:
- Massaged into salad greens
- In pasta (even zucchini noodles!)
- On toast (crostini)
- In a sandwich
- With all vegetables—like the sweet potatoes in our video, or tossed with roasted cauliflower!
- Blended into hummus
- In wraps with beans and veggies
- With whole grains like quinoa and farro
- Blended into a lentil or bean salad
- …with a spoon as a healthy fat snack 🙂
See! This one condiment can be used in so many fabulous ways. Oh, and vegan pesto is super healthy!
The dandelion pesto is my favorite use of bitter and earthy dandelion greens. Down south they are cooked for an hour until they’re tender and their bitterness is tamed. That’s a fine way to prepare greens, but I prefer the freshness of raw dandelion during the warmer months. The olive oil and pumpkin seeds balance the bitterness, and make them super appetizing. Dandelions are known for their diuretic properties. They help our bodies detox, and aid in digestion and elimination. They are also a fabulous source of vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, and iron. Yippee!!
How about basil? Are you familiar with the nutrition superpowers of basil? Oh mama, it’s also got it going on. Basil is a really great source of vitamin K (important for healthy blood clotting, and bone health). It is also both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. My favorite little fact about beautiful basil is that the name comes from an ancient Greek word, basilikohn, which means royal. Oh yes, it’s a very classy herb.
What’s your favorite vegan pesto recipe? What’s your #1 way to eat it?
Dandelion Pepita Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups dandelion greens
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 3/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted in oven at 350° for 8 minutes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice from half a lime
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor, and blend until combined. Pour in the olive oil while the food processor is still blending, and continue to blend another few 30 seconds, or until your desired texture is reached. If you prefer a thinner pesto, add 2 tablespoons of water or olive oil.
Basil Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups basil
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor, and blend until combined. Pour in the olive oil while the food processor is still blending, and continue to blend another few 30 seconds, or until your desired texture is reached. If you prefer a thinner pesto, add 2 tablespoons of water or olive oil.
My husband is going to go nuts over these recipes-he LOVES pesto!
Yippee!! Enjoy 🙂
Oh, Pesto! How I love thee! Recently I added tomatoes to my pesto and though I should have de-seeded the tomatoes in hindsight, it was delish nevertheless. Instead of eating the pesto straight from the jar, i bathed sliced squashes and vegan cheese with it and baked. Most most most delightful.
Oh my, that sounds amazing! I’m going to give that a try. I always loved sundried tomato pesto! Have you had that?