I adore fresh pesto. It is so easy to make and brings incredible flavor to everything. Pasta, scrambled eggs, grilled veggies, chicken, steak, rice or pizza. It adds something lovely to every dish.
Traditional pesto calls for Parmesan cheese, which is not Laura Friendly. So I make this version which has a lot of flavor and zero dairy. It’s Vegan baby. Both gluten & dairy-free it tastes amazing. If you’ve never made a pesto, I encourage you to give it a shot. It’s a quick way to make dinner seem special, without taking a lot of extra time.
Vegan Basil Pesto
by Laura Friendly
Start to Finish: 10 minutes
Makes: ¾ cup
- 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 to 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and red pepper flakes in a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.
- With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream until it become a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. note: if the mixture seems too thick, continue to add up to ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, until it gets to your desired consistency
This is even better after being chilled so you may want to make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.
You might also like:
Vegan Parsley & Cilantro Pesto
Citrus Salt
All Images & Content are by Laura Friendly. This post is written and based on my personal experience and opinion on food. The information is not intended to replace professional medical counsel. Always seek the advice of your physician if you have a food allergy. And don’t forget to smile!
Please help us maintain positive conversations by refraining from posting spam, advertisements, and links to other websites or blogs. we reserve the right to remove your comment if it does not adhere to these guidelines. thanks! post a comment.