Pesto (3 ways)
Pesto and salsa are the unsung heroes of the health and wellness community. Easy to buy or make, and chock full of nutrients and endless flavor combinations! Recently, due to a beautiful pot of herbs I’ve been growing, I’ve gotten really into making different forms of pesto for my family to enjoy. Now since I am making this for a super picky toddler, I know everyone will love them as well because I add more cheese to each of the recipes. Now who doesn’t love cheese? But they are still filled to the brim with healthy and flavorful herbs, nuts, olive oil, and a splash of lemon. Trust me on these! Even if you aren’t used to green things on your plate - these will be game changers!
Basil and Macadamia Nut
First let me start of by saying we LOVE macadamia nuts in this household. Roasted Macadamias are a great snack and they are so buttery compared to other nuts, I knew we would love this pesto and it is by far our favorite. Because all of this is going into a blender, I don’t worry to much about cutting or prepping anything. If you do use grated parmesan and diced garlic it does blend more evenly, faster. But do whatever you have time for!
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Roasted Macademia Nuts
3/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in a fridge and add to any sandwich, pasta, or burger that may need an extra flavor boost!
3P Pesto
This pesto is one of my favorite nutritional bombs that tastes so amazing. It has Parsley, Pumpkin Seeds, and Parmesan all loaded together in a delicious topping. To really get a good flavor you need to roast your pumpkin seeds first if they are raw, but everything else just gets tossed in the blender. I also like to add in a little bit of fresh lemon juice to add a dash of Vitamin C.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
To roast pumpkin seeds you put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown. Be sure to mix them with a dash of olive oil before hand, and a sprinkle of salt if desired.
You can place them in a pan on the stovetop, stirring constantly, wait until they darken in color and some of them start to brown. You don’t want them to burn!
Once roasted, add pumpkin seeds and all remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Cashew and Basil Pesto
Naturally sweet and creamy cashews lend to a delicious flavor in cashew and basil pesto.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup roasted cashews (raw will work as well, but I prefer roasted)
3/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Mix all ingredients in blender, and blend until creamy and smooth! Sometimes I do leave it a bit chunky if i want a bit of texture, but that is personal preference.
