There is something about basil I just love....I love the taste, I love the fragrant smell and I love the green lush and bushy leaves this herb grows!
There are several varieties of basil as well and they each may have their own unique fragrance, leaf, smell and antioxidant properties. There is the Genovese Basil (Italian), the Thai basil, the Lemon Basil, Opal (purple) Basil, Sweet Basil and the popular medicinally used Holy Basil (Tulsi). This recipe works well with the genovese, sweet or lemon basil.
With summer around the corner, it is a great time to start sprouting basil indoor in small planters. Basil also dehydrates, dries or freezes nicely, so feel free to grow in abundance! I use basil in my sauces, salads, bruschetta, soups and of course, pesto year round!
A summer garden is just not the same without some herbs like purple, sweet and genovese basil growing! Enjoy!
Nutty Pesto
Yield 1/2-3/4 cup
Ingredients
1 packed cup of fresh basil leaves
1-2 garlic cloves (small-medium- depends how much you like garlic)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (add more or less till you get consistency you like)
1/4 cup of raw cashews
1-2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds (my seeds are large and I used two tbsp- one tbsp if your seeds are small in nature).
Preparation:
in a food processor, add nuts, seeds and garlic first. Pulse till minced down, add salt, lemon juice and tightly packed basil leaves. Pulse several times.
gradually add in oil, till desired consistency is reached.
Meal Tip/Preparation
great on pasta or a pizza base ( See post on Tortilla Pizza Wraps for pizza topping ideas)
when in season sub out the garlic for mustard garlic greens!
refrigerate for 1 week; freeze 3 weeks
Comments