If you have been following us on instagram, you know 9 times out out of 10 I’m making some kind of pesto. It’s light, fresh + our absolute favorite. The best part, is that there are endless ways to mix it up. We have used this recipe and swapped out cashews for macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts. The list goes on! We have even done a sunflower seed + kale pesto, which was also delicious.
Mix up the recipe any way you want! Sometimes you can do spinach + sometimes you can do kale. We have even replaced the leaves with broccoli and another time we did edamame. So truly, the sky is the limit. A majority of the time we put it over spaghetti squash or Banza (chickpea pasta). I make sure I ALWAYS have ingredients in the house for pesto. It’s an after work staple because it’s so simple and a great way to get more veggies in.
ingredients
• 2 Cups spinach or kale
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil [you can always add more if you want it thinner- at the end]
• 1/2 C Pine Nuts [or to be honest, any nut you have on hand is delicious]
• 4-5 Fresh Basil leaves
• 3 Cloves chopped garlic [if you don’t love garlic, start with 1-2]
• 1/4 C Cashew Milk
• 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese [optional]
Recipe
1 Mix all of the above in the food processor [except cashew milk]
2 Once everything is mixed, put your pesto in a frying pan and add cashew milk on low heat
3 If you would like sauce thinner, add a little more olive oil or a dash of water
4 Take of stove once pesto is warmed and throw it on top of your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash or zoodles!
5 Garnish with basil, cheese, and/or red pepper!
Enjoy friends! Definitely make double [or even triple] and throw it in the freezer for a simple + quick week day dinner!
– The Neilan Family –
Doctor Meets Dietitian 