Basil Pesto
Pesto is one of the most versatile gluten free sauces you can have on hand in the fridge and making your own instead of cheating with store bought…. Well let’s say once you have tried fresh made, you cant go back! That perfect blend of fresh herbs, nuts, Parmesan and garlic. Use it tossed through pasta, on top of pizza, add it to your grilled sandwiches, poached eggs, crackers with sliced tomato and cracked pepper & what ever else your heart desires. All you need is a small food processor and it’s super quick to whip up.
Let’s talk nuts! We use cashew nuts instead of pine nuts as they are a little more budget friendly at half the price but if you really want that nutty flavour that pine nuts give, you can swap it out either way. Other alternatives are toasted walnuts, almonds or pistachio. For something different you could also use sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Need it dairy free? Just leave out the Parmesan cheese and add in 10gm extra nuts.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
35gm roasted cashew nuts.
1/2 cup grated aged Parmesan cheese
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
Combine garlic, roasted cashew nuts, salt, parmesan cheese, basil levaes and ¼ cup olive oil and blitz until very finely minced. Then, add the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice and process until well combined.
Pour into an airtight container for storage and top with a drizzle of olive oil until the top is covered completely, this helps keep it fresh and green. Keeps for a week in the fridge and it can be frozen.