Meatless Monday – Pesto

Vegan Pesto – one word YUM!

So very easy to make and so incredibly delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups fresh basil leaves
  
• 1/2 cup walnuts
  
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• vegan parmesan (optional)

1. Toss all ingredients into your food processor…

blend 4 seconds….

scrape down the sides and blend some more…

scrape sides a bit more and blend a bit more…

sample a little bit because it’s oh.so.yummy!

Then toss some with your favorite dish – my choice this day was pasta…

eat up…and share some with someone you love…

There was definitely some pesto left-over (yahoo!) so I put it into a covered container in my refrigerator to keep for a few days. If I want to keep it longer, it actually freezes really well. Just put some into a freezer safe container and pop it in there. Remove it about 1/2 hour before you need it in a dish to thaw…simple!

Ways I like to use Pesto – (aka reason to make and freeze a LOT):

1. on pasta
2. spread on sandwiches (especially paninis)
3. mixed in a rice dish
4. spread in a vegan pizza
5. mixed in bruschetta
6. thinned with some oil and vinegar for a light dressing
7. tossed with veggies
8. added to soups

Do you have any good ideas to use pesto? Please Share!

Happy Meatless Monday!

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