Very Special Vegan Pesto
Making recipes dairy-free can be tricky… hello vegan ranch. Thankfully, this vegan pesto is no-fuss. And, for my cheese loving friends, you can sprinkle the parm until your heart is content.
With several friends and family members either unable to tolerate dairy, or choosing a vegan lifestyle and struggling to find tasty products, all the products I make at Sunchoke Farms are dairy-free, vegan, and do not contain gluten.
Once you have pesto, there are so many ways to use it. Here are 10 ideas to get you started:
Pasta: Toss pesto with your favorite pasta for a quick and flavorful meal. It works well with both hot and cold pasta dishes, like my Pesto Pasta Salad.
Pizza: Use pesto as a base sauce or drizzle it over a finished pizza for a fresh, herby kick.
Sandwiches: Spread pesto on sandwiches or wraps instead of mayo or mustard for a burst of flavor.
Grilled Vegetables: Toss veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, and eggplant in pesto before grilling them.
Chicken or Fish: Marinate or top chicken or fish with pesto before baking or grilling.
Soup: Stir a spoonful of pesto into your favorite soup for added depth and richness.
Salads: Mix pesto into grain salads like quinoa or couscous, or thin it with more oil to use as a dressing for a green salad.
Dip: Serve pesto as a dip for bread, crackers, or veggies.
Mashed Potatoes: Stir pesto into mashed potatoes for a special treat.
Omelets: Tuck some pesto into your omelet for extra flavor.
Vegan Pesto Recipe
Using a high powered blender or food processor, combine the following ingredients until smooth:
2 cups firmly packed basil leaves
2 cups firmly packed chopped kale
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more as needed)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon sea salt
optional black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
