With an abundance of basil in gardens, now is a great time to make pesto and to use it on a variety of recipes — pastas, salads, grilling fish, snacks and more. Kathleen Foland introduces her recipe that’s packed both with flavor and nutrition!
Ingredients:
One and a half+cups tightly packed basil
One cup of nutritional yeast
A mixture of dried seaweed or sea vegetables, approximately 3 tbsp.
3/4 cup raw almonds
Three large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 2/3 cup packed greens (e.g., kale, arugula)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Land & SEAsoning
1 teaspoon hemp oil (boosting EFA’s a bit)
1/2 teaspoon spirulina
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup high quality artisanal olive oil
Instructions:
Combine these ingredients in blender, adding 3/4 cup of water.
Pulse in blender until somewhat mixed
Start blender on low, pulse 1/4 cup of high quality artisanal olive oil (makes a huge difference in taste, the better the oil, the less you need to get the best flavor). If you prefer a smoother consistency, continue to pulse as desired.
Midwest Mermaid Muse attempts to boost nutrition and flavor whenever possible so here is another idea to boost this recipe: Dried herbs made into powders (spices anyone?) retain more nutrition generally when put into cool temperature foods. Some foods need to be at least slightly heated and others do better at room temperature for maximum absorption by the body. Think of garlic: the benefits of garlic are higher when eaten raw, as is the
case of this pesto recipe.
This is a recipe like any other cool temperature food (e.g., salsa, chimichurri, salad dressings), where dried plant powders could be added according to each individual’s personal need. (The above left photo provides examples of these type of products that could be added.)
