Monday, August 7, 2017

Vegan Pesto Sauce with Pasta



Hot summer days are the perfect time to make simple pasta dishes tossed with fragrant pesto sauces. Most pesto is made with nuts; this quick and easy pesto recipe is nut free and vegan, which cuts down on the calories and expense- but not taste. ( of course it is gluten free as well).






I had a large bag of basil and a half bag of fresh parsley from the organic farm. I was getting ready to travel, so I gave it to my daughter- in- law Wendy. She made this wonderful nut free/dairy free pesto with it.
It's Wendy's Recipe

Basically her recipe calls for fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It is a simple and delicious. She made it in the food processor not a blender.

Aside from the fact that there are many people who are allergic to nuts, nuts like pine nuts, walnuts, and pistachios which are usually in a pesto recipe are fairly expensive. Since this recipe is nut free and dairy free- it's also much less expensive to make. Yet, you still get the robust flavor of fresh basil and the nice thick texture of pesto.

Raw greens like basil and parsley are cleansing and alkalizing

And remember that fresh greens of any kind like basil and parsley are cleansing and alkalizing for your body ph-( an alkalized body environment is very important for good health) . Pesto is just one more way to get your fresh alkalizing greens into your diet!! Since it's uncooked it provides an even greater abundance of enzymes and vitamins.


Served with a garden salad, pasta tossed in pesto can be eaten as a light and delicious dinner.

Summer Tip: 
Cook your pasta early in the  morning long before the heat sets in. Then store the cooked, drained and covered pasta in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. At dinner time just take out the cooked pasta , quickly heat it and then toss it your favorite pesto sauce.

Homemade pesto is fast and easy to make and tastes great on any shape of pasta. I've made
spinach basil pesto, all  basil pesto, and now nut free/dairy free pesto. All three are awesome.


Have too much basil? Freeze it
If your garden is over flowing with basil , then make the plain basil pesto which requires quite a bit of basil. You can then freeze the pesto in small mason freezer jars or in ice cube trays.

I have also frozen pasta that has been already tossed in the pesto.

Try this other pesto recipe that contains nuts
However, if you have to buy a large quantity of fresh basil in the supermarket ( it can be expensive  ) then make the spinach basil pesto . You will get the taste of basil but the benefit of spinach as well.



Gluten Free Pasta now comes in all shapes

There was a time that gluten free pasta was hard to find. Not any more! Gluten free pasta is available in just about any shape. It may be made from brown rice, quinoa, lentils, corn, etc  personally I keep away from the corn because most corn is GMO .

I like the farfalle shaped brown rice pasta or the penne shaped or spaghetti.
I buy the Jovial Gluten Free Organic Brown Rice Pasta Farfalle -- 12 oz - 2 pc


I also use Jovial Organic Brown Rice Spaghetti, 12-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) which I get on Amazon.





Ingredients:
3 cups of loosely packed fresh basil ( stems removed)
2 cups of loosely packed flat parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
Himalayan Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Place basil and parsley in the food processor with the metal blade. Begin to process and slowly add the oil, lemon juice and seasonings through the shute of the processor. Process with on/off bursts until well blended/

Note: This pesto is made in the food processor not the blender. 




It's all good and all personal preference.


Want low carb? Make Zoodles ( spiralized zucchini) zoodles and avocado pesto
zoodles ( spiralized zucchini) 

 For those of us prefer to forgo the carbs, zucchini noodles make a wonderful substitute for the pasta. All the flavor without the carbohydrates.  zoodles and avocado pesto

Shared on Weekend Cooking on Beth Fish Reads where anyone can share a food related post.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Amazon. If you click on a link from my blog and make a purchase, I will get a very small compensation. This helps me defray the cost of running a blog,and I so appreciate your support. Of course there is no additional cost to you. 

25 comments:

  1. I love your comments on GF noodles. My mom has celiacs and we have noticed that noodles are much less 'strange' than some of the GF breads and cookies!

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  2. I love the bow tie noodle shape and for a long time I could not find them GF that's why I included it.

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  3. The more pesto recipes -- the better!

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    Replies
    1. I agree- it's a great way to add more greens to the diet which are cleansing and nourishing.

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  4. Where can I get a noodle maker?

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    Replies
    1. Follow the link for the noodle recipe and it gives you a link to buy a reasonably priced and very good one...let me know if you have any other questions

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  5. I'm going to share this post with my friend at work. She is transitioning to vegan from vegetarian and I know she'd love this recipe and meal suggestions.

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    Replies
    1. i appreciate that Tina. I hope that it is of some benefit to to your friend.

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  6. You can make pesto from so many greens, kale is good and I've made a lovely shiso pesto too when my plant was going crazy, varying the type of nuts used. I do like nuts in mine.

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    1. Claudia,
      I like nuts in mine too, but sometimes I want to cut back on the calories.

      Delete
  7. What a great recipe, I can't wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Miz HElen,
      I know that you have a fabulous garden with lots of greens

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  8. I make the traditional pesto with nuts, but those pine nuts have gotten crazy expensive. I'll have to give this a try.

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    Replies
    1. You could substitute walnuts- the nuts make a richer pesto.. but you can leave them out. This is just one alternative

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    2. Thanks for the tip. I have tried walnuts, and the pesto was good, but there is something special about the taste of those pine nuts!

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  9. pesto is my favourite sauce with pasta and all your images look delicious. Thanks for linking up with us at #BloggersPitStop and have a lovely day.

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    Replies
    1. Sue,
      I am new to bloggers pit stop , but I have been really enjoying your weekly blog carnival

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  10. This looks absolutely amazing!! I love, love, love basil. :)
    Thank you so much for sharing with us at #MMBH.
    xo
    www.mrsaokaworkinprogress.com

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    Replies
    1. I love basil too and I just love how available it is this time of the year

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  11. I love pestos of all types. I usually make it with nuts and cheese, tho. I'll have to give this version a try.

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    Replies
    1. yes I make it with nuts and cheese too . That's why I was so surprised when my daughter in law made this version to save calories, but not taste

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  12. Congratulations!
    Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week, I have pinned it to our features board. Thanks so much for sharing it with us and have a great weekend!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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  13. I’ve heard so many things about pesto - good stuff, of course. I think it’s time for me to make a pasta with pesto now.😁 Thanks for sharing this wonderful dish at Fiesta Friday party!

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  14. I absolutely adore basil pesto and pesto pasta. I love how you have added in some parsley in the pesto too. :)

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  15. Get free limitless Musically - - followers and Followers.

    ReplyDelete

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