Friday, August 29, 2008

Dairy-free Basil Pesto Sauce

I have a ton of fresh basil, and my absolute favorite way to use up basil is to make pesto. My usual pesto recipe is filled with Parmesan cheese, and I obviously can't eat that now! So I had to figure something else out.

The beauty of pesto is that it freezes incredibly well. Pour the sauce into Ziploc baggies and freeze flat. When you're ready to use it, allow it to thaw in the fridge and then add it to your cooked foods. No need to heat it! The residual heat from your cooked food will be more than efficient.

My favorite way to eat pesto is with pasta and sliced chicken breasts. Prepare the chicken whatever way you prefer (grill, saute, roast, etc.) and toss with the pasta and sauce. Yummy!

I adapted the following recipe from "The MSPI Guidebook/Cookbook." The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup lemon juice, which I thought excessive. I also made a few other changes.

Dairy-free Basil Pesto Sauce

1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 peeled garlic cloves or 1 tbsp. jarred minced garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until mixture becomes a smooth paste. Add more salt to taste. Makes 1/2 cup.

Quick Start with MSPI Mama: This is one of my Quick Start recipes

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm very tasty. I'm kinda a picky person so when I saw this all blended up I thought to myself "yuck no way" but reluctantly I tasted it and I love it. It's amazing what having a MSPI baby will do for you and your eating style! I don't think my husband will be kissing me for quite some time though :P

Andrea said...

Jana: This sauce is really quite good! In fact, I actually prefer it now to original pesto sauce that's loaded with cheese!

Scherbarths said...

I added half of a ripe avocado to make it a little more creamy. So good! Definitely a keeper!

Jessica