The other day, my mom made the most incredible pesto — the typical basil, pine nut, parmesan combination. It was so delicious, I found excuses to eat it (chip, carrot, spoon, you name it). But because everyone KNOWS how to make pesto, I decided to find a more creative (and cost effective) vegan pesto. Instead of pine nuts and parmesan, hellloooo cashews. Instead of basil, welcome cilantro and jalapeno. It is green, healthy, and has just a minor kick to it (next time, I want to add more jalapeno). Enjoy!
Ingredients:
* 2 bunches of cilantro
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 2 jalapenos, minus their seeds
* 1 cup cashews
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
* Pulse the cashews so they are ground up, but not a paste. If you are using a food processor (which I recommend — way easier than a Vitamix, although the Vitamix is my first true love), remove the ground cashews. THIS IS KEY otherwise the vitamix gets really sticky and will not move.
* After the nuts are ground, add all the greens and garlic and blend.
* Finally, add oil and blend all together.
* Store in fridge! And eat with anything and everything! I can’t wait to add it to a sandwich, eat with crudites, and enjoy this non-expensive, super delicious, ultra healthy recipe!
This sounds like such a fun and yummy take on traditional pesto. I can’t wait to try it.
Ooooo sounds like it has some southwestern flavor.
This sounds like it would also be good on tortilla chips.