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| Damn |
But in real life there was no intention behind this. I had way too much spinach and a bit of basil in the fridge that were both on their way to better days, and I scoured the pantry at 8 PM trying to figure out how to use both up without too much effort.
Why is it vegan? Because I have no cheese.
Why cashews? Because cashews live in the depths of my freezer.
Why spinach and basil? Because I had too much spinach and not enough basil.
See the trend? I give you - bastard pesto.
You'll need:
Yield - 1 cup of pesto
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup chopped fresh basil
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, toasted then roughly chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil, plus an extra drizzle for luck
Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat and add the cashews. Shaking the pan occasionally, toast the cashews until golden brown - about 3-4 minutes. Or skip this part, whatever!
Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse to combine. We're going for a very finely chopped texture. When you think you're at a good blending level give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Next, add the 1/4 cup olive oil and continue to pulse to combine. Bonus points if you can drizzle it in while pulsing - I haven't mastered that part yet. If the consistency is still a little dry, add an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Photograph in front of Arnold, and then just imagine the possibilities for this pesto.
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| That wingspan! |
- Toss with pasta or zucchini noodles
- Top pretty much any protein (chicken, turkey burgs, skrimps)
- Chop of some veggies, scramble in some eggs, and throw this on top
Really, you can put it on almost anything and it won't be a mistake!
I ended up baking halibut in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes at 375, and then spooned the fresh [bastard] pesto on top. So good! So fresh!Enjoy!
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