Welcome to all the new healthy-eating subscribers over the last couple weeks! Monday is “healthy recipe day,” so we’re making my favorite Nutritarian pasta pesto. The idea for avocado pesto came from an Epicurious recipe — I’ve modified this considerably to fit my needs and taste though. Pesto sauce is traditionally made from basil, garlic, oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan. The avocado brings the richness of oil, but keeping ingredients to plant-based whole foods. This sauce is also good served warm over pasta (I like Banza chickpea pasta).
The latest version of my spiralizer*:
Hand-held spiralizer*:
Ingredients:
1 Ripe avocado
1 Cup packed basil (85g)
1/3 Cup pinenuts (40g)
3-6 Cloves raw garlic (to-taste)
3 TBSP Lemon juice
3 TBSP Nutritional yeast
~1 Cup water (237mL)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Cup halved cherry tomatoes (150g)
3 TBSP Feta or additional nutritional yeast
Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
Combine all ingredients, except basil, in the blender and process until smooth. Hold back some of the water to avoid having the sauce too thin. Adjust with additional water as needed to reach your desired consistency. Once smooth, add in torn basil and blend just until smooth. Over-mixing basil can turn the sauce gray (basil turns gray-ish green if you bruise it by over-processing).
Yield:
The sauce makes 2-3 servings.
You can store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The lemon juice in the sauce is enough to prevent the avocado from browning.
I buy all my groceries through online delivery services. I recommend the below*
– Free $25 from Fresh Direct:
– Free $10 from Imperfect Foods:
Kitchen products I use & love*
Cookware & Bakeware:
– Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick 8″ Square Pan:
– Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick 9″ x 13 Pan:
– Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Loaf Pan:
– Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Muffin & Mini-Muffin:
– Wilton Aluminum Performance 8″ Round Cake Pan (3-pack) :
– Breville Stainless Steel 10-piece Pot & Pan Set:
– Calphalon Contemporary 10″ Non-Stick Pan:
– Lodge 10″ Cast Iron Skillet (pre-seasoned & ready to use):
Kitchen Tools*
– Silicon Bowl Cover 6-pack Set:
– Norpro 4 TBSP Large Cookie Scoop:
– 8-quart stainless bowl:
– Taylor Oven Thermometer:
– Compostable Bags:
– Cuisinart Box Grater:
– Rubbermaid Food Storage 18-piece set:
– OXO Salad Chopper & Bowl:
– OXO Silicone Cookie Spatula, 2-pack:
– OXO Pastry Dough Cutter / Blender:
– OXO 3-piece Silicone Spatula (safe to 600°F):
– OXO Large Silicone Spatula:
– OXO Medium Cookie Scoop:
– Mandoline Slicer:
– Stay-bowl-izer non-slip bowl holder:
– Prepworks Magnetic Measuring Spoon Set:
– Microplane:
Small Appliances*
– Breville Hand Mixer:
– Breville Compact Toaster Oven:
– Breville Super-Blender:
– Breville Grind Control Coffee Maker:
– Breville Scraper Mixer Pro:
– Mueller Coffee & Spice Grinder:
Cookbooks I LOVE:
– Claire Saffitz, Dessert Person:
– Carla Lalli Music, Where Cooking Begins:
– Every Day is Saturday: Recipes + Strategies for Easy Cooking, Every Day of the Week:
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#HealthyRecipe #Nutritarian #AvocadoPesto