I was originally inspired to create a healthier pesto recipe, when the pesto I had been trying started to make my food super oily. I decided to make a pesto made with good-for-you ingredients like basil, cashews, kale, and spinach- less olive oil all around.
Ingredients:
- 5 1/4 cups of cashews (150 grams)
- 2 cups hot water
- 4 cups basil leaves with stems
- 1 lemon
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 stalk of kale
- 3 cups spinach
- 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total prep: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Directions:
Bring three cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add cashews to water and let cook on medium heat for fifteen minutes. Drain the cashews, but save two cups of the cashew water for later. Purée cashews for 2 minutes pausing and stirring at thirty second intervals, in a blender or food processor (medium speed). Once the cashews reach a fine texture, slowly add the warm cashew water 1 tablespoon at a time. The mixture should be creamy.
Next, add the basil leaves and blend for 1 minute on high speed. Add remaining ingredients, and blend for 2-5 minutes. Depending on what type of blender or processor you use, the time may very. Blend until the texture is creamy. Enjoy!
Garden of Eatz 