It’s been a couple weeks since I have shared a recipe! I’ve been pretty busy. Well, busy is a big word, but I have had a lot of stuff going on that is keeping my mind occupied. I got back from Sydney and immediately started apartment hunting. Did I mention I’m moving? I’m off to Montreal in August to pursue a Master’s in Art History at Concordia.
I just got back from a little trip to Montreal to check out the city and find an apartment. I, hopefully, secured a place to live (fingers crossed!). Now that that stress is somewhat subsided, I have more time to do some fun summer things… like grilling things on the BBQ.
Before I went to Montreal I had a craving for some pesto and tested a recipe that turned out wonderfully. While in Montreal, I ate at LOV (which I highly recommend) and ate their sweet potato and buckwheat gnocchi with hemp pesto. While I must admit, I prefer a pesto with pine nuts, it was absolutely delicious. They served the gnocchi with a grilled lemon that totally elevated the dish. I came home inspired to try and make something similar.
Below is the recipe for the perfect vegan pesto, but I thought I would share how I used it. I began by preparing a very simple tofu skewer. This involved marinating some tofu in tamari for about 30-60 minutes, and then grilling it on the BBQ. While the tofu was grilling, I halved a lemon, put a little bit of oil on it, and grilled that too. I cooked some gluten free penne and 30 seconds before it was done, threw in some baby kale (from my backyard!). Then it was pretty easy to assemble. For some reason, grilling lemon brings it to a whole other level. Not only does it make for a beautiful presentation, it tastes so much richer.
I also made this pesto and slathered it on a waffle with some tofu strips on top. You can find the tofu strip recipe on the blog, and the waffle recipe is coming this week! It’s a fun take on chicken and waffles. Another idea, which is really simple, is to use this pesto as a base on a pizza.
However you use this pesto, I hope it treats you well. If you don’t plan on using it right away, throw in some lemon juice to help it keep its beautiful green colour. Enjoy!
This pesto is simple yet delicious. No one will miss the cheese in this recipe! Serve it with your favourite pasta with some wilted greens, topped with grilled tofu, and throw on a grilled lemon as a garnish. If you don't plan on using it right away, I suggest putting a teaspoon or two of lemon juice into the pesto.
- 2 cups basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
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Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached.
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