Pesto!

- pine nut and basil -

while i've always really liked the idea of pesto - tons of fresh herbs, earthy nuts and always lovely parmigiano reggiano all bound together with good olive oil - its the presence of raw garlic that i can't handle. basically, i'm a vampire. just the mention of garlic and i hiss. i've spent years avoiding anything that included pesto and considering its not used just for pasta anymore, the list is gets pretty long - and kinda bland.

because of this extensive time away from pesto i've learned to

just kinda wipe it from my mental recipe index and that's about it. then about a month ago i was skimming through a foodie magazine and was jolted back into the world of pesto. what was the reason i never made it again? oh right the toxic garlic. well that's the plus of cooking for yourself - you delete as you please. and that is exactly what i have done. not to mention played around with the nut / herb roster. toss with whole wheat penne and you've got yourself a delicious and nutritious meal!

- walnut and parsley -

WALNUT & PARSLEY PESTO

1/4c walnuts

2c parsley

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano (keep it real)

*pulse the nuts in a food processor

*add the parsley with the oil and process to smooth

*add in the parm. and pulse to combine

*chill or freeze any leftovers

PINE NUT & BASIL PESTO

1/4c pine nuts

2c basil

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano

*repeat as above