The name pesto derives from tradition of making this sauce in a mortar with a pestle. The following recipe, which I encourage you to use a food processor for, unless you have a few spare hours, proves that you absolutely don’t need cheese to make a fantastic pesto. Purchase fresh basil (or grow it yourself!), and find a nice fruity olive oil.

Advance Preparation: Pesto freezes very well. Defrost pesto at room temperature, about 20 minutes. To reinvigorate frozen or refrigerated pesto, add a drizzle of olive oil and stir.

Ingredients - Pesto
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
6+ tablespoons pine nuts
2-4 cloves garlic
1-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Ingredients - Pasta and Veggies
1 pound penne pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
Bunch of chopped spinach, raw or blanched
Fresh, seasonal tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped

Directions
Combine the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor, and blend until the ingredients are finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add salt, to taste.

Add the oil slowly and a little at a time, and process until smooth and creamy. (You don’t need a lot of oil – just add enough to smooth it out a little, but very little is needed.)

Prepare your favorite pasta according to the package directions (penne works great!). Drain. Toss the pasta with the pesto and remaining ingredients.

Serving suggestions and variations:

• Toss the pesto with roasted vegetables.
• Use walnuts instead of pine nuts.
• Add ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed.
• Replace half of the basil with parsley.
• Add a squeeze of lemon while you’re grinding all the ingredients together.
• Make a pesto pizza, spreading a layer of pesto on your dough and adding some fresh tomatoes and minced fresh herbs.
• Use as a cracker spread. Add non-dairy cream cheese and use as a spread for bread and crackers.
• Prepare it as a dip for chips or raw veggies. Just add it to non-dairy sour cream (Tofutti or Wildwood brands are great.)
• Make garlic pesto bread. Spread pesto on bread and bake like you would garlic bread.
• Grill it. Coat polenta squares, vegetables, or tofu with pesto and grill.
• If you’re not using it immediately, you can store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or place in ice cube trays (or a regular container), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the freezer (for no longer than one month for the best flavor).
• To make extra, for every cup of loosely packed basil leaves, add the following to the above recipe: 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 clove garlic (or to taste), ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste), and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
• For an oil-free version, eliminate the oil and replace it with 1-2 tablespoons light miso. Add a little water to thin it out a little.

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