Non-Dairy Classic Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basil leaves Roughly chopped
- 9 Garlic cloves Roughly chopped
- ½ cup Pine nuts Optionally you can toast them in a pan over low heat until golden brown (stir often).
- ⅔ cup Non-dairy Cheese Finely grated. I love adding Manchego (sheep's cheese), Pecorino Romano (sheep's cheese), Goat's cheddar, or VioLife Just Like Parmesan.
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Black pepper Freshly ground
- 1 ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup Lemon juice
Instructions
- Place chopped basil in a food processor with salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and about ½ cup of olive oil (to start) and pulse until very finely chopped and the herbs are completely incorporated.
- Optionally, you can lightly toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a pan with 1 tbs. of olive oil over low heat, just until they start to turn golden brown. Stir often to make sure they don’t stick! If you don't prefer to do this, skip this step.
- Add the pine nuts to the food processor, pulsing to combine and break them down until they are about the same size as the rest of the ingredients. If you like your pesto a little chunkier, pulse a few times less (about 2-7 times).
- Add in the remaining oil and cheese, and pulse until just combined. If you are going to reserve the pesto for another time, store in an airtight container with olive oil covering the level of the pesto. You can freeze this too!