Basil Arugula Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts

This delicious pesto recipe makes the perfect amount to be tossed with 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb of your favorite pasta. Today I had a 1 lb bag of Trader Joe's penne

Basil Arugula Pesto Recipe

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  3 cups (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves

  1 cup (loosely packed) fresh arugula

  1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

  2 garlic cloves, peeled

  1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

  Juice of 1 small lemon

  1/2 cup nutritional yeast

  2-4 tablespoons water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

Place 1/2 cup oil, basil, arugula, pine nuts, garlic, lemon peel and juice in blender. (My new Vitamix blender makes this process a breeze). Blend to thick paste. Add nutritional yeast, and blend until smooth With motor running, add 2-4 tablespoons water to processor. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Halve 1 quart of grape tomatoes. Drain pasta and add tomatoes. Gently fold in pesto and combine. YUM.

What made this recipe a BREEZE to throw together was this fantastic bag of pine nuts from Trader Joe's, which are already toasted. Keep them in the freezer for whenever the mood to make fresh pesto strikes...especially popular in the Summer months with gardens full of fresh basil. ^_^

Friday Night Cookin' Part II: Garden Bruschetta

Toasted Baguette, topped with Cashew Ricotta, Basil Pesto, Baby Spinach Leaves and Rosemary Oven Roasted Plum and Cherry Tomatoes...

(party in my mouth) ^_^

 How we did it:
Friday afternoons, we have a small but amazing Farmer's Market here on the campus where I work. It is literally two steps outside of my building, which is so very convenient. If you get there early, they usually have freshly baked baguettes for sale: perfect for bruschetta!

As an unexpected BONUS, Kathy harvested a bunch of fresh basil from her garden, and brought packages of PINE NUTS, the coveted dream ingredient for the perfect pesto. Pine nuts are pricey, to say the least, and I almost NEVER have them on hand. Most of the time, I make my pesto with toasted walnuts instead, so this was a nice treat!

I have to say, this was one of my better efforts!  I made it in my blender, so I used a bit more olive oil than I usually do.  But, I have to say, I really liked the consistancy of the pesto from the blender a bit better than the food processor.  Go figure...

And now for these gorgeous tomatoes!!

We decided to oven roast them at 450 for about 20 minutes, along with a head of garlic.  I had some lovely rosemary branches from another friend's garden, so Kathy pulled some of the leaves off and skewered the giant cherry tomatoes on the fresh rosemary branches.  This imparted the most WONDERFUL rosemary flavor, and made my kitchen smell absolutely divine!  It also looks really classy too.

Out of the oven!

So now we build our Bruschetta: 

Slice your baguette around 1/2" thick

Lightly brush with olive oil and spinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

I usually broil the bruschetta on high for 3-5 minutes, but since we already had the oven set to 450, we toasted them on the top shelf for 10 minutes or so.

Remove baguette slices and then rub each piece with a garlic clove.

Spread each slice with tofu ricotta and top with a spoonful of fresh basil.

Top each slice with a baby spinach leaf (or two), and then finish it off with some oven roasted tomatoes

Kick back with a glass of red wine, and pat yourself on the back for creating: Bruschetta of the Gods

My Favorite Pesto

Now that I have a food processor, I find that making pesto is SO much easier than when I used my blender. This pesto contains no cheese, but the nuttiness from the toasted walnuts and the nutritional yeast give it the perfect balance of flavor. Nutritional yeast makes an excellent vegan substitute for Parmesan because of its slightly salty, cheesy and nutty flavor.  It is low in fat, high in protein and B vitamins, and it is not made with any animal products. I do like to take the extra time and toast the walnuts in the oven to really bring out their flavor. You may, of course, use pine nuts as well, but I find I have walnuts on hand more often, since they are a bit less expensive.  The pesto pictured about was made with minimal olive oil (roughly 1/4 cup) and so it is quite thick - perfect for tossing into warm pasta.  I do sometimes add more oil (1/2 - 3/4 cup) to make the pesto more spreadable (or drizzle able), in order to top grilled bread, or use as a garnish.


MY FAVORITE PESTO
Recipe
3 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup walnut halves (or the traditional pine nuts)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup olive oil, or more to get the blended consistency you like
2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
1/8-1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:
To toast walnuts:  Preheat oven to 350
Spread nuts on baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant.
Add toasted walnuts to food processor, and pulse until crumbly.
Add basil leaves and garlic and pulse to combine.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl to combine evenly.
Check for salt, and adjust as needed.
Pesto can then be used in your favorite pasta recipe, or stored in the fridge an airtight container for up to a week.
You may also freeze your pesto in ice cube trays, and then transfer the cubes to zip lock bags, to enjoy the bright beautiful taste of pesto throughout the Winter!


** For my Italian heritage, a bit of history for you ^_^
Traditional pesto hails from the Liguria region in Northwest Italy.  It is here, in the thriving port city of GENOVA, where the infamous 'Pesto Genovese' gets its name.  One reason this sauce was (and still is) so popular in the region of Liguria is because of the mineral-rich seaside soil and temperate climate, perfect for growing beautiful, green basil. Old Italian legend has it that pesto got its name from the way it was traditionally prepared: with a mortar and pestle (mortaio e pestello).  With a gentle turn of the wrist, sweet basil leaves are squeezed with garlic, pine nuts and olive oil against a ceramic mortar and wooden pestle.  While this slow, yet deliberate process gently coaxed the flavors from the basil, oil, and pine nuts, most modern day cooks prefer the help of a blender or food processor.


I actually do have a lovely marble mortar and pestle.  It sits on my counter, more as a decoration than a kitchen tool.  Perhaps one day, when I am feeling a bit rustic, I will bust it out, and grind me some pesto the authentic way!  ^_^