Vegan Pesto Sauce with Pasta

Hot summer days are the perfect time to make simple pasta dishes tossed with fragrant pesto sauces. Most pesto is made with nuts; this quick and easy pesto recipe is nut free and vegan, which cuts down on the calories and expense- but not taste. ( of course it is gluten free as well).

I had a large bag of basil and a half bag of fresh parsley from the organic farm. I was getting ready to travel, so I gave it to my daughter- in- law Wendy. She made this wonderful nut free/dairy free pesto with it.

It's Wendy's Recipe

Basically her recipe calls for fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. It is a simple and delicious. She made it in the food processor not a blender.

Aside from the fact that there are many people who are allergic to nuts, nuts like pine nuts, walnuts, and pistachios which are usually in a pesto recipe are fairly expensive. Since this recipe is nut free and dairy free- it's also much less expensive to make. Yet, you still get the robust flavor of fresh basil and the nice thick texture of pesto.

Raw greens like basil and parsley are cleansing and alkalizing

And remember that fresh greens of any kind like basil and parsley are cleansing and alkalizing for your body ph-( an alkalized body environment is very important for good health) . Pesto is just one more way to get your fresh alkalizing greens into your diet!! Since it's uncooked it provides an even greater abundance of enzymes and vitamins.

Served with a garden salad, pasta tossed in pesto can be eaten as a light and delicious dinner.

Summer Tip: 
Cook your pasta early in the  morning long before the heat sets in. Then store the cooked, drained and covered pasta in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. At dinner time just take out the cooked pasta , quickly heat it and then toss it your favorite pesto sauce.

Homemade pesto is fast and easy to make and tastes great on any shape of pasta. I've made
spinach basil pesto, all  basil pesto, and now nut free/dairy free pesto. All three are awesome.

Have too much basil? Freeze it
If your garden is over flowing with basil , then make the plain basil pesto which requires quite a bit of basil. You can then freeze the pesto in small mason freezer jars or in ice cube trays.

I have also frozen pasta that has been already tossed in the pesto.

Try this other pesto recipe that contains nuts
However, if you have to buy a large quantity of fresh basil in the supermarket ( it can be expensive  ) then make the spinach basil pesto . You will get the taste of basil but the benefit of spinach as well.

Gluten Free Pasta now comes in all shapes

There was a time that gluten free pasta was hard to find. Not any more! Gluten free pasta is available in just about any shape. It may be made from brown rice, quinoa, lentils, corn, etc  personally I keep away from the corn because most corn is GMO .

I like the farfalle shaped brown rice pasta or the penne shaped or spaghetti.
I buy the Jovial Gluten Free Organic Brown Rice Pasta Farfalle -- 12 oz - 2 pc

I also use Jovial Organic Brown Rice Spaghetti, 12-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) which I get on Amazon.

Ingredients:
3 cups of loosely packed fresh basil ( stems removed)
2 cups of loosely packed flat parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
Himalayan Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Place basil and parsley in the food processor with the metal blade. Begin to process and slowly add the oil, lemon juice and seasonings through the shute of the processor. Process with on/off bursts until well blended/

Note: This pesto is made in the food processor not the blender. 




It's all good and all personal preference.

Want low carb? Make Zoodles ( spiralized zucchini) zoodles and avocado pesto

zoodles ( spiralized zucchini) 

 For those of us prefer to forgo the carbs, zucchini noodles make a wonderful substitute for the pasta. All the flavor without the carbohydrates.  zoodles and avocado pesto

Shared on Weekend Cooking on Beth Fish Reads where anyone can share a food related post.

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