Basil Spinach Pesto - Super Healthy and Dairy Free!

​Pesto the wonder sauce.  And what better time to make in the height of the summer when the basil plants are at their peak.
 
Pesto goes with just about everything, on anything and literally takes about 10 minutes to make.

​Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Out of ideas?  Pull out the pesto. Spice up your scrambled eggs. Add pizzazz to your favorite salads. Having a glass of wine? Pair with zucchini roll ups, smoked salmon and some gluten free crackers. Blend into your favorite hummus or guacamole to change up the flavor. Dollop the cooked veggies and skip the heavy sauces and butter. Glaze your fish or chicken. Get my drift? With a little creativity and imagination, the ideas are endless!

If you are uncertain about adding spinach to your pesto, I encourage you to give it a try. There are many wonderful bonuses to adding it to your recipe. First off, basil has such a sweet, pungent powerful taste you won’t even notice the spinach in your recipe. And the vibrant green color of spinach showcases your food.

​By adding spinach to your pesto, you are adding a powerhouse of nutrients. The World's Healthiest Food (a not-for-profit foundation) analysis of nutritional properties placed spinach at the top of their nutrient-rich food list. “Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and vitamin C. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, protein and choline. Additionally, spinach is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, niacin, pantothenic acid and selenium…”

Spinach is also cheaper to purchase than basil so you make a lot more pesto without sacrificing the flavor. You will get nothing but compliments from your samplers!  Make in bunches when basil and spinach are at their peak freshness and freeze.  I like to use small wide mouth pint mason jars.  They make nice quick gifts to have on hand and freeze easily to enjoy throughout the cold winter months.

For a delicious super healthy and easy Basil Spinach Dairy Free Pesto recipe, check out the recipe below. You won't be disappointed! 

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Ingredients

• 2 cups basil leaves - packed
• 4 cups organic spinach
• 1/2 cup olive oil (may need 1 to 2 tablespoons more to reach consistency you desire)
• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted pine nuts (or other nuts, see below)
• Juice from ½ of lemon
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Toast the nuts. Many recipes toast pine nuts to add a rich, roasted flavor to pesto. But it’s also perfectly acceptable to leave them raw. Using raw pine nuts saves some time vis à vis toasting and cooling, and it also preserves their sweetness.
• In a food processor, combine the fresh basil, spinach, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast (if using) and salt.
• Pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped, scraping the sides as needed.
• Add in the olive oil, and blend until combined. If needed, add in more olive oil until desired consistency.

 
Additional Ideas

• If you miss the parmesan, add nutritional yeast to replace the cheese. You may discover that the fresh basil and lemon provides your pesto a beautifully refreshing flavor without. (I do not use.) Nutritional yeast is a deactivated strain of yeast that mimics the flavor, color and consistency of parmesan without the dairy inflammatory issues. It can be found in most grocery stores such as Whole Foods or Target.  Get creative and discover your favorite.  
• Different nuts offer different flavors.  Pine nuts are the standard for pesto, but can be hard to find and more expensive. Walnuts are a good substitute, but any nuts can be used for variety. Try almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, almond, pistachios or even macadamia nuts.   
• For nut-free pesto, simply replace the pine nuts with an equivalent amount of sunflower seeds. ​
• ​Store leftover pesto in a wide mouth pint mason jar in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to one year. To prevent the top of the pesto sauce from turning brown as it sits in the fridge (oxidizing), pour enough olive oil to cover the top. This keeps the pesto green by preventing oxygen from reaching the pesto. Not necessary, for looks only.

​Enjoy!