Avocado Pesto Spread - vegan

Basil has a strong flavor folks tend to love or hate. I happen to love it - my husband, not so much. Therefore, I did not ask him to taste test this Avocado Pesto Spread. So imagine my surprise when he ate the pasta I made with leftovers the next day. He surprised me again when he took the leftover pasta for lunch the day after that. (I have to admit I was a little disappointed by that last surprise. I was all set to have the leftover pasta for MY lunch!)

Why Avocado?

In keeping with the ideas presented in Dr. Colin Cambell’s book Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, I try to use whole foods in the place of processed oils whenever possible. Traditional pesto is usually made with olive oil. I opted for avocado, water and lemon juice instead. The results were exceedingly satisfying.

Avocado Pesto Spread

This Avocado Pesto Spread has the strong cheesy, garlic, basil flavor you associate with pesto without the dairy or processed oil. Nutritional yeast adds the cheesy taste. Avocado adds just enough creamy goodness you don’t miss the olive oil.

It makes a lovely spread for sandwiches or crackers. You can also add it to warm pasta. (Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water to thin the pesto to desired consistency.)

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Avocado Pesto Spread

Quick and easy - this avocado pesto spread has the yummy cheesy, garlic, basil flavor you associate with pesto, but it's free of processed oil and dairy.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 4 cups basil leaves fresh, packed
• ¼ avocado peeled, pitted
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt
• ½ tsp. garlic granules
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

• Add walnuts to food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse to chop finely.
• Add 2 cups of basil to food processor and pulse to chop finely. Repeat with remaining basil.
• Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended, scraping sides as necessary.
• Adjust seasoning to taste.

Notes

Recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto.

Spread on toast, sandwiches, wraps or crackers.

You can also add it to warm pasta – reserve a little of the cooking water to thin the pesto to desired consistency.

 Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.

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