Parsley-Pumpkin Seed Pesto
90 calories per serving
8 servings
Sauce/Dressing
Vegan
Ingredients:
1 cup Parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp dried lentils, whole
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Olive oil
3 tbsp Pumpkin seeds
*Water (I used whey)
*Salt
Instructions:
Grind lentil seeds in a spice grinder until fairly fine. Some small coarse pieces are okay. Set aside.
Grind pumpkin seeds until fairly fine. Some coarse pieces are okay. **If using a food processor, this step is not necessary.**
In a food processor (or blender, as I used) combine parsley, garlic, lemon juice olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
Add in ground pumpkin and lentil seeds and blitz again. If consistency is thick, slowly stream in a bit of water (or whey) while blender is running until the mixture becomes smooth, or the consistency of thick yogurt.
Salt to taste.
Traditionally, pesto is made with basil, pine nuts and parmesan. In truth, it can be made with any nut and leafy green. Some substitutions are listed below but use your imagine and create your own combination!
For those that are dairy free, this recipe is for you. Cheese can also be substituted with bread crumbs instead of the lentils. But I wanted to make this recipe gluten free. The ground lentils (or breadcrumbs) help with the texture of the pesto since there is no cheese.
Substitutions:
Parsley: Any herb such as basil, cilantro. Even spinach, arugula or kale
Pumpkin seeds: Any nut such as peanut, macadamia, pine nut, walnut