Last week, we posted on Social Media the recipe for one of our favorite, quick and easy, always have on hand, snacks ~ Vegan pesto! Mineral rich, with healthy fats, fiber and protein, it goes on or with just about anything…and makes it that much yummier! We love it on avocado toast, on top of salads, with zucchini noodles, grain-free noodles, any noodles you love really, on bison sliders, with our raw onion bread, eggs, mixed with any and all fresh veggies, as a dip, on grain-free crackers…literally, anything!

If you’re buying pre-made pesto, chances are they skipped the step of “activating” the nuts that are used in the sauce, unless clearly stated! Eating nuts and seeds (and all foods) in their most “digestible” state is really important for optimal nutrition, absorption, and assimilation. The best way to prepare and eat nuts and seeds is to always soak and sprout them first. This releases digestive inhibitors while also activating all the nutritional properties. This process in turn makes digesting nuts & seeds (and even grains) so much easier; so make sure you’re buying raw nuts so they can still sprout! After this process of soaking and sprouting, the nut or seed then goes from a raw food to a living food ~ also sometimes called “activated” (more of this soon). So this recipe calls for activated pine nuts!

Another major benefit of making your own pesto at home is how much waste you can save! We’re not even talking about the plastic saved on packaging (even though that is definitely a major plus). Have you ever wondered what you can do with the tops to your carrots? Well now you have the perfect way to up-cycle them into more of your food, including this recipe! The pairing of the traditional basil with a bitter green like carrot tops creates a complexity of flavor that is sometimes missing when traditional cheese is omitted. Speaking of cheese, a lot of vegan pesto recipes call for nutritional yeast to simulate that cheese flavor and texture. Most nutritional yeasts, however, can aggravate or accelerate already present issues of Candida overgrowth (which is common in most adults suffering with sweet and sugar addictions). If you really want that cheesy flavor in your pesto, I (only) recommend Premier Research Labs nutritional yeast. They offer an extremely high quality, supplement grade nutritional yeast that tastes just as good without as many negative side effects. I still only recommend this for occasional use, as even the high-grade, quality stuff can increase already present candida. Also, if you aren’t vegan you can sprinkle some humanely sourced, raw, organic cheese on top of this pesto.

OK, on to the PESTO RECIPE:

Homemade Raw, Vegan, Simply DIVINE Pesto Recipe:

Ingredients:

· 1 cup organic basil leaves

· 1/2 cup organic baby arugula or bitter greens/herbs (like the carrot tops we talked about above!)

· 1 cup activated raw pine nuts (soaked and sprouted!)

· 4-5 cloves of garlic

· 1/3 cup high quality organic cold-pressed virgin olive oil

· 1/4-1/2 tsp salt

· 1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)

Instructions:

1. Put all your ingredients in a food processor or Vitamix (or similar blender).

2. Blend it up until it creates the consistency you desire--anywhere from a chunky pesto to a sauce-like smoothness that spreads as easily as butter.

And that is it! Jar it up, put it in the fridge, and it should last at least two weeks if stored properly! You can also put these into silicon trays and freeze them for later use, too, just like the coconut yogurt!

Enjoy it on all your favorite things! And with all your favorite people ~ because our recipes are always best when shared with someone you love! <3

Wellynest's Simply Divine Pesto