What do you know about Pesto? Before writing this, all I knew was that it was delicious! Pesto originated in the northern region of Italy in Genoa. The word Pesto means to pound or top crush, referring to how it is made. Although there are many different kinds of Pesto, most people associate the word Pesto with the traditional green basil Pesto.

This Pesto is a play on the traditional green Basil Pesto sauce. As you will soon notice, I like a bit of spice in my food. Adding the arugula gives it a bit of a fresh spicy flavor. Use it as a sauce, dip or spread. Sometimes I like to freeze my leftover Pesto in ice cubes & store in freezer bag to make creamy Pesto as needed. Like most pesto, this is incredibly easy to make!

Notes & Substitutions:

Equipment: Food processor or high powered blender with food processor blade attachment.
Cheese: I prefer to use a powdered vegan cheese with this recipe, but nutritional yeast will also work.

Ingredients: See ‘A Pinch, A Dash & A Smidge’ for measuring references.

A few handfuls of fresh arugula
A few handfuls of fresh basil
A tad of powdered vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
A handful of Sunflower Seeds (lightly toasted)
Garlic (minced)
A pinch or two of red pepper flakes
The juice of about half a lemon
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Dry toast your sunflower seeds in a frying pan on medium heat until golden and toasty.
Combine the arugula, basil, vegan cheese, toasted sunflower seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt & pepper to your food processor.
While blending, add in the olive oil in a slow stream until completely emulsified.