Five-Minute "Partytime" Pesto
5-minute pesto
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This five-minute pesto makes a perfect meal that is full of flavor and nutrients. It also fills the house with beautiful scents of greens, lemon and garlic!
Friday afternoon I took Lucas to my mom’s for the night, came home and concocted a pesto for dinner, decluttered a bit and opened a bottle of Prosecco. It’s been a pretty long week. Chris has been busy at work and both of us have been up 2-3 times a night due to the “sweet chirps of an innocent child” as Chris calls it. This makes me laugh when I should be going insane. (Sofia slept better as a newborn than she does now.)
Despite everything, Chris always has a smile for us when he walks through the door (and Friday he had on a sky blue t-shirt and was looking very tan and cute!) He told me that his coworkers were going to Two Urban Licks for dinner and I instantly felt a little wistful for those days of hitting the town. “But I told them” he said, “that my son is at his grandma’s and when Sofia goes to bed, it is party time for me and my wife.” … (about a 3 second silence before we both crack up laughing.)
That night “partytime” equaled Chris working on his message for Saturday’s jail visit (he just started ministering there – something he has always wanted to do) and me conking out after one glass of bubbly. Amazingly, Sofia slept (almost) through the night for the first time in weeks!
That is one reason I am calling this one Partytime Pesto. Another reason is that uses basic, inexpensive ingredients so it’s a great pesto to serve to a crowd. It is lighter on the garlic than some other pestos, and I left out the parmesan cheese to be grated on individual servings. Almonds are used instead of pine nuts and it incorporates a variety of greens, resulting in a bold, fresh flavor. Great way to use up greens!
Sofia loved it but insisted that I serve it with an extra bowl so that she could transfer the pasta back and forth. The next day Lucas ate it too, although I heard him mutter to himself “eat it anyway” (our new family motto, I hope I’m not traumatizing him.)
Saturday night, we did manage to squeeze in some lazing in the hammock, the remaining Prosecco and an episode of Parenthood. Yay!!
Recipe: Five-Minute Pesto (vegan)
Author: Natalia Gill
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 6 servings
This quick pesto is bursting with flavor and nutrients. Interchange nuts and greens to make endless varieties. It’s a winner every time!
INGREDIENTS
½ cup almonds (or sub any nut or sunflower seeds)
20 large basil leaves
3 cups spinach
1 clove garlic
½ tsp. salt
juice of ½ lemon
extra virgin olive oil (about ½ cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
Throw all ingredients except olive oil into the food processor. Process until the ingredients are chopped very fine (stopping intermittently to scrape it down off the sides if needed.)
With the processor running, drizzle in enough olive oil to bring the sauce together.
NOTES
This can be served with grilled meats, eggs, as a sandwich adornment or pizza sauce, or with pasta – topped with grated parmesan and/or an extra squeeze of lemon. The list is endless.