Friday, November 23, 2007

RECIPE ~ Greens Pesto


If basil is out of season and you're looking to get more fresh greens in your diet, make this pesto!

1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp miso
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh chopped bitter greens (rapini, dandelion, arugula...)
1 cup fresh chopped spinach
generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/4 lemon wedge


Place all ingredients in a food processor and grind until a chunky paste forms. Use immediately or refrigerate in a jar for a few days. Makes about 1 cup.

WAYS TO USE YOUR PESTO
~ toss in cooked rice for a hot side dish or a cold rice salad with chopped cucumbers and cherry tomatoes
~ toss in pasta for a hot side dish or cold pesto pasta salad with artichoke hearts, olives and sundried tomatoes
~ stir into hummus for an exciting variation on the chickpea dip
~ mix with mayonnaise (vegan or regular) for a delicious dip for fries like oven-baked sweet potato fries

Heavily inspired by the deliciousness of the recipes found on Vegan YumYum!

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS spinach and leafy greens are too pungent for Vatas so consume in moderation
PITTAS choose dandelion and other leafy greens but avoid arugula and spinach; replace pistachios with soaked almonds
KAPHAS excellent for Kaphas! reduce oil to a minimum (1 Tbsp), adding water or more lemon juice if needed for the right consistency; replace pistachios with soaked almonds

3 comments:

pan blurray said...

I've just been looking through a lot of your blog and it looks really great. Especially for a wheat and dairy free vegetarian like myself.

Keep it up and I hope to learn more about Ayurveda.

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Thank you, Dan! I had to get pretty creative and research lots of recipes when I also went wheat- and dairy-free, so I'm glad sharing them is helping you out. All the best! ~Claudia

Anonymous said...

I have also had fun putting raw Kale in a regular Basil pesto, you can't taste it and the purple kales help keep the pesto a vibrant green