a study in pesto: part 1

Pesto is a great staple to know how to make when eating a raw vegan diet. You can take anything relatively bland and with a smear of pesto it transforms into something deep, rich and satisfying.

I will be sharing three pesto recipes in the next few weeks with you. The first comes out of the Idiot's Guide to Raw. I liked that there isn't any oil in it. Some pestos can be really oily and separate quickly in the fridge if you have leftovers. I changed the recipe a bit adding more water to blend easier by 4T instead of 2T. I also used a full tsp of salt instead of 1/2.

This is a semi-traditional basil pesto. It can be used as a spread on crackers, pizza crusts,or live noodles like zucchini or yellow squash. I used zucchini noodles.

Using a spiralizer really helps turn zucchini and other squashes into a noodle shape with great texture. The right texture can really make or break a recipe. I use the Joyce Chen spiralizer and love it. I also have the green Benriner one, but I actually prefer the texture of the cheaper one!! The noodles come out looking like curly fusilli shapes.

Instead of olive oil, however, is avocado. The avocado is apparent as a flavor, which isn't all bad. It mellows out the citrus and basil well.

There are pine nuts in this recipe, so if you have an allergy to these as many do, or don't feel up to spending 29 dollars a pound, (yikes) you can substitute raw macadamias.





On top of the noodles with basil pesto, I added a hearty sprinkling of cashew parmesan. It's a simple recipe similar to the Brazil nut parmesan I make, just using cashews instead of Brazil nuts. They are both great. I think the Brazil nut recipe is a heavier flavor,(which I prefer), and find that I use more of the cashew sprinkle to get the same satisfaction.

Basil Pesto:

1/2 avocado
3 T lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic
1 bunch basil
1 tsp salt
pinch cayenne
1 T pine nuts


Blend in a mini prep food processor or a blender.

Cashew Parmesan:

frozen cashews in a mason jar

1 handful raw cashews ( soaked and dehydrated if you can)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp himalayan sea salt

process in a food processor
I use a Cuisinart mini prep- great for small batches.