Green Pea and Basil Pesto

Did you know that ‘pesto’ is not only made with basil? Sure we may associate pesto with basil most often, but parsley, arugula, mint, fresh dill, fresh sage, or anything else you can think of can be made into a pesto. I grew up with the basil kind, freshly made from all of the basil growing in the garden, and during a trip to New Zealand, I set my taste buds on a mint pesto with Asiago cheese! It was incredibly delicious. So get creative with whatever you may have in abundance. One of my favourite new creations is below! You know me, adding in some extras wherever I can.

Ingredients

• ¾ Cups Shelled Walnuts
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1 Cup Green Peas, thawed
• 1½ Cup Basil, firmly packed
• 1 Lemon
• ⅔ Cup Asiago cheese, grated *or Parmesan Cheese if you’d like
• 5-6 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Add the walnuts in a food processor and pulse about 15 times. Add the garlic cloves and pulse to mix into the walnuts.
2. Add the green peas, basil, juice of 1 lemon and pulse to combine all ingredients.
3. Add the cheese and allow to combine while adding in about 2 to 3 Tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil at a time until the mixture turns into its desired consistency.
4. Add to your favourite dish as a sauce to enjoy the flavours.

Other Uses:

• freeze into individual portions (think ice cube trays) to have ready on hand for your next dish.
• add as a spread to an egg sandwich