Sunny Pesto

A great thing about having a garden and putting things by is the summery reminder certain flavors can bring back to you in the middle of winter. In late September, before the basil was nipped by frost, I made a few batches of pesto. This included a little Thai Basil Pesto which we enjoyed that very day. Today we were able to enjoy the taste of late summer with some of the Genovese Basil Pesto I had made.

As I mentioned before my Thai Pesto recipe, I used the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance but you can find other vegan pesto like Post Punk Kitchen’s Besto Pesto, Whole Foods Market’s Vegan Pesto, or Vegan Spoonful’s Vegan Pesto Sauce.

A warm bowl of Sunny Pesto on some noodles and a dollop of marinara sauce is just what a soul needs in the middle of a February cold snap.

Thai Pesto

It’s near the end of basil season and Jim harvested most of the plants before the first frost. We made a great batch of pesto with the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. We also had a great crop of Thai Basil this year. It has smaller leaves and a very pronounced Anise flavor to it.

Along with par boiled veggies and rice noodles, I mixed up a batch of Thai Basil Pesto. It was like Pad Thai with a twist. The real secret is the brand of peanut butter I used from Peanut Butter & Co., it is infused with a perfect amount of chili oil!

Ingredients:
1 Cup packed Thai Basil leaves
1 clove of Garlic
1 Tablespoon of The Heat is On peanut butter
Juice from 1/2 Lime

Prepare:
Just like regular pesto, pulse all of the ingredients listed in a food processor until it makes a paste. Stir into noodles and or veggies for a really flavorful meal.