toasted walnut pesto

INGREDIENTS

2 cups packed fresh basil, hard portions of stems removed

1/3 cup walnuts (can sub pistachios here too)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, loosely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Place walnuts in a small or medium frying pan. Dry toast walnuts over medium heat, constantly stirring or tossing so they don’t burn. Do this until they start to slightly brown - about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Place the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or nutribullet and blend until smooth. If you like a chunkier pesto - then VERY finely chop your toasted walnuts and then stir into to the blended pesto mixture. If you like a smoother pesto - add the walnuts directly to the nutribullet or food processor - and quickly pulse a few times.

Serve with pastas, veggie dishes, eggs, on top of pizzas, flatbreads…. or just eat with a spoon. I do this often.

Store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days.