Vegan Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Hello folks! André here. Today we're sharing one more use for our vegan parmesan "cheese". We've sprinkled it on our Mushroom & Walnut Spicy "Bolognese" and now it is time to tell you how we use it in our version of a classic sauce we've all at least heard of.
Pesto is one of those unmistakable flavours we just cannot live without and this vegan version does not fall short of the real deal. We make it every once in a while and even keep a few frozen pesto cubes in the freezer in case we need a quick burst of flavour in any pasta dish. We've replaced the usual grated parmesan cheese for a generous scoop of vegan parmesan "cheese", so don't worry, it still has that slight cheesy taste to it. Pesto is typically made with pine nuts but since they seem to be more expensive than gold in our part of the world, we tried using the humble pumpkin seeds instead and it turned out pretty awesome! Personally, we love adding a squeeze of lemon — the acidity helps cut through the richness of the olive oil and pumpkin seed mix.
And the best part is, you can grab this formula and include any sort of fresh aromatic herb or leafy green. You may even combine a few to create new, more complex flavours. We are all familiar with the deliciousness of basil pesto, but have you ever tried mint pesto? Coriander and mint pesto? Parsley and arugula pesto? They're all worth the try!
VEGAN PUMPKIN SEED Pesto
5 minutes | makes 1 cup
INGREDIENTS
2 cups packed | approximately 50 gr. fresh aromatic herbs (basil, parsley, mint, coriander) or leafy greens (spinach, arugula, carrot tops, beetroot greens)
1/4 cup | 35 gr. vegan parmesan "cheese"
1/2 cup | 65 gr. pumpkin seeds
1 garlic clove, center germ removed
squeeze of lemon juice to taste
black pepper & sea salt to taste
1/2 cup | 125 ml. cold-pressed olive oil
STEP BY STEP
Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.
Add all of the ingredients (except the olive oil) to your food processor/blender and blend until it becomes a paste.
With the food processor on, feed the olive oil slowly through the feeder. If the pesto is too thick, add a little bit more olive oil. If too runny, add more herbs/greens and pumpkin seeds.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in ice cube moulds.
