I'm nursing a baby with a dairy sensitivity so I had to go cold turkey off of it 2 months ago. It honestly hasn't been as difficult as I anticipated but there are still a few things I miss. Like cheese. We eat plenty of pasta in our home and tend to garnish it with a lot of cheese.
That's why I'm in love with this vegan pesto dish. It's versatile, flavorful and oh so creamy.
Ingredients:
fresh basil
fresh parsley
walnuts
silken tofu
garlic
lemon juice
nutritional yeast (optional)
salt/sugar (optional)
In a high powered blender or food processor blend 2 cloves fresh garlic with 6oz extra firm silken tofu (about 1/2 package), juice of 2 small lemons and 1/2 cup walnuts (or pine nuts, toasted) until creamy. I used one bunch of fresh basil (about 2 cups, rinsed leaves only) and 1/2 bunch of parsley (rinsed, stems removed). Add greens and nutritional yeast and pulse until desired color/consistency.
In the photo {above} I used whole wheat noodles and added 1 can diced stewed tomatoes and 1 can sliced olives. There are so many greens in the sauce, I don't bother with a salad. "Green Spaghetti" night is quite popular with my children.
*Tips: I salt to taste once the sauce is on the pasta (and sometimes add a teaspoon of sugar). If your pesto seems too thick in the processor, add more lemon juice or even some olive oil. Fresh garlic is far more potent than sauteed garlic so be careful not to add too much at first. I buy nutritional yeast in the bulk section at a natural foods store. It's a powder that has a cheesy/nutty flavor. It's often used as a garnish in place of Parmesan cheese. Sometimes I make an extra batch of pesto to freeze. I fill ice cube trays with the pesto, freeze for a few hours then pop them into a large freezer zip lock bag. The cubes are perfect for single serving pasta dishes and pizza sauce.
**This recipe is an altered version of 'Basil Pesto' from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook.
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