Well, you may be asking, what on earth does pesto have to do with jewelry making?...let me make the connection that the very same bees that create the wax I carve, are also responsible for a good deal of my food!....I have been growing a variety of basil plants this year...African blue, lime, thai and of course the classic Genovese...and it is time to harvest the first wave....I am actually going to share two recipes with you, both are so easy peasy you will jump with joy...and this summer gem is such a pleasure to have in the depths of January to bring some light and sunshine to your meal...I love it on pasta of course, but its great on any vegetable or even a piece of salmon and then broiled... so healthy!
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
1 cup cashews ( you can substitute walnuts too, if you prefer..I really like cashews for this)
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/3 cup nutritional brewers yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch or two of salt
pinch of ground black peppe1 tsp dried parsley leaves if you like
throw everything into a food processor or vitamix till its a pulverized powder...then sprinkle liberally on anything you would normally use parmesan for...keeps in the fridge for a long while, but I assure you it will be gone pretty quickly...yum!...oh, and this needs to be kept in the fridge!
Vegan Pesto
( you can vary these amounts according to your taste, and how much you want to make)
1 cup basil leaves, washed, de stemmed
1/2 cup olive oil...you might need more (sometimes I substitute hemp or flax oil or whatever I have that is a healthy oil)
1/3 cup vegan parmesan
1/2 cup nuts of your choice ( I mostly do walnuts here...heart healthy!)
4 or 5 cloves garlic ( I like A LOT!...use 2 or 3 if you are not a garlic-head!)
whizz it up in food processor or vitamix...and feel free to play w/ oil amount if you like runnier pesto, salt and pepper, etc...if I have made small amounts I freeze in a ice cube tray, but more often I make big quantities of this and I pour it into half pint jam jars, leaving about 1/2" at the top and store them in the freezer.
enjoy your jewels!.I hope today is treating you beautifully!..bon appetit!..xx, K
