Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Gaither Kitchen: Avocado Basil Pesto

Every summer we grow basil in our garden.  Not only do I love the fresh taste of the plant, but also how amazing the leaves smell!  Picking fresh basil is actually something I really enjoy simply because of the aroma.  On Monday I decided it was time to make use of the leaves and have a little garden to table in the Gaither Kitchen.



I am trying really hard to keep my "cheat meals" to a minimum as I work to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. So when I had a craving for cheese ravioli with pesto I knew I had to cut somewhere.  I found this healthy avocado basil pesto recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Ambitious Kitchen and knew this was what I wanted to try.  So what makes it healthy?  Most pesto recipes call for a fairly good amount of oil, so in this recipe we are going to replace the oil with avocado.  I'm a huge fan of avocado.  Whether you are having it in a salad or on a sandwich or by itself with a splash of fresh lime juice, this fruit provides you with healthy fats and we should all be a fan of that.   

Avocado Basil Pesto


Here is what you will need...
{Note: I made minor modifications to the original recipe}

1 Cup of fresh basil leaves
1/2 of a large avocado 
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 1/2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses

In your food processor, add your basil, avocado, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon and lime juice.  Pulse for about 20-30 seconds.  Next add in your water and pulse again until consistency is smooth.  Pour your pesto into a dish and mix in 1/4 cup cheese.  I personally prefer the three cheese mixture instead of only using Parmesan.  The cheese blend and avocado is actually what I think makes this pesto really stand out from the others.


Once you have mixed in your cheese you can pour over your pasta or store your pesto in an air tight container for up to 2 days.  


And, there you have it!  I would love to know if you try this recipe- comment below and let me know what you think!

2 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! I am definitely going to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's tasty! I think you will love it!

    ReplyDelete

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