Easy Summer Pesto
A sweet basil pesto recipe that’s super easy, nutritious and oh, so delicious.
It’s that time of summer again. Pesto time!
Easy Summer Pesto
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Effort/Skill: Easy
Ingredients & Directions
Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
5-6 garlic cloves
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp salt
6 raw almonds
1 handful raw sunflower seeds
Optional: Juice of ½ lemon
Toss all ingredients into the blender and whir away. If you feel it needs more liquid, add a tsp of water or oil at a time.
Enjoy the pesto on pasta with some fresh tomatoes, green onions and a dash of nutritional yeast on top. This recipe makes enough for two very generous pasta portions.
OR
Add it as a dip with your veggie snacks and crackers.
OR
Use it on a pizza in place of, or with your favourite tomato sauce.
OR
Add it to your favourite toasted bread and drizzle some garlic infused olive oil over top. Yum!
NOURISHED FACT
Botany time.
Ocimum basilicum or Sweet Basil originates from China and has long since been naturalized around the globe.
O. basilicum is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family and like other members of the mint family, it has a square stem and it’s hairy too! It can reach up to 3 feet in height, if you’re so lucky. The leaves are opposite and roughly an inch long. If you touch the leaves you may notice a clove-like aroma. Likely the reason that it is used throughout the world to “disinfect” the air.
Superstition and mythology have linked the herb to scorpions - for example, there was an ancient belief that a sprig of basil left under a pot for some time would turn into a scorpion. The myth goes that even inhaling the aroma would invite a scorpion into the brain. No thank you.
Sweet basil demonstrates antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Aside from working against the bad bugs in the body, fresh basil and oils and extracts contain antioxidants.
Over a quarter of the Vitamin K your body needs (based on the RDA) is found in just 2 tbsp of chopped basil. Vitamin K is responsible for blood clotting, so if we’re taking blood thinner - be sure to speak to your doctor when including Vitamin K green leafy vegetables.
Basil also has vitamin A, manganese and magnesium. And enjoyng basil with a source of fat (like in this pesto recipe) will help you to absorb these nutrients.
As an essential oil, sweet basil has the scent of licorice and is known to stimulate, energize and clarify the mind. It may repel some insects and even soothe a headache. If you’re going to apply to skin, use a carrier oil (like almond,argan) and be sure to talk to your doctor first. If you’re open to using in the diffuser, let me know if you find clarity and an energized mind.
I love to include basil in the diet in all sorts of ways. Aside from pesto, I toss it into a strawberry or pineapple smoothie, on a pizza, in a salad, or in a wrap or sandwich.
Sources:
A Modern Herbal. (n.d.). Botanical.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/basswe18.html
Basil sweet oil - benefits & uses of energizing & stimulating oil. (n.d.). Newdirectionsaromatics.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/products/all-about-basil-sweet-oil.html
Food & recipes. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/beautiful-basil
(N.d.). Sciencedirect.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024, from http://sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/ocimum-basilicum
