Clean Eating Basil Pesto

I have a confession to make.

I have never made pesto before in life! There I said it.

Every spring I grow my own basil right outside my back door and around this time of year it turns into a magnificent fragrant bush. And yet I have never made pesto... until now. I know shocking isn't it?

I wish someone would have told me sooner what I've been missing out on. There's nothing like fresh pesto with whole grain pasta.

The one thing that got me was how easy it was to make. I always thought it would be some long drawn out process. Boy was I wrong. You basically throw everything into your food processor and presto! ...you have pesto. You probably even have everything you need to make this in your cupboards and pantry already.

This sweet peppery herb has some pretty unique health benefits too...

Nerd alert! It's time for some health facts:

Research has shown that basil has anti-bacterial properties, anti-inflammatory effects, is a very good source of vitamin A & beta-carotene, vitamin K, magnesium, calcium, iron, and is a good source of potassium and vitamin C.

Beta-carotene is a very powerful antioxidant that can be converted by the body into vitamin A. It's usually found in dark orange coloured vegetables and fruits, but is also found in high concentrations in certain leafy greens such as spinach, basil, mustard greens and kale. Remember when your mom told you that you would see in the dark if you eat your carrots; well that may have been a lie to get you to eat your veggetables but there is some truth to it. It is essential for good vision, growth and development, and proper immune system function.

Clean Eating Basil Pesto (makes about 3/4 cup)

Print, Email or Text this Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 3 cups fresh basil
• juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Direction:

1. Pulse garlic and walnuts in a food processor until chopped. Add basil, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Continue to pulse until chopped.
2. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. You may need to stop and scrap the sides down a few times.
3. Add the Parmigiano and blend until all ingredients are combined. 

*Note: This will stay good for up to a week when kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

This will be wicked on that whole grain pizza dough I made the other week, recipe here! Panini's, pasta, and pizza OH MY!

The other night when I came home from the gym I tried it as a topper for some chicken that we sauteed up in some olive oil (6 minutes per side on the stove top in a fry pan) it was like gourmet fast food. I think the next time I'll try it in stuffed chicken breast with goat cheese.

FYI. This hardly made a dent in my basil plant.

Rustic Kamut Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage

Back in the day when we used to eat without a second thought, spaghetti and meat sauce was a big hit at my house. My mom would make her famous tomato meat sauce with ground beef and we would cook up some white pasta and sit down to a family dinner. I still love my mom's old recipe as a treat -minus the white pasta. But one day it dawned on us, "hey, why can't we just clean it up and make it more nutritious?" Of course!

Well that's exactly what we did. Served with some good wine of course:

Ever since I picked up Tosca Reno's first eat clean diet cook book, I've been inspired to take recipes and turn them into healthy every day meals. It's become something of a hobby that I get to enjoy with my family when we come together to make dinner. We really like cooking together. And after all, real food should taste good and have the best of both worlds (nutrition & flavour).

This is now a recipe that we like to make over and over again. It's comforting, it's healthy, it's whole grain and most importantly it tastes really good! If you're looking for something to go with a good bottle of red wine, then this is a recipe for you. We made this last weekend and enjoyed it with a glass of Ravine's VQA Red Coat from St. Davids Ontario. 2010 was a great year for wine in Niagara.

I like to call this a rustic tomato sauce because the tomatoes are roasted down in the oven along with other veggies and herbs, making it less of a traditional pasta sauce. It uses plump fresh Ontario grown tomatoes, asparagus, and roasted sweet red bell peppers all roughly chopped. Instead of the ground beef we picked up some organic locally prepared low sodium extra lean turkey sausage from Nicholyn farm in Horseshoe Valley. Another great place that I like to frequent. And ancient grain kamut spaghetti to replace the white pasta. I would strongly suggest topping it with a little bit of soft goat cheese like I served it here, no measurements needed:

The fresh basil came from my herb garden.

Rustic Kamut Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups of mixed tomatoes, chopped (plum, yellow, cherry)
• 1 tbsp each of olive oil and red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 turkey sausages, grilled and sliced
• 2-3 tbsp fresh basil, torn
• 4 large knobs of goat cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425* F. In a large baking dish, combine chopped tomatoes, asparagus, olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, sea salt and garlic. Place in oven to roast for 10 minutes.
2. Saute the mushrooms in a medium sauce pan then add them, roasted red pepper, and grilled turkey sausage to the tomato mix. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes in the oven.
3. Meanwhile, start cooking the pasta for 8-10 minutes.
4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with the tomato mixture and half of the basil.
5. Serve among 4 plates and top with fresh torn basil and goat cheese.

Cheers to another home cooked meal!

If you like flavourful food you do not want to miss this one.