Pesto / Nut Free / Low Oil

Homemade pesto is quick and easy to make. I love making my own, as I can control how much fat goes into it compared to the store bought. This pesto recipe is much healthier, easier to digest and not to mention so fresh and fragrant.

This healthy basil pesto is packed with lots of nutrients like vitamin K, A, calcium and iron. Generally, basil is used in small quantities so the only substantial nutrient that it provides is vitamin K. This vitamin is needed for blood clotting, it helps to heal wounds and it help to keep your bones healthy. Basil, garlic and lemon also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to lower the risk of inflammatory conditions, which is why it is good to add them to your meals for both the flavour and health benefits.

Pesto is a great addition to pastas, pizzas, salads, buddha bowls and wraps. Pretty much you can add it to anything you desire.

This pesto is nut free, very low in oil, and you can also omit the olive oil to make it completely oil free. In this recipe we are going to use sunflower seeds instead of nuts, but if you have no nut allergies, then feel free to add walnuts or pine nuts instead.

Pesto Sauce

Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 5 min

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon juiced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds (I usually presoak my seeds for 30 min in hot water)
• 112 g or 4oz fresh basil (a big bunch)

Directions:

1. To make the pesto sauce place all the ingredients in a blender or magic bullet, and blend until mixed, but you still see some texture of the basil (if you wish).

Tips:

• You can watch the very short video for visual.
• I recommend soaking your sunflower seeds for at least 30 min in hot water, for easy digestion. Seeds and nuts can be hard to digest if they are pre soaked for some people.
• You can omit the olive oil altogether to make it an oil free pesto.
• Can you add nutritional yeast? Yes, you can if you wish.