Pesto!

Hello Monday!

I had a lovely weekend, did you?

Let's talk about pesto.

One thing I love about working from home is that I can prepare a warm fresh lunch for myself everyday. Sometimes I'm very organised and have meals planned out ahead of time, or even prepared meals ahead of time that can be reheated or quickly assembled during the week. But I of course have days when I just get sucked into my work, and don't put a single thought into eating until I'm incredibly starving. This is when a quick bowl of pasta and homemade pesto become a great alternative. 

In the few minutes it takes to cook your pasta of choice you can make a fresh, tasty and healthy homemade pesto out of what you most likely have at home. All you need is a food processor. (I've got a mini one.)

A traditional pesto includes pine nuts, basil leaves and parmesan cheese... but why be boring. Mix it up!

Start off with a nut or seed of your choice, such as:

• Sunflower seeds (my favorite) 

• Walnuts

• Almonds

• Flax seeds

• Pine nuts

• Cashews

Add some herbs and greens, choose one or make your own mix:

• Basil

• Spinach

• Tarragon

• Thyme

• Arugula 

• Kale

• Sage

You'll need some flavorings too if you like:

• Garlic

• Spring Onions

• Small Chunk of Parmesan or similar hard cheese

• A small spoon of French dijon mustard

• Tomato

• Lemon Zest

And then finish off with:

• A generous amount of Olive oil

• A squirt of Lemon, or a swig of Red or White Wine Vinegar

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Just whizz everything together in your food processor, and then pour over your freshly cooked and drained pasta. You can even crack in an egg for added protein and a creamy texture. (The raw egg will cook due to the heat of the pasta, and will turn creamy when mixed with the pesto and starchy pasta.) Yum!