Walnut Pesto

I love making pesto because it is so versatile. If I have a jar of it, I can reach for it for pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and veggie dip. Here's how I make mine:

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Vegan Walnut Pesto:
-1 or 2 cups raw walnuts, soaked in fresh water a few hours or overnight, then rinsed
-1 med. bunch of basil (2- 3 cups packed)
-1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
-3 garlic cloves
-juice of 1 lemon
-salt, to taste
*optional: vegan Parmesan
-tools: a food processor

Pesto is always an experiment that involves me hovering over my food processor with my taster spoon. I start with some of the walnuts and some of the basil and oil and build from there. I wouldn't even say these are the exact measurements because I add a little here, another there. Flavorwise, I tend to be light on the basil and toss in extra garlic. Oil goes in til the perfect mix of chunkiness and spread-ability happens.

When I dip my spoon in and it finally comes back with a Halleluiah chorus singing on my taste buds, I throw it in a mason jar and enjoy it for up to 5 days. I don't know if that's the shelf life, I've just never had a batch last longer than that before being devoured! If you have extra you can also freeze it.

Tip: You can substitute pine nuts for walnuts to make a more traditional pesto, or sub parsley for basil in a pinch.

Mexican Pizza with Homemade Sour Cream

Wishing you all a belated feliz dia de independencia! I celebrated by polishing off the leftover of a series of Mexican pizzas I started this weekend, and topping it all off with delicious homemade vegan sour cream, which is the exact same recipe as yesterday's cream cheese- it amazingly works for both!

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Vegan Mexican Pizza (makes approx. 5, to serve right away or as delicious leftovers):
-5 whole wheat pitas
-1 pkg chipotle-flavored Seitan
-1 can low-sodium vegan black or re-fried beans (or sub soaked beans)
-1 small can green chilis
-1-3 tomatoes
-2-3 tomatillos
-2 small green onions
-shredded vegan cheese (Daiya "cheddar" works beautifully)
-salsa (I prefer chunky pico de gallo)
-small head red leaf lettuce
-vegan cashew sour cream (see yesterday's post here for the recipe!)
-cumin and/or vegan taco seasoning
-fresh cilantro to taste
Optional healthy fat: add sliced avocado

• Pre-heat the oven to 425. I wanted crispy crusts, so I left the pitas in the oven as it was warming, flipping them once. Meanwhile, chop the veggies and rinse the beans if needed, and heat a little oil in a pan.
• Lightly fry the seitan and tomatillos in the oiled pan with the garlic and green onion. Add the chilies, cumin/seasoning, and tomatoes at the end. Don't forget to remove the warmed pitas from the oven.
•  Layer the pitas with beans and the mixture from the pan, plus salsa, vegan cheese, and lettuce.
• Bake in the oven til cheese has melted and lettuce wilted, anywhere from 10-20 min.
• Remove from oven and top with any extra tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and a generous dollop of vegan sour cream. Enjoy! Que te pases un buen dia!

See more pictures on my instagram: @veganlifeisgood

See more pictures on my instagram: @veganlifeisgood