Walnut-Basil Pesto

I never seem to grow enough basil in my garden for my liking. This year, I planted more than ever before, and harvested early and often so it would bifurcate to keep my plants bushy and productive, yet I still found myself wishing I had planted twice or three times as many plants as I did.

What have I learned from this? Well, next year I’ll need to plant more basil, obviously, but I’m also going change a few things up:

First, I’ll plant my seeds earlier in the season, and practice more succession planting. Once a basil plant has established itself to the point it can be harvested, it can become quite bushy and productive if done in the correct way. Therefore, it’s really more about getting my plants going early rather than how many I have growing at one time.

Second, I plan to plant in clusters of 3-5 rather than dedicating an entire bed to tidy, uniform rows that are evenly spaced. This will make it so I can plant basil in various nooks and crannies, in containers, or alongside other plants growing in my garden, which should also hopefully help to reduce damage from pests since it won’t all be concentrated in one location.

And third, I’ll harvest my basil once a week rather than as-needed for recipes. From that weekly harvest, I’ll make pesto to freeze and/or store on my counter in a jar of water, and pluck the leaves as needed.

Our Favorite Ways to Use Pesto:

• As a sauce in pasta

• As a base for pizza

• Mixed in with eggs

• With meats (we especially enjoy it over roasted chicken)

• With potatoes

• In homemade salad dressings

Do you have any special ways you make or use your pesto? If so, please feel free to share in the comments below. I’m always looking for new ways to use it.

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Walnut-Basil Pesto

Yield: About 1 pint

Author: A Wooden Nest

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup roasted walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of salt, to taste
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground paper
• A generous squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times. Remove lid and scrape down the sides. Repeat this process until the pesto has reached your desired consistency. I prefer my pesto to be a bit chunky, but you can blend until perfectly smooth if you prefer.
2. Scoop pesto into an airtight, freezer-safe containers and store in the freezer for up to a year. Alternatively, store pesto in a jar in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Notes

Optional: soak and dehydrate your walnuts prior to roasting to increase digestibility.

PIN IT FOR LATER

Chocolate Nut Butter

This three-ingredient chocolate-hazelnut spread is an indulgent, yet healthy(ish) staple in our kitchen. We make it all the time, usually with hazelnuts, but sometimes we’ll change it up and use almonds or peanuts instead. No matter which variety of nut you go with, the technique is basically the same, but the flavor is different. We also play around with the chocolate. I usually go for a higher quality dark, but it’s delicious made with milk chocolate too.

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Chocolate Nut Butter

Author: www.awoodennest.com

Ingredients

• 16 oz raw, unsalted nuts
• 8 oz chocolate, chopped
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Place nuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer and roast for 10-15 minutes, checking occasionally, until the nuts turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. (Optional Step: place hazelnuts in the center of a large tea towel or flour sack towel. Pick up the sides and secure. Shake vigorously to remove the skins.)
3. Place nuts in food processor with a pinch of salt. Process until pasty nut butter has formed.
4. Place chocolate in a double broiler until fully melted. Add to food processor with nut butter and continue to pulse until chocolate nut butter has reached desired consistency.
5. Jar up and store in the cupboard for up to two weeks. Alternatively, store in the fridge for up to a month or two.
6. *note: if you purchase roasted, salted nuts, just skip the step where you roast your nuts in the oven.

Notes

Delicious ways to use this chocolate-hazelnut spread:

• on toast
• in a smoothie
• in crepes with berries or bananas
• with granola
• in baked goods, like muffins or quick breads
• with fruit on crackers
• stirred in oatmeal
• on a spoon