Here in Vermont, we grow basil in the garden through to mid-September. Truly, there is nothing like fresh, warm from sun basil wrapped in a sandwich roll-up or around a crisp cucumber. I dry a bunch for the spice jar too. Mostly though I make pesto; whatever we don’t eat in a couple days goes into the freezer for the coming winter when vibrant green pesto is most welcome!
My youngest is dairy-free and as a family we practice The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) which avoids pine-nuts and Parmesan, so here’s our recipe…
Dairy-Free Basil Pesto
Makes: you tell me, I keep forgetting to notice.
Ingredients
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ cup soaked almonds or pumpkin seeds
2/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil or flax oil, divided
Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Place all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor.
- Blend until you get the texture you like, we like it smooth and creamy.
Tips & Tricks
- Substitute a teaspoon of umeboshi plum vinegar for the salt.
- Add in fresh calendula or nasturtium flowers.
- Like pesto on the sour side? Add 2-3 squeezes of lemon or serve with a lemon wedge.
- Drizzle olive oil on top to maintain bright green color.
- Store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 4 days.
- Or, freeze into ice cube trays (pour olive oil over each cube) or tiny containers.
- This is a safe recipe for stage 1 and stage 2 of The Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.)
Pumpkin Seed Butter
How My Family Takes Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Nutritional Consultations with Tara, NC.
May all bellies be happy!
2 replies on “Basil Pesto Recipe: Kid-Approved & Dairy Free ?”
We spread pesto on gluten-free sourdough bread. Put a dollop onto fresh millet porridge or black bean noodles. Dip cucumbers and carrot sticks into. By the spoonful on the dinner plate as a condiment. It goes great with white fish! I don’t eat butter so pesto is my go to for so many things 🙂
Tara, what do you eat the pesto on?