Oil-Free Vegan Pesto

I’ve been making this oil-free pesto for 10 years and my friends and family ask for this recipe all the time, regardless of their diet preferences. It has bright, clean flavors without being heavy or overly salty, as many traditional store bought versions can be. You won’t miss the cheese either because the nutritional yeast lends that umami flavor beautifully with a boost of B12.

• 8 oz of basil, or two large boxes
• 1 cup of pine nuts
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed
• juice of 1/2 of a large lemon
• 3 tbs of nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk, I use Planet Oat

1. Wash and dry the basil in a salad spinner, or pat dry with a clean towel. Remove the large stems from the basil.
2. In a food processer, start breaking down the basil by adding it in quarters. Process the first quarter, just till there is room for the next quarter and so on.
3. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt. Process until it makes a dry paste.
4. Slowly start to pour in the milk until the pesto is a nice spreadable texture. You may not need all the milk, or you might need a little more. The pesto should not be runny.
5. Always taste to see if you need more lemon, salt, or garlic. It is best to taste on a corner of bread to give you a true sense of the balance.

This makes about 1 and 1/2 cups of pesto. I store it in 1/2 cup containers and keep in the freezer. When using and storing in the refridgerator, either cover the top with some plastic wrap (same as you would leftover guacamole) or simple scrape off the oxidized top layer the next time you use it. The top layer isn’t spoiled, just oxidized, and not very appetizing.