Dairy Free Pesto
You may think that parmesan cheese is a must-have ingredient in pesto but give this dairy free version a try and you won't believe how little you'll miss the dairy.
Need supplies? Try an Urban Cheesecraft Dairy Free Mozzarella and Ricotta Kit and you'll not only have nutritional yeast, but everything else you need to make bonus vegan and paleo cheese for Italian meals!
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly toasted pine nuts or walnuts
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 clove raw garlic, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Supplies
- Mini food processor or hand blender
- Storage jar
- Measuring cups, spoons, knife etc.
Yield
- 1/2 cup
Instructions
STEP 1.
Toss the nuts in a hot pan until aromatic and slightly golden- about 3-5 minutes. Careful with pine nuts, they can burn fast- like this. Oops! 
STEP 2.
Place the ingredients in the mini food processor (unless of course you want to do this in a mortar and pestle!) and pulse a few times.
STEP 3.
You may have to stop and scrape down the sides. Pulse again until everything is incorporated.
There should be a little texture left to adhere to pasta but you can make it to your preference. Like black pepper, perhaps lemon zest? Add a little!
That's it! Your pesto is ready to enjoy on crusty bread, pasta, roasted vegetables or even simply with carrot sticks.
Feel free to mess with the ratios or switch up the herbs. It may not be traditional but cilantro and hazelnut pesto is really good! If you grow nasturtiums, the greens and flowers are both great in pesto. 
Pesto is a great way to get your greens. You can even throw in a little kale and parsley. There's so much goodness in there, you won't miss the dairy one bit!
Storage Guidelines
- Cover and store in the refrigerator
- Use within 1 week