The time has come for me to share a twist on one of my favorite foods, Pesto! Now before I start I would like to say that when you see a vegan recipe it doesn't mean you need to be a Vegan to eat it! Some vegan recipes are simply delicious and well worth trying even if you are a staunch carnivore. I have forced some of my dishes on rampant and reluctant meat eaters, only to see a big smile on their faces and put their bacon to one side!

I think pesto has to rank in my top 5 of my all time favorite sauces / toppings for many dishes. It works SO well for pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and many more dishes. The thing is with pesto, I often love it with a good pasta and can't help but make a bucket load of it and eat as much as I can fit in my belly. It's just too good! I often find that regular pesto is just a bit heavy for me though, and I think that has a lot to do with the parmesan and the balance of the dish. 

So as a mostly vegan kind of guy, I one day hit upon a variation of pesto that is SO good that I can honestly say I think i prefer it to regular pesto! How can this be possible I hear you say? Well for all you pesto lovers out there, you simply have to try this recipe!

I have chosen to use Thai Flat Rice Noodles for this dish, but it does also work very well with normal pasta, or any other kind of pasta. It, unsurprisingly, also works incredibly well in a sandwich with your other favorites like vegan cheese (or regular cheese if you eat it). 

Ingredients

- Flat Thai Rice Noodles: 500 grams

- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro): 2 Cups

- Fresh Basil: 2 Cups

- Firm Tofu or Mushroom: 200 grams (Or your favorite Vegetables)

- Cashew Nuts: Half Cup Unroasted

- 2-4 Freshly Squeezed Limes or Lemons

- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: Little less than 1/2 Cup

- 2 Small White Onions

- Garlic to taste

- Salt to taste

- Pepper to taste

A Note On Blending: 

The Slow / Masticating Blender

This is a very simple dish to make and quite quick. One thing I would like to mention here is that the pesto is made using a blender. Now at home I have a slow grinder (masticating grinder) that pulps everything you put in it in a very gentle and slow way compared to high speed blenders. If you haven't even used one before, I highly reccomend getting one. There are many benefits both nutritionally and visually. The basic difference is that the slow grinders dont have blades and so they mimic the way we chew food with our teeth rather than the very abrasive method of cutting. If you take fresh basil for example and compare the two from a high speed blender and a slow grinder you will see a big colour difference. The slow grinder pesto is almost luminous green and also retains much more of the delicate nutrients since it isnt over heated and the cellular structure is not damaged.

"Unlike the centrifugal juicer which operates at 3,000 to 7,000 RPM, a masticating juicer operates at a much lower speed at about 80 ~ 120 RPM, which does not disrupt the cellular structure of the fruits and vegetables. This eliminates oxidation to the juices, therefore, preserving the precious enzymes and nutrients closest to its natural state."  
(SOURCE & MORE INFO: http://www.holistic-medicine-works.com/gear-juicers.html)

How To Make The Pesto

1. Wash and de-stem the coriander and basil so you have mainly leaves left.

2. Grind / blend  the coriander and basil.

3. Grind /blend the cashew nuts and add to the coriander and basil paste. 

4. Add lime / lemon juice. Salt and Pepper to taste

5. Quickly add the coconut oil (slightly warm it if its not liquid).

6. Prepare the rice noodles / pasta as described on the packet and drain.

7. Fry the onions in coconut oil until golden brown.

8. Add garlic and fry for one minute.

9. Add Salt & Pepper

10. Add tofu / mushrooms / vegetables and fry until cooked.

11. Add the noodles / pasta to the mix and cook briefly. 

12. Leave to cool down. 

13. Add the pesto and mix well. 

You can warm the dish up a bit before you eat it but best not to overheat the pesto to preserve the flavour and goodness.

Thats it! I hope you try this dish because it really is too good! You can play with it in many ways, such as using parsley and basil, or spiral pasta, or try other kind of nuts... or whatever takes your fancy. The real magic of this dish is the combination of lime, coconut oil, nuts, and greens. The rest is up to you!

Bon Apetite!

For my next creation I'll be sharing my fresh herb vegan cheese recipe! This is another winner!

--

To see more highlights and great articles from the ecoTrain please see:
@eco-alex/posts-and-highlights-from-the-ecotrain-or-13th-july-19th-july