Pesto Recipe: Dye Your Plate Green for St. Patrick's Day

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! Luck o' the Irish to you!

Celebrate by dying your food green- no, not with food coloring- with PESTO!

Many of the foods we eat on St. Patrick's Day tend to be... beige. Add some color and more nutrition to your plate with this flavor-packed recipe. 

Fresh herbs are a great source of vitamins, antioxidants, and FLAVOR. 

Whizz up this amazing herby sauce and mix it into different foods to dye them green. 

RECIPE:

1. Add the following ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Start with the smaller amounts of ingredients at first- you can add more to taste!

  • 2 thick bunches of your favorite combination of herbs (Parsley, basil, dill, cilantro, mint, tarragon, fennel fronds, thyme, sage, etc.)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 2-4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • 2 anchovies or 1 tbsp anchovy paste (skip this if vegetarian, but DON'T skip if you think you hate anchovies- it doesn't taste fishy but elevates the flavor amazingly. Trust us!)
  • 1/4 cup nuts or seeds of choice (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, etc)
  • 2-4 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
2. Emulsify -add oil and bind it to the other ingredients
    With the blender or food processor running, slowly stream in 1/4 cup of good quality olive oil. 

3. Taste and adjust flavors!
    (Hint: taste on a leaf of lettuce or a cracker, not from your finger or a spoon)
    Add more salt, lemon juice, garlic, cheese, or red pepper flakes. 
    Blend and blend. 

4. Finalize texture.
    Add more oil (and maybe even some water) until it gets to the desired consistency for your planned use. 

USES:
  • Stir into mashed potatoes for a festive green version of the favorite Irish side dish
  • Scramble into eggs and add some Canadian bacon for Green Eggs & Ham
  • Spoon over fish or chicken after cooking
  • Stir into brown rice, quinoa, barley, or farro to add awesome flavor to your whole grains
  • Mix with plain Greek yogurt for an amazing protein packed veggie dip
  • Spread on toasted bread and add an over-easy egg
  • Dress a salad: add more olive oil and double the lemon to turn it into a zesty salad dressing
  • Stir into white beans and add more Paremsan for a Meatless Monday main dish
  • Drizzle over roasted veggies (it's especially beautiful/tasty on cauliflower!)
Let us know how you used this sauce to dye your meal green for St Patty's Day!


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