Avocado Pesto

For at least 8 months I have been suffering from terrible stomach pains, cramping, nausea and a whole slew of other symptoms that make me not so happy.  Originally, I thought it was because of wheat, due to a soft pretzel experience I had. Then I had a very similar experience with a cup of Dairy Queen ice cream.  I have started to make my rounds to every type of doctor out there.  In the meantime, I decided to cut out the two things that I have found to give me my worst pain.  So far it has been going well and I feel a lot better (until I slip and eat butter toffee peanuts).  I am not saying this for a pity party; I am just explaining why a lot of my recent entries have been geared the way that they are. 

This recipe is no different!  It is gluten and dairy free.  I got part of this recipe from detoxinista, part from our family recipe for pesto and then I changed it up to add a few more elements that I thought would be good!

What you need:

• 2 c. Basil
• 2 c. Parsley
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/3 c. Pine Nuts
• 1 Avocado 
• 1/4 c. Olive Oil
•  1 tbs. Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients.

 

One thing I forgot to do is toast the pine nuts before adding them into the mix.  DUMMY!  Walnuts would also be really yummy in here.

 

Adjust the flavors to what you would like.  I love the freshness of lemon, but I know some people aren't fans, do what makes you happy!  The one positive I will say is that your avocado won't get brown and icky looking the next day if you use it.

A lot of other recipes for pesto call for a lot more olive oil than I used.  I don't like my pesto overly oily, plus I like to cut out fat where I can.

Start by pulsing to get everything going and then turn it on until all the ingredients are incorporated into an almost smooth sauce.  It'll still be a little "gritty".

 

Your sauce is now complete!  Do a taste test and see if you would like to add anything.  During my taste test, I wanted more salt and a bit more pepper.  I made gluten-free pasta to go with my sauce.

I cooked the pasta according to the directions on the bag.  Before I drained the pasta I reserved a coffee cup of the starchy cooking water to add back in later.

Add your sauce to your drained pasta and give it a good stir to combine.

Add some of the starchy cooking water to thin out the pesto.  I added back in about 1/4 cup.

Give it one more good stir and you are ready to serve!

The avocado adds a nice creaminess since there is no cheese.  I am used to pesto that has a TON of cheese in it!  It is my families way is to add more cheese then a recipe actually calls for.  I do have to admit that I miss the cheese.  Mike added parmesan to the top and he said it was really good!  

You could also use this sauce on meats or stir it into roasted veggies.

 

Enjoy!