Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Pestos didn’t appear on my radar until I began to introduce a high raw diet into my life. I didn’t even know what a pesto was for the first 30 (something) years of my life. Taco Bell didn’t offer pesto on their menu board. hehe
Once I started tinkering around with pestos, I thought there was the only way to make them and that they had to be green. The truth is I just was never exposed to much variety in foods, till I went down the raw rabbit hole :) If you thumb through my “dips, spreads and sauces” category, you will see that I have gotten rather creative in my pestos. BUT they are all green. Today, I broke free and made a red pesto! Such a rebel, such a rebel.
The flavors are simple on their own, but complex tasting combined. As you read through the ingredient list, your eyes will stop and linger when you hit the Brazil nut cheese. That is another recipe of mine that is soooo easy to make. The recipe for the Brazil nut cheese will make more than what is needed for this recipe but I am sure you will find many other ways to use it. If you don’t want to make the cheese, you can just add 2 Tbsp spoons of crushed Brazil nuts and 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast. Also, be sure to use ripe tomatoes. Unripe ones will decrease the flavor. If the tomatoes are not very sweet and you want to elevate that a bit, add 1-2 tsp of sweetener. Taste test as you go! Well, I hope you enjoy this pesto. Have a blessed and happy day, I insist!
Ingredients:
Yields 1 1/4 cups
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated
- 3/4 cup fresh tomato, rough chopped
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 Tbsp Brazil Nut “Cheese” Crumble
- 2 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
Preparation:
- Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and add enough warm water to cover them. Set aside while you put the rest of the recipe together.
- In a food processor, fitted with an “S” blade, combine the fresh tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, cheese crumbles, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Pulse together.
- Drain and discard the soak water from the sun-dried tomatoes. If you want your pesto to be thinner in texture, use some of the soak water to achieve the consistency that you want. Add the tomatoes to the food processor and process until slightly chunky.
- Add fresh basil and pulse together.
- Store in fridge in a sealed container for 3-5 days. A little water will release from the fresh tomatoes when it sits for a period of time, just stir back together when ready to use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Nut Free Option, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
Wow, this is so good. I’m raw for just a week and tried this recipe. I had no Brazil Nut “Cheese” Crumble, so I used cashew and I added some dates. The result is sweet and tart. A very good Italian sauce. Fantastic!
Thanks for letting me know Ingrid. So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
Thanks Amie Sue,
I’m from the Netherlands and raw is slowly becoming visible here. There are 3 raw restaurants in the whole country. I have searched many websites and yours is by far the best!
Ingrid
Oh thank you Ingrid, I really appreciate that you shared that with me. :) Every passing day, more and more people are becoming more aware of the foods that we eat. Thank goodness! Have a glorious evening, amie sue