Pesto Perfection
Servings: 2 meals Who doesn’t LOVE PESTO!? If you found yourself here, then it’s safe to assume you are a FAN! Store-bought pesto is usually full of fillers and SUPER expensive compared to what you can get when you make this pesto at home. Plus the freshness of flavor will go further, helping you consume less of this highly decadent sauce, topping, or filling. Use it as you wish. I like to make a double batch for a dinner right away and freeze the rest in ice cube trays, store and stash away for a pizza night or when I need something impressive in a pinch!
If you don’t eat dairy for digestive reasons, I will say that using aged quality cheese has way less of an effect on your system. Once cheese is aged at least a long, the lactose (or sugars) become minimal and make it easier for your body to digest it. You could also use a non-dairy replacement, but I have not tested that yet.
Serve up your Moroccan Pork with Moroccan Pasta or rice and roasted veggies. super easy.
Ingredients
Pesto Perfection
2-3 cups fresh basil, roughly chopped (if you don’t have enough basil, use whatever greens you have on hand. Spinach or even kale will do! It will change the flavor profile a bit, but this is what makes it so much fun!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, aged 1+ years
6 tablespoons avocado oil or EVOO
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons raw pinenuts (in my recipe pictured above, I didn’t have pinenuts on hand, so I use pistachios. Using a nut you have on hand is a great way to save $ too! I love to buy them in bulk for occasions just like this!)
Method
Using a food processor, grind up all the ingredients until they form a paste. You can change the texture of the pesto based on how much oil to greens you have. I like to use more greens and less oil. When you are cooking, you tend to already have another fat included so this helps the overall fat content. But its your PESTO PERFECTION so do what works for you!
Pictured Above
Pesto Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
1 lb ground turkey meat
¼ cup crumbs (I use crackers, chips or even pretzels - whatever I have on hand that is going a bit stale) I like Simple Mills, Siete, or Quinn for cleaner brands
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mixed fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, and oregano)
1 egg
Dash of Salt and pepper
Method
Mix all ingredients together - hands work best here. Wet your hands with cold water to keep the meat from sticking as much. Same when you form the balls before cooking. You can also use a cookie scoop to form the meatballs, but you are going for about 1 inch meatballs. It helps a ton to do the mixing right before you are ready to cook.
Cook on medium-high heat in 1 tablespoon of ghee.
Rotate every 3-4 minutes once each side has browned.
Add 2 tablespoons of your pesto mix. Gently stir to incorporate evenly. Cover and simmer to finish cooking. About 10 minutes max.
Create your own zoodles or buy them. Cook with a tiny bit of ghee, salt, and pepper. Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until they soften- they will shrink in size too. Add in pesto to your liking (I used about 2-3 tablespoons). Continue to combine. Finally, add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Place 3-4 meatballs on top and dig in!
