Pesto Love: Raw Carrot-Pistachio & Parsley, Lemon, Walnut Pesto Recipes

 These past two months have gone by so fast and were filled with a lot of days of sadness & stress combined with the the joy & stress of adding a new furry friend to our family. Having this new dog has in a funny (and surprisingly) way made me get more done and be more clean around the house. My husband and I wake up around 6:30 AM to take Bandit on a short walk. Then my husband comes home to let him out at lunch and as soon as I get home from work, we are off on another walk/run/trip to the park, to throw some balls. I look forward to some day having a backyard for Bandit to play in but for now we are making the best of what we have.

 I haven't been on the blog much as you can see but as always I've still been cooking away! One of my favorite foods is pesto. The traditional basil pesto, is made a lot during the summer at our house. We have it on pasta, eggs, bruschetta, and sometimes just right off of a spoonful! Pesto is an Italian word that means to pound or to crush, as it was traditionally made with a mortar & pestle.  I think it's quite fun to try all the different ways you can throw some basics together to make different types of pesto! I've made pesto with jalapenos & arugula,  kale & walnut, garlic pesto, sun dried tomatoes......all so tasty! That's why I was excited to see the March issue of Whole Living Magazine included these two recipes:

Carrot-Pistachio Pesto 
with Bulgar and Chickpeas
(from Whole Living Magazine)


Ingredients 
1/2 cup cracked bulgur
3/4 cup boiling water
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried fruit, such as currants, golden raisins, or chopped apricots
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn if large
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic (about 1 small clove)
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon wedge

• Directions
• 1. Place bulgur in a heatproof bowl and add boiling water. Season with a pinch of salt and cover with a plate until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in chickpeas, scallion, dried fruit, and mint.
  2. Meanwhile, pulse carrots, garlic, and pistachios in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Drizzle in oil and process until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Stir pesto into bulgur mixture. Squeeze with lemon and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

This salad tastes great the next day for lunch!

     I made a full meal out this salad by pairing it with an ATCC (avocado, tomato, reduced-fat cream cheese, pepper, pinch of truffle salt) sandwich!


Parsley, Lemon, and Walnut Pesto 
on Roasted Sweet Potatoes
(From Whole Living Magazine)


Ingredients

• 
  
• 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch wedges
• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic (about 1 small clove)
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, toasted
• Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning once, until golden and tender, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, pulse parsley, garlic, walnuts, zest, and lemon juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Drizzle remaining 6 tablespoons oil and process until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Top roasted sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons pesto. I went ahead and put all of the pesto on the potatoes and tossed to mix together. 

We had our sweet potatoes as a side dish served with a veggie burger with Swiss cheese & avocado.

Au Revoir,

BETSY