5-Minute Vegan Basil-Lemon Pesto

If you have a food processor, than this healthy 5-Minute Vegan Basil-Lemon Pesto is the easiest most versatile sauce you will ever make. I am especially fortunate because my Sweetheart always makes sure to have plenty of basil growing in our herb garden. I know there are plenty of jarred options for pesto at the grocer, but why? It is much more affordable to make your own. Also, you can control all of the ingredients. A key to being successful on the Mediterranean Diet is avoiding hidden additives, sugars and preservatives. Jarred versions almost always include those sneaky items. I am happier eating real food on the Mediterranean Diet!

Pesto is one of the most versatile sauces you can make. It is great on fish, chicken, on pastas and in wraps. Olive Sunshine’s healthy Chicken Salad with Craisins and Pesto is my new obsession. Light and tangy with a hint of sweetness the fresh green of the pesto is summertime at its finest. Making wraps with Chicken Salad with Craisins and Pesto is perfect for a summertime picnic.

5-Minute Vegan Basil-Lemon Pesto

Not only is 5-Minute Vegan Basil-Lemon Pesto versatile on what you can put it on, it is versatile on how you can make. The ingredients in this pesto are simple: basil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon, red pepper flakes and sea salt. These ingredients create a light and colorful pesto. What is great about pesto is that if you have the portions correct, you can substitute the ingredients with whatever you have on hand.

For example, not everyone loves the strong, peppery, minty taste of basil, feel free to sub in all or half of the recipe with baby spinach. You do not like spicy? Use black pepper instead of red pepper or omit altogether. Often, I use salty pistachios instead of pine nuts (but then I omit the sea salt in the recipe). Walnuts or pecans are other favorites of mine. Not a lemon fan (how can that be?) garlic is another flavor favorite. Not a vegan? No nutritional yeast? Use pecorino or parmesan instead.

Pesto is the easiest thing to make. If I get home later than expected from work, nothing is easier than whipping up a super-quick pesto, boiling a pot of water, and voila it is as if I made a gourmet dinner. So fast, so healthy, and no drive-through or frozen boxed meal in sight! I just love when food that is good to eat is good for me and is super easy. Let me know if you enjoy the 5-Minute Vegan Basil-Lemon Pesto!