Basil Almond Pesto

Last Sunday was a Northern Michigan PERFECT summer day, a warm and sunny Sunday. I spent the morning in the garden harvesting a bounty of fresh produce and the afternoon by the water reading a great book and jumping in the cool, blue lake. Truly, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day.

On days like these, I’m reminded that I am incredibly lucky to live near these beautiful fresh water lakes. There are so many people throughout the world that don’t have access to fresh water and here in Northern Michigan were surrounded by it. When I arrived back home from the beach, dinner was the first thought on my mind. I knew I had to make a meal packed with fresh vegetables from the garden and with the fragrant smell of basil filling the kitchen, a fresh pesto seemed like the obvious choice.

I thought to change my average pesto recipe up a bit to include a “bite” of radish and the “crunch” of almonds. The additional ingredients were simple extras I had from the garden and in the pantry. I love adding something to an average recipe to make it unordinary. It keeps the kitchen interesting and makes cooking up a simple dinner that much more fun. The Basil Almond Pesto with garden fresh tomatoes turned out spectacularly and the fresh and fragrant basil was a Sunday supper hit!

A Food Processor is a KEY tool in the kitchen. Whether its pesto, salsa, hummus or something more, its the food processor that is the most important component of the recipe. I’ve used mine on countless occasions and absolutely recommend making the investment.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil (my garden)
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh olive oil (depending on your desired consistency)
• 2 medium radish (my garden)
• 2 green onions (Providence Farm)
• 2 fresh garlic cloves (Birch Point Farm)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup almonds

Toss all ingredients into the food processor and give it a whirl! I tossed the basil almond pesto with ditalini pasta and garden fresh tomatoes, but you could pair it with chicken, a veggie panini, just about anything!

Adding an ingredient or two to a simple dish can make an entirely different meal. Experimenting is the best way to add staples to your recipe box and to become more familiar with the ingredients in your garden or pantry!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

love,

tricia