If I had to pick a favorite plant from my garden, it might have to be my basil. It's beautiful, helps keep our tomatoes healthy and jazzes up my homemade pad thai. But the best thing about growing my own basil is hands down Basil Pesto.
I put pesto on my salads, scrambled eggs, use it as pizza sauce, pasta sauce and a general condiment. Pine nuts tho... wayyyy too expensive for my blood. So since I buy almonds in bulk from Costco, I just sub them in place of the pine nuts.
I always thought olive oil gave my pesto too much of a dark, dense flavor. I wanted to let the basil really shine through. Enter Costco avocado oil.
Basil Almond Avocado Oil Pesto
3 c packed basil
1 1/4 c parmesan cheese
3/4 c roasted almonds
heavy 1/4 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
1 c avocado oil
1. Place all ingredients except avocado oil in a food processor.
2. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. While the processor is running, drizzle in the oil. For a more liquidy pesto, add more oil.
4. Make sure to taste test and add more salt if desired.
I like to store them in half-pint jars in the freezer until they're needed. Drizzle some oil on top as a barrier layer to keep it nice and green.
