Googie’s Kitchen presents Pesto for a Vegan, Vegetarian or Meat Eater

We love a pesto and gluten free pasta night in our house. This pesto recipe will take you as long as the pasta takes to cook. About 10 minutes, yes that’s right a 10 minute dinner and there is no pulling it out of a packet. It is also packed full of goodness that will help your body absorb the vital nutrients it needs to survive.

The recipe for pesto has more ingredients that will help you as part of a balanced diet. Eating well, I now believe, can save us from so many illnesses and diseases. If we eat well we will save ourselves from the potential of many health problems. Enjoying a great dinner is a good start to getting on the road to health and happiness. Below is a video and recipe for you.

What’s you favourite pesto recipe? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.

Serves 4

Equipment needed

• Baking tray
• Food processor
• Scales
• Measuring jug
• Sharp knife
• Zester
• Juicer or fork
• Tablespoon
• Frying pan

Ingredients for the vegans

• Pine nuts x 100g
• Olive oil x 80mls
• Basil x 1 large handful
• Lemon x 1 juice and zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nutritional yeast x 4 tbsp

Ingredients for the vegetarians

• Pine nuts x 100g
• Olive oil x 80mls
• Basil x 1 large handful
• Lemon x 1 juice and zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese or a strong cheddar x 60g

Ingredients for the meat eaters

• Pine nuts x 100g
• Olive oil x 80mls plus extra for frying the chicken
• Basil x 1 large handful
• Lemon x 1 juice and zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese or a strong cheddar x 60g
• Chicken breast diced x 500g

Method

• Start by weighing and measuring all your ingredients.
• Place the pine nuts, olive oil, basil, lemon juice and zest and salt and pepper to taste into the food processor and blend until smooth.

For the vegetarian

• Add the parmesan and blend again.

For the meat lover

• Add the parmesan or cheddar and blend again.
• Fry off the chicken in a little extra of the olive oil until cooked.
• Remove the pesto from the food processor into a bowl and add the cooked chicken.

Finally for all three

• Cook the pasta, pour the pesto into a bowl if not already done so for the meat eater, add the pasta and mix until the pasta is covered in the pesto.
• Serve with a salad or a bowl of steamed greens.

A great dish which is packed full of goodness that the whole family can share it. The pesto can also be made in advance of any meal plans. You can keep a jar of it in your fridge for up to a week. So you could make it on a Sunday and it could be ready for a quick meal during the week. I used old jars to store my pesto in. It is a great way to reuse jars and not waste money on all those plastic boxes. The pesto can also be put on top of a pizza or spread over a piece of fish and topped with cheese. Whatever way you decided to try this recipe then please as always enjoy.