Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

By:  Maria

Pesto.  Who doesn't like the flavors of pesto??  What I don't often like, is the excess of ingredients in the packaged pesto tubs, so I decided to make my own, except I used sun-dried tomatoes rather than letting basil receive all the glory.  Don't get me wrong, I love basil pesto, but since I personally do not consume any dairy, I did not want to use the traditional parmesan that is included in basil pesto.  Without the parmesan, however, the pesto is - to say the least - blah!

I was hoping that using sun-dried tomatoes - which are full of intense flavors - would add a sweetness that would not require unfavorable additions.  This turned out so well, I drop a dollop of this pesto on just about everything I eat - from my scrambled eggs to my roasted chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 c pine nuts or almonds (I have even used roasted hazelnuts - mmm)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c sun dried tomatoes (in oil if you can, rehydrate per instructions if dried)

1/4 c fresh parsley

1/2 c fresh basil

1 tsp tomato paste

3/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degree.

Wrap your garlic cloves in a small piece of foil and drizzled some olive oil over them. Wrap tightly and place garlic and pine nuts on baking sheet. Roast for 6-8 minutes or until nicely toasted.  Watch them closely - they will burn easily if not monitored and the flavor will be bitter.

Add roasted pine nuts, garlic and rest of ingredients (except olive oil) into food processor and blend.  As the mixture blends, pour the olive oil slowly, until the mixture is of desired consistency.



Enjoy!