A Vegan Basil Mint Parsley "Pesto"

a lip smacking pesto without dairy

We're getting so close to our departure now I can taste it. The house is swept and cleaned, boxes and bags are packed. Anticipation is hanging in the desert air. You can almost hold it in your cupped open hands. The hardest part will be trying to sleep Saturday night. I told Steve, If it's 3 AM and we're lying side by side in the dark listening to the whir of the ceiling fan, just waiting, can we get up and go? Why not? he responded.

This earned him some extra bonus points.

Not that he needs any. His bonus point status is pretty high to begin with these days. We've had an exciting week. I'm so proud of him. His first script sale, an independent movie titled The Canyon just released its first trailer. If you'd like to catch a sneak peek at the movie, see The Canyon trailer here. You'll see why I fell in love with Yvonne Strahovski and Will Patton when we visited the set.

So what does all this California dreamin' taste like? I decided it tastes like basil and mint with a bite of parsley. Green. Earthy. Alive.

Basil Mint Parsley "Pesto" Sauce Recipe


This garden fresh sauce is so light and delicate, unburdened by cheese or nuts. It tastes herbal and green. Like summer in Santa Monica.

1 cup washed, loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/4 to 1/2 cup good tasting extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste

Combine the basil, mint, parsley and garlic in a food processor bowl; pulse and process the mixture until it is chopped very fine.

Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Cover tightly and store chilled for at least an hour to saturate the flavors. If storing overnight I pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it bright green.

Makes roughly a rounded cup.

Spread it around:

• Serve on cooked spaghetti (shown is Tinkyada's gluten-free White Rice Spaghetti), or other pasta shapes.
• Spread on warm g-free Herbed Flatbread or a pizza crust.
• Use in a summer vegetable gratin dish, such as my Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin.
• Toss fresh grilled veggies in this sauce.
• Use it instead of butter on fresh corn on the cob.
• Spoon it on cooked wild salmon, chicken breasts or grilled veggie burgers.
• Use it in quesadillas, burritos, and grilled sandwiches.

Printer-friendly recipe.