Mediterranean Veggie Pesto
“Double veggie” is the epitome of dinner excellence at our apartment. The double veggie standard is met when two uses of vegetables occur on one plate. It’s not rocket science, but toward the end of the week when fridge produce is running low it can sometimes feel like it.
If there ever has been a case for double veggie, the month of January is it. My standard of eating in December sadly turned out to be double—nay, triple—cookies. Oops.
Last week, when looking for a healthy dinner, I threw a handful of Mediterranean ingredients into my mini food processor and whirled up this veggie pesto. I ended up butterflying chicken breasts, spreading a thick layer of the pesto, rolling them up and baking until done. Dinner turned out so good, a few days later I made a second batch of veggie pesto and used it as a sauce for pasta.
The pesto is mega flavorful and comes together so quickly I didn't think twice about making a side salad to go with both dinners. Heck, I’m pretty sure the pesto could qualify as a quadruple veggie itself. Take that, Christmas cookie diet of December.
Mediterranean Veggie Pesto—"Vegsto"
Ingredients
4 sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup roughly diced red onion
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup kale or spinach (I used a mix of both)
½ teaspoon garlic
½ teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil (start with 2 tablespoons and add more as necessary)
Directions
1. Cut or tear all ingredients to roughly similar sized pieces.
2. Add everything to a food processor or strong blender.
3. Grind everything until smooth.
Notes
Ingredient amounts are all estimates. Use more or less of an ingredient based on how much you like it. Taste the pesto before using it to make sure the ingredient balance and seasonings are right. I thinned out my pasta sauce with a ladle of pasta cooking water.
If there ever has been a case for double veggie, the month of January is it. My standard of eating in December sadly turned out to be double—nay, triple—cookies. Oops.
Last week, when looking for a healthy dinner, I threw a handful of Mediterranean ingredients into my mini food processor and whirled up this veggie pesto. I ended up butterflying chicken breasts, spreading a thick layer of the pesto, rolling them up and baking until done. Dinner turned out so good, a few days later I made a second batch of veggie pesto and used it as a sauce for pasta.
The pesto is mega flavorful and comes together so quickly I didn't think twice about making a side salad to go with both dinners. Heck, I’m pretty sure the pesto could qualify as a quadruple veggie itself. Take that, Christmas cookie diet of December.
Mediterranean Veggie Pesto—"Vegsto"
Ingredients
4 sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup roughly diced red onion
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup kale or spinach (I used a mix of both)
½ teaspoon garlic
½ teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil (start with 2 tablespoons and add more as necessary)
Directions
1. Cut or tear all ingredients to roughly similar sized pieces.
2. Add everything to a food processor or strong blender.
3. Grind everything until smooth.
Notes
Ingredient amounts are all estimates. Use more or less of an ingredient based on how much you like it. Taste the pesto before using it to make sure the ingredient balance and seasonings are right. I thinned out my pasta sauce with a ladle of pasta cooking water.