stop pesto-ing me!

actually, you can pesto me all you want. i love the stuff. nothing says summer like pesto, but pine nuts are pretty dang expensive. so i make mine with walnuts, almonds, or cashews. now those nuts aren't really cheap either, but they are less expensive than pine nuts. if you live in the south and have a pecan tree in your yard, i'm totally jealous. i bet pecans would make an interesting and super rich pesto. i didn't grow basil in ye olde garden this year (shame on me!) but i did score a huge bunch at the farmer's market from my friend amy's stand. do any of you use the farmer's market in your area? it's a great way to spend a saturday. do yourself a favor and pre-write a list of what you'll need so you don't blow your money on a bunch of overpriced produce. i've noticed some stands have outright ridiculous prices on things just because they can, while the amish keep it pretty real.
jen's pesto sauce

you'll need

2 c of finely chopped basil, loosely packed
2 hand fulls (my hands are dwarf like) of walnuts (or nut of your choice)
2 cloves of garlic (smallish ones)
1t salt
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 cup of vegan parm ( i make mine from a blend of 2/3 c. nooch, 1/4 c smoked almonds, and 1/3 c. cashews run through a coffee grinder)
3/4 c. water

can you guess how to blend? that's right--put it all in ye blender and puree the shit out of it. you'll have a beautiful thick bright green sauce. add extra basil, garlic, or nuts if that floats your boat. every one's basil range is different. i don't like to use too much garlic because i want the flavor of the basil and walnuts to shine through. add sauce to pasta, or use as a topping for pizza. i like making HUGE batches of this stuff and freezing them in ice cube trays so i can have a bit of summer flavor in the middle of winter. the individual servings via cube are super cute and super handy for single-serving pasta dishes.