Pesto - a lip-smackingly delicious green sauce typically made with crushed nuts, garlic and fresh herbs, perfect for spreading, dipping, pasta dishes and salads alike. This recipe is a twist on the classic basil pesto, using pistachios, pumpkin seeds, parsley and plenty of lemon for a deliciously bright and fragrant pesto!
I served mine up as bruschetta; crispy charred sourdough, thickly slathered with pistachio pesto and topped with beautifully sweet heirloom tomatoes. Whether it's as a snack, starter or side, you can't go wrong with these bruschetta - come rain or shine, they're the perfect summer food!
Whilst there's no doubting that pesto is very high in fat, it's a great source of healthy fats and other nutrients too, from the pistachios and pumpkin seeds. Pistachios are loaded with protein, fibre, potassium, magnesium, iron as well as as fat soluble vitamins E and K. Nuts and seeds typically deliver a power-house of minerals, so it's not surprising that pumpkin seeds have many of the same nutrients as pistachios; their protein content, as well as their fats will help to steady your energy release and keep you fuller for longer! The nutritional yeast gives you a hit of B12 too and it's important for a vegan diet to eat fortified foods or a supplement of vitamin B12 - essential for healthy nerve function, blood cell and DNA formation.
Traditionally you'd make pesto in a pestle and mortar, but for a quick pesto a food processor works just fine too, just be sure not to over-blend to keep the texture a little coarse. I also use a griddle pan for toasting my sourdough, but there's nothing stopping you putting it straight on the BBQ!
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Pistachio Pesto Bruschetta | Yield: 1 cup pesto | Time: 10 mins
You'll need
- Griddle pan
- Food processor / pestle and mortar
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Measuring cups
- Zester / fine grater
Ingredients
Pesto:- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (B12 variety)
- Zest and juice 1.5 lemons
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup tightly packed curly parsley
- Plenty extra virgin olive oil
Bruschetta:
- Sourdough
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper
- A few crushed pistachios
Tip: Store any leftover pesto in a jar, topped with a little extra oil for up to a week.
Method
Food processor- Add all the ingredients from the seeds to the parsley to the food processor and start the motor.
- Gradually add olive oil as required until you reach a desired consistency, ideally it would be slightly coarse but loose enough to easily be spread.
Pestle and mortar
- Add the nuts and seeds and crush, then pound in the garlic with the salt and lemon.
- Finally, crush in the herbs and nutritional yeast, along with the extra virgin olive oil.
Bruschetta
- Heat up the griddle pan on a high heat and toast the sourdough until char marks appear. Or toast on the BBQ.
- Slice up the tomatoes and place to one side
- Thickly spread the pesto onto the charred bread, top with the tomatoes and finish off with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of crushed pistachios and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
