Hummus with cashew basil pesto
I'm a pesto-fanatic. I love the freshness, the nuttiness, and the richness. My first idea for this recipe was to make a fully green basil pesto hummus, but I knew the bright green of the basil wouldn't hold up in the refrigerator. So, the next best thing was to just pile the pesto on top! I ended up loving the layered look, and when you do it this way, if your hummus is already prepped, you can transform it into a whole new dip in an instant. Basil is one of my favourite fresh herbs, and last week when I saw my grocery store had a few little pots of organic basil on display, I knew I had to have one. Thank god for greenhouses, because with this March snow we are far from the aroma of fresh garden herbs filling the air! For this recipe, I substituted half of the extra virgin olive oil for Udo's Oil by Udo's Choice. It's a plant based Omega 3-6-9 blend! Essential fatty acid's are so important for so many bodily functions and maintaining good health, and this supplement makes it really easy for vegans and people who eat primarily plant based diets to get in those good fats. Huuuuge thank you to Udo's Choice and Vista Magazine Canada for partnering with me on this recipe!
If you make this recipe and want to show off on IG, you can tag me, @gardentotableblog.ca!
Serves 6 Ready in 10m vegan gluten free refined sugar free
Ingredients
My thick and rich lemon & garlic hummus, recipe here!
Cashew pesto
1/3 cup raw cashews
2/3 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
1 tablespoon Udo's Oil Omega 3-6-9 Blend
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
In a food processor, pulse together all cashew pesto ingredients. It may take some time to incorporate, so be patient! After it's somewhat ground, you can bring it to higher speed until you reach the consistency you like. There's no right or wrong, but I prefer a somewhat chunky consistency like in the photo, as if you would have ground it by hand with a mortar and pestle
Serve immediately over a bowl of fresh hummus
Remember
The longer the pesto sits, the more the bright green basil colour will fade away. I recommend serving this immediately!
You can leave the cashews raw, or toast them to bring out a deeper layer of nutty flavour. I chose to leave them raw just because I wanted to make sure the colour of the pesto would be really bright and beautiful
Disclaimer
This recipe was made in collaboration with Udo's Choice and Vista Magazine Canada. All opinions are my own!