Super Food Pesto

Good afternoon, friends. Today, I am so excited to share with you a favorite of mine: Super Food Pesto. It is packed with freshness, flavor, and nutrients.

But first, more on why I decided to abandon my old familiar favorites and pursue these new ones. Where did we leave off? Oh yes, the high school dissection. How could I forget?

That dissection was so traumatizing for me that I had a vivid dream my rat came to life--skinned and all--grew to the size of Godzilla, and chased me through my school.

Speaking of funny young-Kylie stories, I used to be a hunting family’s nightmare. My grandpa tried to take me fishing, but I was so distraught to see the fish hooked, that I would release them to safety from reservoir in the back of the boat. Grandpa soon stopped taking me fishing.

Any who, my love for animals and my dissection-realization of what meat really was opened my mind a millimeter to the possibility of vegetarianism. But man, every time I thought about it, I imagined the taste of food that I loved so much, whether a buffalo chicken wrap or bacon, and couldn’t fathom living without it. After all, these were things I had learned to love and crave.

Nonetheless, I was “willing” to learn more. But it was a slow process. I knew if I watched, read, or researched anything convincing enough, it just may stir an uncomfy conviction in me anytime I wanted to enjoy a KFC Famous Bowl in moral peace.

So, I wanted to start with something “soft”. Wasn’t quite ready to dig into the details of slaughterhouses or anything like that. Instead, I had a couple of friends recommend a documentary, Cowspiracy, about animal agriculture and its’ environmental effects (I will dedicate a whole post to this tomorrow).

At this point in my life, I had taken a social media stand in environmental activism. I ranted about how horrible plastic was and how we are ruining the earth with our “convenient” straws and water bottles. I would post about the sustainable utensils I used to lower my waste, and I obviously recycled. In my mind, I was a top-notch environmentalist!

Then, a distant friend commented on a post of mine something I never expected to see:

“You should consider going veg! It’s super good for the environment.”

Huh? How would that even make sense?, thought disillusioned Kylie.

I liked her comment--ya know, to make it seem like I would consider her suggestion--but didn’t pry. Again, I liked my diet and was afraid of the ramifications if I encountered these facts.

But one cold, January day, I felt the desire to watch a documentary--anyone else ever just in the mood for a good documentary?--and dangerously clicked play on Cowspiracy. I say dangerous because I knew by hitting play, I was also opening my mind to the very facts that turned many of my friends vegetarian . . . or worse . . . vegan.

Rest assured, I didn’t all-out quit right away. Maybe that’ll make you feel safe enough to watch it. I think I had meat or fish a handful of times after Cowspiracy. But considering my prior record with meat, some serious shifting occurred. Early on in my vegetarianism, I became quite fond of pesto. I've made many different variations of it, but tonight's is hands down one of my favorites.

So, in honor of early-Kylie’s journey to vegan/vegetarianism, here is a spectacular Super Food Pesto dish. I will provide both vegan and vegetarian options.

I'll also provide the recipe for the roasted broccoli we had as a side: a family favorite between me and husband.

Serves: 2

Time: 30 minutes

What you'll need:

For pesto sauce:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic (1 tbsp.)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raw pine nuts (I used walnut. You could use less than this, but I use more than most recipes to pack the meal with protein).
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast, or 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Salt to taste

For broccoli:

2-3 cups broccoli florets
Tbsp. olive oil
Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste

Other:

2 1/2 cups pasta, your preference (I used spinach pasta)
1 cup diced white onion, approx. 1/2 of the onion
3/4 chopped asparagus, approx. 6 spears.
1/2 avocado

What you'll do:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. On a baking sheet, arrange broccoli evenly. Drizzle on olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. 
3. Once oven is preheated, start boiling water. Place broccoli in oven for 16-20 minutes, flipping (or at least stirring) broccoli halfway through. 
4. While the water comes to a boil, dice the onion, and the asparagus. 
1. Tip: When chopping asparagus, be sure to hold each end and pull down until the spear breaks at it's natural breaking point. Then, you can use this spear as a guide to cut the bottoms off. It'll save you from the dry and chewy part.
5. Lightly salt the water, and add pasta, onion, and asparagus, boiling for 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft
6. Meanwhile, combine the pesto ingredients into a food processor, and blend until smooth
7. Dice the avocado
8. Eventually, drain the pasta, and stir in the pesto evenly. Dish and add avocado on top
9. Dish the broccoli, and enjoy!