Cashew, Mint and Coriander Pesto
This pesto has a bit of a twist, using cashew nuts and mint and coriander instead of your traditional pine nuts and basil. It’s dairy-free (without the parmesan) too. Serve with fresh, crunchy vegetable sticks for a healthy snack, or spread on crostini.
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cup cashew nuts roasted unsalted
- coriander cilantro 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped (leaves and stalks)
- 3/4 cup mint leaves discard stalks
- 2 cloves garlic small
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil or flax seed oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve
- baby carrots cut in half lengthways
- baby radishes cut in quarters
- celery sticks
- snow peas
- green beans
Instructions
- Place cashew nuts, coriander, mint, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped and just combined.
- Drizzle in the flax seed oil while the motor is running – you can make the pesto as chunky or smooth as you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with fresh vegetable crudités (e.g. carrots, radishes, celery, snow peas, green beans etc).
Notes
This would also be a lovely accompaniment to grilled chicken or salmon with some simple veggies for a no-fuss dinner. Flax seed oil has an amazing amount of omega-3, and is one of my favourite oils to use raw in salads and pesto (you wouldn’t want to cook with it – the heat would destroy the omega-3 goodness!). For more information about my favourite oils and fats check out this blog post.