I was working at a daycare in college when I first discovered pesto! Yes, a daycare.
One of the daycare teachers was making fresh pasta with her kids and on top of the pasta she swirled on this lovely spring green sauce. I had to have some. It was so fresh and delicious! I'm not sure how much the 3 year olds enjoyed it... but hey.. you have to start somewhere right?
Last October, Natalie, of Gluten Free Mommy had a great post on her cilantro pesto grilled cheese sandwiches. They looked delicious and I was truly intrigued with the idea of using pesto on a sandwich!
I came up with this wonderful spinach walnut pesto because fresh basil and pinenuts just don't seem to be stocked at the local piggly wiggly... and with gas prices the way they are (and the fact that we are truly trying to budget)... you learn to work with what you have... and this simple fresh pesto is fantastic!!
I love the bright spring green color, and the warm, fresh flavors of the garlic, olive oil, spinach, and walnuts. These flavors work together beautifully in this pesto, which is even better the day after it is made. Even my sweet, but ever picky husband enjoyed this pesto on our grilled turkey and monteray jack sandwiches last night! "Baby, it was darn good!" (That's a true compliment coming from my sweetie folks!)
You will have to come back tomorrow for the awesome sandwich/deli bread recipe that we used for these sandwiches. If you miss Schlotzsky's sandwiches, you will be LOVING this versatile gluten free flat bread!!
This particular pesto is more like a thick pesto sauce, rather than a chunky pesto. It is divine paired with the melted monteray jack and our deli-style gluten free sandwich bread! You'll love it!
Spring Spinach Walnut Pesto
3-4 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 med. lemon)
dash freshly grated nutmeg
Salt/Pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a blender. Pulse mixture until it is has a smooth creamy consistency. Serve with hot pasta, on cheesy sandwiches, over a salad, etc... Have fun and enjoy! Will keep in fridge for up to one week. Makes about 2 cups of fresh pesto.
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Make sure to come back tomorrow to learn how to make that
fantastic deli-style gluten free sandwich/flat bread!
Make sure to come back tomorrow to learn how to make that
fantastic deli-style gluten free sandwich/flat bread!