Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

This food processor, Li'l Choppy, is freaking changing our lives.




























Sure, we can make hummus, crunchy peanut butter, and regular pesto. But now that we've been payed to go to school again, we can afford the big jar of sun-dried tomatoes from Costco! The skies the limit!

We made the pesto according to this recipe, and put it on pasta, along with a quartered and sliced zucchini, and some sauteed mushrooms.




























I'm really into this shape of pasta right now. Sort of like a spiral macaroni, but it's thicker when cooked. It's perfect for rich sauces.





















It made for an outstanding dinner. I also put about 1.5 tbs of the pesto on some quinoa for a good school lunch the next day. Quinoa is making its way toward becoming a very regular part of my diet. Since I'm basically giving up meat, a little at a time, and I'm adding a lot of mileage to my runs, I started to wonder if I'm getting enough protein. But then I learned that quinoa is a complete protein - not unlike a meat. So I'm making an effort to eat some kind of quinoa dish for lunch a couple of days a week. It definitely helps that the girls in the office next to mine have a microwave, since some of those recipes are much better warmed up.


















This pasta dish was delicious, and would be perfect as a simple recipe to serve to guests. With Li'l Choppy's help, it comes together easily and makes a large amount of food.


Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
from Imafoodblog

• 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted whole almonds*
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1 generous packed cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup olive oil

1. Drain your sun dried tomatoes, lightly rinse them, and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Toast your almonds in a dry shallow pan. They will take about 10 minutes, and you will smell when they are done.
3. In a large food processor, combine the basil, toasted almonds, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Process until coarsely chopped.
4. Add the sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese and process until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped.
5. Now stream in the olive oil slowly and process until the pesto comes together.
6. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

*Toasting the almonds seems like a pretty important step for this recipe. We were skeptical for a minute, but once the smell wafted from the oven, we knew it was key to the overall flavor.