Pesto has always been one of my favorite foods to enjoy. I remember my aunt making fresh homemade pesto when I was younger.  In the past, it was often paired with unhealthy dishes but these days pesto is a star ingredient in many health dishes.

Traditionally, pesto is made with cheese, garlic, olive oil, lemon, salt, pine nuts and basil leaves.  The modern version of vegan pesto recipes experiments with different oils, nuts, basil varieties and more.  People are even adding spirulina to pesto!  As I start to shift more and more toward a vegan lifestyle, I’m noticing there are many dishes that include dairy for what seems like no apparent reason.  I thought maybe it’s needed for binding, texture or taste but I’m discovering that oftentimes you can prepare the recipe without dairy and the product is just as good or even better tasting.

Let’s take pesto for example, dairy seems like such an unlikely ingredient if the intention is to highlight the flavor of the basil leaf.  For me personally, garlic makes me bloated and gives me gas which is an unnecessary over powering ingredient.  The taste isn’t worth the after experience for me or most of us!  I have prepared a simple, natural yet flavorful vegan pesto recipe.  My healthy vegan pesto recipe can be accompanied with salads, roasted vegetables, pizza, pasta, eggs, avocado toast and any grain inspired bowl or dish.  Basil not only has a great flavor profile, there are a multitude of health benefits too.

Health Benefits of Basil:

• Good for digestion

• Anti inflammatory

• Excellent natural skin cleanser

• Helps to balance stress hormones

• Supports detoxification functions