Having too many herbs on hand in your fridge is a good problem to have...as there are plenty of possible ways to use them! The most classic of which is pesto, which uses up a large amount in one batch! For this reason, I decided to make pesto tonight! It would not just be any pesto however...it would be a triple herb pesto combining mint, cilantro and basil! Since the flavor was quickly becoming a bit Thai because of the herbs, I decided to include a bit of coconut as well in place of the usual parmesan you would find in many classic basil pestos. For my nut of choice, I chose almonds, because they have a wonderful toasty, yet sweet flavor and love to be paired with coconut! I added a bit of lemon for a bright flavor, and a pinch of chipotle pepper to give it a little kick! Delicious pesto it was, but now in order to actually be a meal, it would need to be added to something...so I grabbed a bag of penne, cooked it off, and tossed it with the pesto. Since this was mostly comprised of Asian ingredients, I threw in some edamame for protein, and some fresh english peas that I happened to have in my fridge. The dish was very monochromatic...very green, but very good as well! Tasty, and a wonderful use for the herbs! Try it out if you are looking for a new pesto recipe!
Penne with Coconut Almond Triple Herb Pesto, Edamame and Peas
Serves 3
1/4 cup mint
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup basil
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
1/4 cup almond oil
juice two lemons
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp chipotle pepper or to taste
3/4 cup water plus more as needed
8 oz whole wheat penne
12 oz frozen shelled edamame, thawed
2 cups fresh shelled english peas
In a food processor, combine herbs, almonds, coconut, oil, lemon juice and sea salt and chipotle pepper to taste and process until smooth, adding a water to smooth out, and more if a thinner consistency is desired. Set pesto aside. Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water, and when done cooking, reserve about 1/3 cup of pasta water, and drain pasta. Place pasta back in the pot, and combine with the pesto, edamame, and peas, along with enough water to thin out pesto to a smooth consistency on the pasta. Place on a serving plate and serve!
4 comments:
This sounds sooooo good...maybe some Thai basil and cilantro. Yum!
world best fruit juice monavie
YUM--what a great combination--very enticing!
That pictures looks green and fantastic! I work with Seapoint Farms, the largest manufacturer and distributor of edamame in the country. We love coming across recipes like this!! For blogging about the Wonder Veggie, you have been automatically entered into our monthly drawing for a case of our Dry Roasted Edamame. We look forward to reading more. Cook on!
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