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View Full Version : Vegan Pesto Anyone???



cch
May 12th, 2008, 10:00 PM
I've never been a big cheese lover ( lucky me!!) but it has been so hard for me to give up pesto!!! i have tried 2 different vegan pesto's and both just taste like basil goo!!! Does anyone know of a vegan pesto that actually tastes like pesto?? I dont have a food processor or i would make my own. I am surprised that none of the vegan pesto's use vegan parmesean.... does anyone know of one that does???
-missing my pesto!!

squigaletta
May 12th, 2008, 10:09 PM
i had a pesto from aldi recently, it didn't have parmesan but it was bloody delicious!

Mr Flibble
May 12th, 2008, 10:24 PM
Vegan parmesan isn't nice (in my opinion). I rate it alongside athletes foot.

You can make pesto without a food processor (I'm fairly sure that pesto existed for many hundreds of years before them).

Just finely chop basil, crush some pine nuts and mix together with some olive oil and you've pretty much got it. Add some other things like hemp seeds, shredded sundried tomatoes, vinegar (balsamic is good) or other nuts (hazelnuts work well) and it's really quite easy to make what comes overpriced in jars.

cch
May 13th, 2008, 04:33 AM
thankyou!! I will try making it without a food processor.... or maybe i should just give in and buy one already. Im sure i could use it!!!!!!

Mahk
May 13th, 2008, 06:04 AM
I bought my first food processor this year and I really like it. I no longer buy store made hummus, for example.

I hear food processed almonds make for a good parm cheese substitute in pesto, I guess in addition to the pine nuts (pignoli?) that one generally uses, but I haven't tried that yet. It is on my "to do" list though.

treehugga
May 13th, 2008, 06:19 AM
Mortar & pestle can be used - processor much quicker and easier.

Don't forget to add garlic - or it will be bland, to your basil, pine nuts and oil.

bryzee86
May 13th, 2008, 06:20 AM
I find salt and a splash of vinegar helps with flavour too.

Glossgirl
May 13th, 2008, 07:34 AM
I use sesame seeds instead of parmesan.

pat sommer
May 13th, 2008, 10:36 AM
...plenty of salt. That and the oil 'carry' the flavor. leaving the freshly made pesto an hour or so (or overnight) will really intensify flavor as well.

I find the large leaf salady basil in supermarkets too mild so I use the trick passed on by a chef: fresh young spinach leaves and an equivalent amount of dry basil. Plenty of oompf. Shame the small leaf variety of basil used in pesto isn't widely available...

For the 'tart' element of the mix I prefer plenty of garlic. If that's not enough I would go for vitamin C powder over acetic acid (vinegar) and that helps to keep the bright color as well.

For the cheesy taste my favorite is 1 cube from a jar of fermented (stinky) tofu. Not the chilli variety. Cashews are almost as good.

Now I'm in the mood for rocket walnut pesto for supper!

harpy
May 13th, 2008, 11:24 AM
When I make my own pesto I generally just put in extra nuts (virtually any kind seems to work) along with the pinenuts, and I sometimes add nutritional yeast. I agree the fake parmesan isn't worth bothering with. I generally roast the garlic first because I find raw garlic a bit indigestible.

A food processor could be a worthwhile investment cch; we use ours a lot even though we're not big on gadgets generally.

sugarmouse
May 15th, 2008, 09:22 PM
I agree m a total gadget phobe but I love my processer.I also love pesto, and am glad its tricky to get hodl of a vegan version or I would be the size of a house.
It does look easy to make though:)

cch
May 16th, 2008, 07:01 AM
thanks for all the tips guys!! Im on my way to having my pesto bagels back!!! YAY!!!! but, yeah, my ass might return as well!! haha

lizzo
May 28th, 2008, 06:00 PM
ha!! Like it ever left!!!! :wink_ani: see you tomorrow!