Nut-free pesto

[Mystic]

My whole life I have hated pesto - but for some reason it is appealing to me now. Traditionally it has pine nuts in it and I can't eat nuts. Does anyone know if I just make pesto from Basil, olive oil and garlic (and salt/pepper), will it taste okay, or will it turn me off pesto for life?

[feline01]

I just saw a recipe somewhere for pesto made with tofu, basil, olive oil and garlic. I bet that's good. Do you eat tofu?

[Mystic]

No - I hate tofu :D But thanks anyway hehehe

[cast_the_flames]

you could just dump some fresh basil, parsley, vegan parmesian, garlic, and oil in a food processor. who says it has to have nuts in it? it's fun to mix up the herbs that you use, too. like mint or cilantro. do you also not eat seeds? if you wanted a crunch you could try some sunflower seeds in it.

so go for it sans nut, it will still taste fine.

[harpy]

In some parts of Italy I believe they make pesto just from basil and olive oil, no nuts (or cheese), so I'm certain it would work fine without. If you wanted to give it a bit more body you could perhaps add some white beans to the mixture - not traditional but who cares?

[Kiva Dancer]

http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/pesto/00/rec0018.html
http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/pesto/00/rec0023.html
http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/pesto/00/rec0001.html

Enjoy. :)

[Mystic]

Thanks Kiva - thats great :)

And Harpy, you are right - who cares about 'tradition' :D

[dreamqueen]

Pumpkin seeds make a great substitution for nuts on pesto.

[jonnie falafel]

In some parts of Italy I believe they make pesto just from basil and olive oil, no nuts (or cheese), so I'm certain it would work fine without. If you wanted to give it a bit more body you could perhaps add some white beans to the mixture - not traditional but who cares?

In Liguria they put cashew nuts or almonds in it but mostly exclude cheese.....

[Gorilla]

i know it's far too late and stickydate may not even read this, but pine nuts aren't actually nuts, they're seeds - so if you're allergic to nuts you could probably eat pine nuts couldn't you?

[Cherry]

Everyone's different, but my friend who is allergic to nuts (not peanuts, but everything else) is also allergic to pine nuts. On a first date, his girfriend made him pesto and she ended up having to take him to casualty :D

I have a jar of pesto in the fridge at work that is just basil, garlic and oil.

[dreamqueen]

Everyone's different, but my friend who is allergic to nuts (not peanuts, but everything else) is also allergic to pine nuts. On a first date, his girfriend made him pesto and she ended up having to take him to casualty :D

Ditto. Nut allergies confuse me. Peanuts are actually legumes but they're likewise generally associated with proper nut allergies, as we all know.

I sometimes make pesto with either sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds and it turns out really well.

[Glossgirl]

I use sesame seeds :)