French basil pesto

French pesto (pistou) differs from Italian pesto in that cheese and pine nuts are omitted. Vibrant basil fresh from the garden is the secret. Pesto can be made by hand with a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups (2.2 ounces) fresh basil leaves
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice (generally, one-half lemon)
2 to 3 tablespoons aquafaba * (cooking liquid left over from chickpeas)

Instructions

1. Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and process until the garlic is completely minced and no longer spinning in the bowl.
2. Add the basil leaves, and remaining ingredients. Process until blended, stopping to scape occasional.  Serve right away.

Note: The pesto will oxidize fairly quickly, and you will notice that the top layer will brown. If not serving right away, cover pesto with a layer of waxed paper, pressing down to eliminate oxygen. The browning does not affect the flavor at all, and once served, the bright green pesto beneath the top layer will remain bright green.

* Aquafaba is the cooking liquid left over from chickpeas. If using the liquid from canned chickpeas, be sure to buy chickpeas with no added salt or other ingredients.

This recipe qualifies for the whole-food plant-based (WFPB) designation, meaning that it is made of only of whole plant foods and does not contain any extracted ingredients, such as sugar or oil, that would damage the body’s endothelium (the inner most lining of the arteries).