Hello, Mrs. Manics!!! I’ve got a Mrs. Mini for you today! I haven’t been making any fancy recipes, but I wanted to give y’all something!
The first question I get asked about what makes pesto non-vegan. Cheese. It’s cheese. Pesto has grated parmesan in it. To make it vegan, we will be using nutritional yeast and cashews.
What is nutritional yeast? It is a deactivated yeast that is a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It’s yellow and powdery. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? It’s not! It contains protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (including fiber, Riboflavin, Niacin, B6, Folate, B12, Iron, and Potassium). It has many health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and protecting against cellular damage. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is actually the same type of yeast that is used to bake bread and brew beer!! Who doesn’t love beer and bread?? That being said, I don’t drink beer but Mr. FBBQ sure does and I love bread! The difference is that nutritional yeast is inactivated, so if you tried to use it to make beer or bread, it wouldn’t work and would be bitter. Nobody wants bitter beer and bread!
Vegan pesto is really easy to make! First, we have to soak the cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes. This is to soften them up. While that is going on, add 2 cups of basil, the nutritional yeast, some lemon juice, a couple cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. I normally would use fresh lemon juice but I did not have a fresh lemon on hand so I used the pre-squeezed stuff that we had in the fridge (after disturbingly watching Mr. FBBQ drink lemon juice straight, stating “I love lemons.” He’s a weirdo.)
Add a bit of plant-based milk to the blender mix (I opted for almond milk). I used our bullet blender, which is super handy to have. It’s easy to store and clean. Once the cashews are done, add those to the blender mix as well.
Mix everything up good, adding more “milk” to thin it out if needed. When the consistency is smooth, you are all set and ready to use your plant-based pesto!
