First things first. What is Game-Changer?

Anything that adds that extra chutzpah to a meal, making it a little extraa ;). A game-changer is also versatile. It can be used in various ways; you’ll find the details under “Tips”.

holistic daily by raashi - the ritual coffee

This Pesto recipe is my go to during meal prep. it requires minimal work & delivers maximum flavour. I change up the herbs/ greens every time I make it to keep things exciting. Just replace the parsley in this recipe with the same quantity of any of the following. You can also throw in some spinach, arugula or amaranth leaves or any other greens you fancy. I highly encourage experimenting.

  • The OG: Basil
  • Coriander
  • Dill
  • Mint

PS: The recipe uses walnuts and sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts, making it more pocket-friendly.

Tips:

  • Your pesto will stay well in the fridge for up to a week. Make sure you store it in an air-tight jar. (A glass jar is preferable).
  • Don’t worry if your pesto turns a darker green or brown on top. This happens due to oxidation (hence the air-tight jar). You can just mix it up and it will be fine.
  • To avoid the oxidation you can blanch your greens before using. If it’s too much work, don’t bother 🙂
  • You can play around with the garlic, oil & lime quantities to suit your palette once you’ve given this a shot.

How to use:

  • Use it as a salad dressing. You can thin it out with some more Olive oil or even water. Just ensure you add more salt in that case.
  • Flavour your stir-fries with it to make them more fun. Stir the pesto after they are cooked but still warm.
  • Use it as a marinade for paneer (cottage cheese), seafood or meat.
  • Add some in your omelette or your scrambled eggs.

Use it as a dip accompanied with veggies or crackers.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100gms fresh parsley, washed & dried
  • 3 small garlic cloves
  • 6 walnut halves
  • 7gms/ 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 30ml/ 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 15ml/ 1 tbsp water

METHOD:

  1. Place the garlic cloves, walnuts and sunflower seeds in a grinder/ blender jar. Blitz till it’s all broken down into a coarse meal.
  2. Next, add the olive oil and the parsley & blitz again. Keep opening the jar and pressing the leaves down on the blade in between blitzes. Add the water to help the process if desired.
  3. Once you have a smooth paste, add the lime juice and blitz again.
  4. Transfer to an air-tight jar and store in the fridge.