the power of pesto
Let your food be your medicine, healing doesn’t need to be complicated
… or tasteless for that matter.
Don’t just fulfill your hunger, nourish it, nourish the body, the soul, nourish it right down to the cellular level. We are already surrounded by powerful healing foods, we just need to learn to identify their properties and allow them to heal.
In this post and the ones to follow, I will be sharing my everyday recipes that are nourishing and simple to recreate. With each recipe I will be sharing the energetic properties so you know when and how to incorporate it into your diet.
I intend to be mindful of the present research, but please do keep in mind that the information I share is based on my opinion and research. I highly encourage you to do your own research and see a licensed healthcare practitioner.
The pesto story
Basil Pesto isn't just a delicious sauce, it is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, metabolism boosting powerhouse. The mixture of herbs and spices can be extremely beneficial for someone who struggles with chronic pain, digestive disturbances, anxiety, insomnia, and poor circulation. It has the ability to calm the mind, reduce fever, improve heart health, fight bad cholesterol, support the liver, and provide a gentle detox.
The beauty of this mixture is that you can create it any way you desire, so the power of its healing abilities are essentially endless.
This dish requires five main components, a herb (like basil), a nut, garlic, lemon, and any type of oil - the variations are truly endless. Then you throw everything into a blender in which ever amounts your heart desires.
Below I have listed my version of this mixture and each of the ingredients healing properties.
I specifically tailored my recipe to be anti-inflammatory, to help fight those achy muscles, and at the same time follow the rules of yin and yang.
Ingredients:
I) Basil:
Inflammation
Powerful antioxidant
Anti-aging compounds
Fights bacterial infections
Muscular Pain
Cooling herb, reduces fever
Calming
Improves digestion
Supports liver function
Supports diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Supports heart health
Acts as an aphrodisiac
II) Cilantro:
Prevents cardiovascular damage
Anti-diabetic activity
Strong antioxidant
Anti-anxiety
Improves sleep quality
Blood sugar lowering effect
Antibacterial and anti- fungal
Internal deodorant
Aid digestion
Prevents conjunctivitis
Anti stress
Toxic metal cleansing
III) Pine Nuts:
High protein and essential fat
Assists metabolism and weight loss
Fights free radicals
Prevents disease
Heart friendly
Contains vitamin E
Healthy brain
Alleviates PMS symptoms
Supports diabetes management
Decrease heart disease risk
Inflammation
Premature aging
IV) Almonds
Anti cancerous
Improves skin health
Improves heart health
Controls blood sugar and blood pressure
Supports bone and and teeth
Boosts immune system
Anti-inflammatory
Lowers cholesterol
V) Jalapeno pepper
Reduce risk of cancer
Lower blood pressure
Heals inflammation
Boosts metabolism
Protects the heart
Eases headaches/ migraine
Clears congestion
Contains VItamin A, C, and many flavonoids
( Avoid this ingredient if you are experiencing heat like symptoms such as hot flushed face, hot body, sweating, irritability, insomnia, or anxiety.)
VI) Garlic
Relieves stress and fatigue
Supports heart health
Painkiller
Assists in detox
Anti-inflammatory
Lowers cholesterol
Streghtens immune system
Reduces and regulates blood sugar
Nasal decongestant
Improve bone health
VII) Lemon
Supports heart health
Reduces body weight
Reduces bad cholesterol
Aids in digestions
Promotes healthy skin
Purifies blood
Helps reduce blood pressure
Balances pH level
Reduces fever, clears heat
Resolves phlegm
Promotes qi circulation
VIII) Cayenne pepper
Improves circulation
Detoxifying
Weight loss
Arthritis
Relieves pain
Aids in digestion
Supports heart health
Reduces inflammation
Warming
( Avoid this ingredient if you are experiencing heat like symptoms such as hot flushed face, hot body, sweating, irritability, insomnia, or anxiety.)
IX) Parmesan cheese
Rich source of protein
Gentle to digest, contains minimal amounts of lactose
Omega 3
Contains calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur
Healthy source of fat
Recipe:
If I am being really honest, all the ingredients were eyeballed into the blender. I love cooking by intuition, by smelling the aroma, by tasting it throughout and observing the colors of the dish. I absolutely love the taste and smell of cilantro and basil so I was really generous with that. Since I knew I was going to pair this with pasta I added extra spice and some Italian seasoning to give it a little bit more flavor. I highly suggest you let your intuition guide you for this recipe, as this will not only create something unique to what you’re craving but allow you to strengthen on your instinct.
For those who prefer a guideline, I've posted a simple one below.
Ingredients:
4 ounces pine nuts
4 ounces of almonds
4 cups fresh basil
2 cups fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves
1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ jalapeño pepper (or to taste)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
In the bowl of a food processor, add 1/2 the pine nuts and almonds, 3 cups basil, 1 cup of the cilantro, 3 garlic cloves, and lemon zest. Process the ingredients until the ingredients are finely chopped, approximately 30 seconds.
Keep the food processor running on low speed, slowly pour in ½ -¾ cup of olive oil and continue processing until a smooth paste begins to form. At this point stop the food processor and mix the contents with a spoon, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture is well mixed.
Add the cheese, jalapeño pepper, the spices and remaining nuts, basil, garlic to the blender. Pulse the ingredients until finely chopped.
Using a rubber spatula, transfer the pesto sauce to a bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Store the basil pesto sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Optional: roast the pine nuts, and almonds for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat this. I personally do not recommend doing this, it can potentially oxidize the nuts and damage their healing properties. The only real benefit to doing this is to enhance the flavor of the nuts however if you added in a sufficient amount of nuts it really shouldn’t make to much of a difference.
Cooking the pesto:
When cooking with basil, ensure that you do not expose it to heat for long periods. The idea is to keep this pesto as fresh and raw as possible to benefit from the healing properties, before heat denatures them or they are further oxidized.
I love serving my pesto on some brown rice pasta with a side of arugula or mixed in with Greek yogurt over a rice bowl. Another option is to use it as a pizza or flatbread sauce, on top of your poached eggs or an omelette, or even spread it alongside butter on a piece of toast.
Remember the fun in making pesto is in the ingredients, so experiment with this recipe, and try different herbs and spices.
Do share your version with us on social media.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me or share them below.
Happy Cooking!
xoxo