Do you ever sit and dream about ways you can jazz up your food? How about clever toppings for your fish or crusty bread? This may not surprise you, but I literally have dreams at night for recipes to try…I know, my brain doesn’t stop cooking even when I’m asleep, especially when I have a long run coming up! I do my best to make sure I am getting a fair amount of carbs the night before a long run! The right amount of protein. Not too much fiber. Ha…I guess this is a good sign I’m doing what I love, cooking, running, and blogging about it. THANKS for reading!
Often times I am not sure when ideas pop in my head, in my dreams, half asleep, or half awake
. I am always taking notes so I don’t forget my inspiration for a future post! Like this one
.
I love good food and I more importantly, I love sharing my creations with friends and family! Being inspired is almost essential to preparing yummy food that looks good and tastes good too! The other day as I was watching my husband and this cute little guy, William, water my herbs and plants, I immediately thought Pesto!
Pesto is one of those tasty accompaniments that can really change the taste and flavor of almost any dish you are preparing! I love Pesto drizzled on a runny egg, as a topping for bruschetta, added to soups, and of course tossed with Pasta. I could go on an on an on!
My herbs are in full bloom so I have been making lots of Pesto, and lately it’s been on my menu weekly the evening before a long run. After all, we all have to eat so why not eat healthy food that you’re going to enjoy putting into your body! Pesto is perfect for pasta and pasta is perfect for runners and when tossed with freshly made pesto, it’s heavenly! You can serve it with grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, etc. So now you have a perfectly balanced meal to help you power through those morning miles.
So rather than making my tradition pesto with fresh basil, I decided to give my parsley plants a haircut and make Parsley Pesto! I also decided to use crispy walnuts instead of pine nuts, mostly because of the cost. Have you seen the price of pine nuts lately…they can range anywhere from $13-20/lb. Yes, pine nuts have a wonderful crunch and nutty flavor, but YIKES, you do pay for it! And check out all that so good for you kale that William is watering in the above photo. Did you know the peppery taste of kale pairs well with parsley? You do now!
Using a Food Processor is the simplest way to make pesto, which is how I made my garlic scape and basil pesto, and I used the same method here. Easy Peasy! This time I used Pecorino Romano vs Parmigiana Reggiano. You can find this right next to the other blocks of gourmet cheese in most grocery stores.
Pesto is such a lovely accompaniment to almost anything and can be made with any combination of nuts, cheese and herbs so don’t forget to use your imagination. Mine is always “running” wild when it comes to food…especially when I am running. Pasta, Pesto, & Shrimp…perfect pre-run meal. I hope you enjoy making pesto as much as I do and of course, happy eating!
Parsley Pesto with Walnuts
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cups or more of fresh parsley
- 3 to 4 leaves of kale (stems removed) see note
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- juice of a lemon
- 1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- 1/3 cup crispy walnuts
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Put all ingredients in your Food Processor except for cheese and olive oil
- Process till well blended
- Drizzle in Olive Oil while your food processor is running.
- Next stir in cheese or process on low just till combined.
NOTE: If you are not a kale fan, this is exceptional with peppery arugula, spinach, swiss chard or even a handful of fresh basil.
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