Week 3 of the Food Matters Project!! Today it is Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut "Pesto" brought to you by Heather. I love traditional pesto made with basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese, but I also love to mix it up. This recipe does just that. Using Roasted Red Peppers and Walnuts. I switched it up even more from the recipe and instead of basil I used spinach and arugula because that is what I had on hand.
I am a firm believer in making everything from scratch. No jarred peppers here. Roasting them on your own is so easy. Yes, it takes two seconds to open a jar, but what else are they putting in that jar to keep it fresh? I roasted my peppers in the oven under the broiler, turning them as they blister.
I added my pesto to chickpeas to make homemade hummus. And you know I didn't get my chickpeas from a can either. I made those from scratch too. I also added a little bit of cilantro to the mix. It added a nice herbaceous flavor.
I absolutley love hummus! It is such a great snack.
P.S. - Mine didn't turn out as "red" because I didn't use as many red peppers as the recipe called for. I only used 2 peppers. They aren't in season right now and so they have to be shipped in from other countries. I really try to eat local and in season as much as possible.
Check out how all the other foodies faired here.
xoxo,
Dominica