Pesto!

My parents came in town for a visit this week.  My Dad and I picked basil in a friend's yard.   We decided to use the basil to make a homemade pesto and turn it into some kind of dinner!  (I will post that next.)  

Ingredients:

2 cups raw basil

1/4 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, pine nuts or pumpkin/sunflower seeds)

1/2 cup hard cheese - grated (such as romano or parmesan) - optional

2 T oil (olive or grapeseed)

2 T lemon juice - from a fresh lemon

1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cloves garlic minced

Place all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth!  (I intended to use walnuts but only had pecans on hand.  It turned out great.)  This is another mixture where you could throw in lots of other things and have a great result.  I thought about throwing in a little raw broccoli I had leftover or red bell pepper.  I did not do it this time but certainly would some other time.

Pesto can be used as a spread on a piece of whole grain bread, as a type of "sauce" to be mixed in with pasta, as part of a sandwich, etc.  It can be made with other raw ingredients to increase it's nutritional value. 

Basil contains flavonoids that provided cellular protection. Orientin and Vicenin are two of the flavonoids which protect white blood cell structures as well as chromosomes from radiation and oxygen based damaged . It has been also shown that basil protects against various types of unwanted bacterial and growth.

It has anti inflammatory benefits. Studies have shown that certain oils in basil have the potential to block the activity of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase that is cause of inflammation in humans. This enzyme inhibiting effect of basil can provide healing effect for people with health problems like rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel conditions.

It has also been shown to be a good source of vitamin c, iron, potassium, and calcium. 

Thank you to Jason Derrick for letting me pick basil in his yard.