Nut-Free Pesto

[TaupeRawMan]

I made a neat recipe the other night. It was a variation of one from Greens for Life:

1 Avocado
1 head lettuce
1/2 bunch basil
1 lemon (juiced)
4 celery stalk

Blend and eat. It reminded me so much of pesto, I thought it would be a nice nut-free alternative.

[RawNorwegian]

Thank you or a nut-free recipe, I really need it since I wanna lose weight! :)

But I really hate celery, any suggestion to what I can use instead? Cucumber may be too watery?

[TaupeRawMan]

I would recommend using a bit less celery, but I found that I couldn't really taste it....it just added a salty flavor.

[somelikeitraw]

Maybe zucchini instead of celery?

[donnyandcathy]

what kind of lettuce did you use? I have a bunch of Bibb lettuce in the fridge, Whole Foods had them marked down, so I loaded up. Would that work?

[TaupeRawMan]

what kind of lettuce did you use? I have a bunch of Bibb lettuce in the fridge, Whole Foods had them marked down, so I loaded up. Would that work?

I have never tasted Bibb...does it have a certain taste?

I just used Romaine. I eat romaine all of the time because of how thick and green the leaves are and high protein (7 grams per head!).

[donnyandcathy]

It's a very "light" lettuce. Very soft, and tender. I love salads with it. I may need to use something heavier for the Pesto??
I don't have a whole head of Romaine, maybe only 4 leaves, I wonder if I could add spinach with the Romaine to make 1 head?
I really would like to try this tonight.
Thanks
Cathy

[TaupeRawMan]

Hi Cathy -

That lettuce should be fine. I recommend adding the spinach as needed to get the taste and consistancy you want. I ate this as a blended salad. It would be great a little thinned-out on pasta or as is rolled in leaves of some kind.

[donnyandcathy]

First of all, I'm not much of a chef, so I'm learning as I go. But I think you meant 1 juice of a lemon, didn't you?? Well I used the whole lemon except for the rine of course, and boy is it LEMONY :p I used the mixture of Spinach and Romaine, and Basil out of our garden (yum) It is VERY thick, should I add some water? Is there anything I can add real fast to take away some of the lemon?
I ran some cauliflower, and red bell pepper through my food processor, to make a Cous Cous type consistency, but that doesn't really taste that good. I am going to put the pesto over that, and see if that will help.
I'm in the kitchen fixing it now, so if anyone has any quick suggestions, please holler out at me. I am fixing my family spaghetti, and boy does it smell good!!!!!!!!!!! I will do this, I can do this, I will eat my raw yummy supper.....

[TaupeRawMan]

Hi Cathy -

possibly more lettuce or spinach. Maybe celery or I guess zuchini. Something that is somewhat neutral in flavor and has some water to it.

[donnyandcathy]

Well, I made it through supper, and was not tempted to eat any spaghetti.
I didn't add or do anything different to my already made creation, it ended up tasting pretty good.
My son was funny, he always likes to try what I make, and he tasted the Pesto, and his lips puckered up, and his eyes got wide, and he said "Wow, it's sour" :eek:
But my oldest daughter liked it and even ate some with me. She said it may have been too much basil as well as the lemon.
We learn by trying,right?
So next time it should be great!!
I love the idea of it being lower in fat than regular pesto.
Thanks for the recipe, and don't let my alterations scare anyone off from trying it. ;)

[donnyandcathy]

I have this recipe down now, and I LOVE it!!! In fact I crave it almost everyday.
I do add 1 clove of garlic, and sea salt. I use only the juice of the lemon ;)
and for my head of lettuce, I use only spinach. YUMMY!!

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm learning how to cook, or should I say un-cook, and follow a recipe :D

[TaupeRawMan]

Fantastic!