Vegan Basil Pesto Sauce

Summertime has three distinct meanings for me. First, it means that I have a three month break from reading dull textbooks, writing dull papers, and sleeping on average less than 5 hours a night. Second, it means scorching heat, painful sunburns, and distressing humidity. Aside from these extreme exaggerations,  summer means fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs. And this year, I'm growing my own basil plant.

Okay, so my basil plant isn't very big yet, and I can't really cook anything of substance with it. But it is growing!!! And I'll buy huge basil bunches from the grocery store so my little plant can aspire to one day become something. Like pesto.

I still remember the first time I tried pesto. I was hooked instantly. My mom had gone out to dinner for work, but when she got home, she woke me up and told me to try some of the pasta she had brought home. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted: peppery and garlicky, but so fresh tasting. It was a lot of familiar flavors presented in a new way. It was just a pesto sauce coating tortellini, but it was delicious.

 And now, I make my own pesto. An even fresher pesto, sans cheese. A lighter pesto too, with less olive oil but still tons of great basil flavor. You could even make this with cilantro or mint, if you prefer. If you're really daring, you could even do a combination of herbs. Basil mint pesto would be an extremely refreshing sauce for a hot summer's day. Also, feel free to play around with the nuts used. I would venture to guess that a mint walnut pesto (without garlic) would make a delicious topping for desserts.

Be strategic when choosing a pasta for your pesto sauce, if that's the route you're taking. I like to choose a pasta that has ample spaces to fill with sauce. Penne, tortellini, and rotini are all great choices in my book. But then again, I have been known to even mix in a spoonful of pesto with a bowl of rice.

Vegan Basil Pesto Sauce (Serves 4)
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, to taste

Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender of food processor. Begin to pulse, adding in olive oil to help the mixture come together. Continue to process until the sauce comes together. It should be a smooth paste. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour to let flavors blend.

Nutrition Estimates (one serving):
Calories: 164 Carbs: 3g Fat: 17g Protein: 3g

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

I'll admit that I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen this summer. And as much as I'd like to pretend I've been slaving over a hot stove and whisking sauces until my arms are ready to fall off, it hasn't been like that. I've enjoyed every single minute of food preparation, and I've challenged myself to make new dishes and try new things.

Well, this is one of those new things I've tried. I'd seen recipes for this popping up on FoodGawker every now and again, some comparing it to my beloved macaroni and cheese. I didn't believe that a pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce would be such an amazing comfort food, but it truly did parallel my favorite cheesy pasta dishes and definitely won a place in my go-to recipe box.

This recipe is a simplified version of other recipes I found online. Mostly, I didn't have celery or tomato paste on hand and really didn't feel like going to the grocery store. But as a result, this pasta sauce is full of butternut flavor and because of the combination with thyme, tastes like fall. Even better, it's incredibly simple.

 First, I boiled a 20 oz package of butternut squash until it was soft. Usually I don't mind deconstructing fresh vegetables, but this is actually a bit out of season right now, so I could only find it in chunks. But, it was a great time-saver!

Then after removing the squash from the pot and draining the water, I heated some olive oil and added a chopped onion and two cloves of garlic. I let the onions turn translucent, and then added the vegetable stock. Again, cook the onion until very soft.

 After adding the squash back into the pot and letting it cook for a few more minutes, I took the pot off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then, I blended the squash and onions until smooth (I had to do this in batches because my blender is pretty small). Then, I poured the squash puree back into the pot.

To season, I added a teaspoon of dried thyme (you could use a tablespoon of fresh thyme if you have it on hand) and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. I also added some plain unsweetened almond milk to make it creamy. I set the sauce aside while the pasta cooked and threw it back on the stove for just a minute to reheat before serving (I like my pasta sauce steaming hot).

 A little bit of extra cracked pepper on top....and oh, I suppose you might like a close-up.

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce (Serves 4)

20 oz butternut squash pieces

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup low sodium vegetable stock

1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other plain milk)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil squash in medium pot on stove until soft. Drain and set aside. In the same pot, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock and let simmer until onions are soft. Add squash pieces back in and let cook until all vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and let mixture cool about 10 minutes. Blend mixture until smooth, then put back in the pot. Add remaining vegetable stock, almond milk, and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve.

Nutrition Estimates (for one serving of sauce)

Calories: 142 Carbs: 20g Fat: 7g Protein: 4g