GUILTY!

Two seconds! That’s all it took for nimble Miss Claire to raid the pot of pesto pasta (say that 3x fast) after lunch. This was minutes after she polished off two bowls! I couldn’t understand her since her mouth was full, but I’m pretty sure she was saying, “I LOVES ME SOME PESTO!”

Can I truly complain that Claire is stealing pesto pasta straight from the pot? Nah. She’s downing a bunch of leafy green veggies in a delicious sauce…nutritionally speaking pesto packs a punch, right?

This pesto had a bit of a twist too – it was made with spinach (what was growing in the garden) and sunflower seeds (hanging around in the pantry) along with the usual additives of olive oil and garlic. Quick, easy and delish! Just ask Claire – oh wait, she’s busy:

I'm off to pick a peck of pickled peppers...the letter of the day is obviously "P."

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Pantry Scavenged Pesto Perfection

• 8 oz (about 3 cups lightly packed) baby spinach
• Generous handful of sunflower seeds (traditional pesto is made with pine nuts and almonds would work well too I bet!)
• 1/4 C (at least) of cheese (Parmesan preferred but Romano is fine, albeit strongly flavored)
• 2-3 garlic cloves smashed and salted
  
• 2/3 C of olive oil

Mash all the above together saving the olive oil for last. Going oldschool with your mortar and pestle is totally an option, but I chucked everything in my food processor and pulsed for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle additional cheese on the pasta for extra oomph! Pesto freezes well and a little goes a loooong way.