Whimsical Breakfast & Oil Free Pesto + Pesto Pasta Recipe

This morning we had a whimsical breakfast! Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Nice Cream Parfaits with Brownie Bites served with Chocolate Covered Katie's No Flour Black Bean Brownies, Lattes and a good book!

Heavenly!

The next time I am asked to bring a dish to pass at a gathering I will hands down be bringing these brownies! Thanks Katie! 

This is turning into one of my favorite desserts! I tested them out today on our friends not telling them they were made with black beans, just handing them a tray full of brownies and snacks.

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This is what I got back, I think they loved them and proves this is the recipe I'd love to share others!

They are also great with vanilla nice-cream! (Blend frozen banana chunks and add vanilla.)

If dessert was covered then I would surely bring my pesto pasta dish!!! The secret? Grow your own basil with love it tastes better I swear! I purchased this basil plant for less than $3.00 as a starter. Once it was planted with a little tender love and care it thrived! The smell and fragrance is wonderful and brings daily happiness.

The plant was beginning to flower so I trimmed it back and thought it was the perfect excuse to make pesto. We used to enjoy pesto pasta all the time and haven't had it in ages. It is one of our all time favorite meals to enjoy and my husband was pleased to see what I was up to in the kitchen! Now you can make it too!

Oil-Free Pesto:

• 1.5 cups chopped zucchini
• 3 heaping cups basil (+/- to taste, I was not shy and added a lot!)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (+/- to taste, great flavor and anti-viral)
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• 3 limes - juiced
• 1 tsp salt (+/- to taste)

Blend until nice and creamy, like this! Taste it and add any additional lime, salt, garlic or basil to get the flavor just right.

Set aside enough to enjoy on pasta or whatever dish you had in mind and freeze the balance in ice cube trays. This is a perfect way to preserve the pesto and it will last for over a month in the freezer. Take it out and add to future dishes as you would fresh pesto. Note when it melts it provides a surprising amount of flavorful deliciousness!

To make pasta simply boil your favorite pasta, we chose brown rice pasta for a gluten-free blend. Serve with your favorite veggies and enjoy! What did I do? In a wok I took veggie broth, added chopped onions, garlic, yellow bell peppers, tomatoes and olives and stir fried in the broth to steam. Blanched veggies works great too. I drained the pasta, coated with pesto sauce and folded in the veggies, served with basil on top!  YUM! For a real treat add a vegan sausage to make the perfect dish.

I hope you found this information fun and helpful! I recently learned about ALOHA recipes and can't wait to check out more for inspiration.... look here to find your inspiration! A bunch of happy and healthy vibrant recipes that look amazing. I love learning new things and can't wait to learn more and share more.

To your continued health and happiness!
Christa
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PS - Thanksgiving posts coming soon....!