It's PESTO, people.

I love pesto! What is this pesto, you may ask (as my good friend Crystal did)?  According to my Italian food cook book it's "a sauce consisting of usually fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and grated cheese. [Italian, from past participle of pistare, pestare, to pound;]


My favorite word in this definition is "usually" because I rarely follow a recipe verbatim. I say usually because here is my rendition of "the best pesto ever"!

2 tall stalks of fresh basil (about 30 leaves)
1/2 cup (or so) of pumpkin seeds
1 handful (or so) of parmesan cheese
1 TBSP (or so) of EVOO
1 pinch (or so) of salt


Use your food processor or blender to make this into a lovely sauce. If you want it runnier, add more olive oil. I keep it to a minimum because I am also watching the calories. Put it over whole wheat pasta for the lowest calories or make your own raviolis and use this as your stuffing. Also, SUPER delicious on homemade wheat bread!