Creamy Garlic Walnut Pesto, over shrooms and noods

After spending a few hours on Instagram scrolling through hashtages like:

• #whatveganseat
• #veganfoodporn
• #veganpesto

I was craving a creamy garlic pesto, and Had to have it for dinner.

Here are the ingredients:

 

• extra virgin olive oil
• basil -set aside a sprig for the garnish
• garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1-2 handfuls of walnuts
• 1  avocado
• pink Himalayan salt
• pepper
• mushrooms-sauté in coconut oil
• chives to garnish the plate

I soaked the walnuts in a glass jar all afternoon (the longer the better) and minced the garlic before placing all the ingredients into a food processer. The reason I pre-chop the garlic is because the longer it sits the alliin is converted into allicin which is also responsible for the delicious garlicky odor, strong taste and a number of health benefits (google scholar).

Simple directions:
While your pasta noods are boiling place all of the ingredients into the food processor, with the exception of the avocado pit and lemon peels of course. I started with about 4 wedges of lemon but you can of course adjust to your preference.


I also always over do the garlic so you might want to just put in 2-3 garlic cloves (peeled) rather than the 5-6 that I put in. The more basil the better, and obviously the more fresh the basil the better. Home grown is best but do what you can.

Add more olive oil as needed as you blend the ingredients in the food processor.

Once your sauce is done, let it sit for a few minutes while you sauté mushrooms in coconut oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt. You can also use olive oil but make sure you don't overheat it or it will become hydrogenated (making it a "bad-fat") whereas coconut oil or grape seed oils have a higher heat tolerance.

When your pasta is done, rinse and drain the water. Place your noods in a bowl and carefully spoon in mushrooms and pesto, keep the stirring to an artful minimum.

Top with carefully diced chives and your most beautiful sprig of basil, and enjoy!