Arugula Pesto & Cilantro Pesto

  The Italian word pesto means "to crush" and refers to herbs, nuts, and spices such as garlic getting crushed together to form a sauce.  Traditional pesto uses basil, but any herb can be used with success.  The two pestos featured in this post use minimal olive oil and no parmesan cheese because I wanted to highlight the herbal flavors.  I love traditional pesto, but since it is calorically dense, it should be used more moderately.  However, you don't have to fear over-doing it with these pestos!

Pesto makes everything taste better.  The arugula pesto is delicious mixed in with whole wheat penne and poached salmon and the cilantro pesto is fabulous with crudités, especially raw bell pepper strips.

Nutrition Highlight: Arugula

Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable and is part of the brassica family which includes kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and mustard greens.  This family is known as being a cancer fighter!

To reap the cancer fighting health benefits, it's best to eat arugula raw.  Cooking denatures the enzyme that converts the cruciferous glucosinolate compound into the cancer fighting isothiocyanate compound. But if you eat some raw cruciferous vegetables in the same meal with the cooked, you'll get the enzyme necessary to break down the glucosinolates as explained by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. in this Huffpost article. 

So if you decided to cook some broccoli with your pasta, adding the raw arugula pesto would help you obtain maximal cancer fighting compounds from your meal.  

Arugula Pesto
Printable Recipe
1.5 oz arugula (2 c not packed down)  
1.5 oz (1/3 c) slivered almonds
1/2 tsp grated garlic (1 medium clove)
2 T olive oil
3 T water
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

In a mini food processor, place all the nuts, salt, lemon juice, garlic, & water. Process. Add half of the arugula and olive oil (best not to over-churn olive oil).  Add rest of arugula.  After making this several times, I've found that 1/2 tsp grated garlic is just right (1 tsp grated gets a little too garlicky) and 3 T of water makes for the perfect consistency.  1/4 c water just makes it a little too loose.

Ideas: mix with pasta, use on sandwiches, on poached fish, in wraps, in pita, or with lavash-sardines-walnuts.
Note: the arugula version is better with less lemon juice, hence the 1 T amount vs. the 2 T in the following recipe.
Warning: 1 large garlic clove will make it very garlicky.

Cilantro Pesto
Printable Recipe
3/4 bunch of cilantro (include stems)
1/4 c fresh mint, optional

1 tsp chopped garlic (1 medium clove), chopped 

*can do in your hand like you would a banana

2 T olive oil
2-4 T water 
2 T lemon juice
1.5 oz (1/3 c) slivered almonds
1/4 tsp salt

In a mini food processor, place half the cilantro, all the nuts, salt, lemon juice, garlic, 3 T water. Process. Add the rest of the cilantro and olive oil (added now because it's best to not over-churn it).  If you want it a little looser add 1 T more water.

Note: I've made this with just cilantro and with the cilantro and mint.  If you have some mint on hand, I recommend throwing some into the mix for another layer of flavor.

Ideas: mix with black beans and quinoa, use as a dip for bell pepper and other crudités, on poached fish, in wraps, in pita, or with lavash-goat cheese-walnuts.

Warning: 1 large garlic clove will make it very garlicky.