Equipment needed: food processor, knife, cutting board
Time: 30 min
My basil plant is so huge and lush this time of year that I MUST take advantage of it’s odiferous, basily goodness 
Ok, so I made up the word “basily” but “odiferous” really is a word! You’ve just gotta love words like that…. I have a great view of my basil plants from my side porch where I hang out morning and night, and so I’ve been thinking of ways to incorporate it into dishes. I actually thought of basil ice-cream yesterday, seriously. Apparently it’s not new, I googled it and lots of people have attempted it already. A sweet, basil ice-cream. But, that will wait until another day! Oh…one of my cats, Ava, came inside the other day smelling of basil. I’ve never known her to play in the basil bush, but even she’s into it these days.
Today’s recipe consists of my favorite kelp noodle “pasta”, lightly cooked fordhook lima beans, a mostly raw vegan pesto, and fresh lemon juice. My hands still smell of basil
Fordhook Limas & Kelp Noodle Pesto with Lemon:
- 1/2 package Sea Tangle kelp noodles
- 1/4 cup fordhook limas (these are the really big ones and are meatier than the smaller ones)
- 1 cup of fresh basil
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup walnuts (or pine nuts if you have them)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan (or regular parm if you prefer, or Bragg’s nutritional yeast to keep it raw)
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- pinch of nutmeg
Soak a 1/2 package of Sea Tangle kelp noodles in water with the juice of half a lemon for about 30 minutes or so. This will soften the noodles and give them a better taste and texture. Boil fordhook limas according to package, if using frozen as I did. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients and process in food processor until nuts are broken down. The pesto should have a texture, not be completely smooth. Drain your noodles in a colander. Take a pair of kitchen scissors and snip them a bit, this will make the strands easier to roll on your fork later. Otherwise, it’s a nice little mess. Toss your noodles with the pesto, add the limas, and chiffonade some extra basil leaves to toss in, maybe an extra touch of olive oil at the end. I squeezed a little extra lemon juice at the end also. I’ve never used lemon in pesto until today, and I really liked it. But, this is optional… you may prefer a traditional pesto. The nutmeg was an after thought, and it turned out well I think. But again, this is a personal preference.
This is a great summer lunch or dinner, enjoy!
-JW
