Harmony’s Creamy Pesto Dip

Makes about 2 cups

 

My delightful neighbor Harmony, author of the inspiring A Healthier You, recently gave us a container of her luscious and uber-healthy pesto dip. Chris and I both went crazy for it. So, having cornered her this morning where our fences meet, I asked her for the recipe. She said that she makes pesto with basil, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice (she didn’t say whether or not she adds pine nuts), then blends it into silken tofu. I came straight home and made my own batch with the quantities below.

1 16-oz container silken tofu, drained

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 Tbs lemon juice

3 Tbs olive oil

salt to taste

Puree all ingredients in your blender or food processor.

Chris and I mostly dipped crackers and vegetables into the batch that Harmony gave us, but for lunch today I tried a few other things with my dip. I was in the mood for pasta, but I didn’t want to forgo my greens, nor did I want to turn on the stove top and start chopping stuff. So my solution was to eat my pasta over a spinach salad, and hence the Tortellini Spinach Salad was born:

 

I added strips of red pepper, some diced avocado and about 10 halved grape tomatoes to a pile of spinach, topped with cooked spinach-ricotta tortellini and a beautiful glob of the pesto dip. I had planned on drizzling a little balsamic vinegar, but went to my pantry and found NONE! One more thing to add to the shopping list…

I also tossed a few tablespoons of the dip with the rest of the cooked tortellini and put it in the fridge—I’m pretty sure Chris will WEEP when he finds that snack in there later today.