Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato + Walnut Pesto

This vegan sun-dried tomato walnut pesto is my go-to prescription for grey winter nights.

Nothing cures my grumpy better than a big bowl of pasta (served with a glass of organic red wine, of course!). This dairy-free sun-dried tomato pesto is delicious, easy & loaded with healthy fats from walnuts for a little serotonin boost on cranky days. I like to serve this pesto on a pasta made from lentils, chickpeas, black beans or quinoa for a dose of fibre-rich happiness in a bowl. Eating these complex carbohydrates in combination with healthy fats from olive oil causes increased tryptophan levels; the precursor for serotonin – our happy neurotransmitter. Now please excuse me while I spend the rest of this gloomy winter Sunday curled up on the couch eating this pasta and listening to Fleetwood Mac records …

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Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato + Walnut Pesto

Gloomy weather prescription: serve this rich and creamy pesto over warm pasta with a glass of wine and a good book. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted 
• 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes 
• 4 - 6 cloves raw garlic, chopped 
• 3 tbs hemp seeds 
• 1/4 tsp ground chili pepper
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
• Pepper to taste 

Instructions

Toast the walnuts on a pan over high heat, stirring frequently until browned. Place the walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped garlic hemp seeds, nutritional yeast and spices into a food processor and process until all ingredients are broken down. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing the food processor until the pesto is well mixed. Gloomy weather prescription: serve this rich and creamy pesto over warm pasta with a glass of wine and a good book.

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