Green Split Pea Pesto Pasta Salad (Vegan)

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada, but opinions are all my own.

We have all had pesto before, but have you ever tried adding split peas to it?  It adds a wonderful flavor as well as a boost of protein.  This Green Split Pea Pesto Pasta Salad is a must make!  It starts with these beautiful split peas.

 

Split peas

 

 

pea pesto pasta salad

 

This is perfect for summer cookouts and parties.  The tomatoes also add some nice color and pair well with the mildly sweet flavor of the peas.  Most recipes for split peas are soups, but I wanted to utilize them in a different way.  They were perfect in this pesto.

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Dairy Free Pesto (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Dairy Free Pesto is the recipe for today!  Pesto is one of my favorite sauces.  It’s great on zucchini noodles and pizza.  It also makes a great dip or sandwich spread.

This healthy vegan pesto sauce is very versatile.  It’s also super easy to make!  I only used 6 ingredients.  My dairy free pesto recipe is also oil free.

If you like to make your own dressings and sauces,  you may also like this post full of sauce and condiment recipes.

 

Dairy Free Pesto - My Whole Food Life

You can whip up this healthy pesto in just minutes.  I added spinach to mine, but kale or chard will work too.  No need for dairy and oil in this recipe.

I added the nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, but it actually will give you a nice dose of B vitamins too!  This dairy free pesto recipe is vegan, gluten free and grain free!

You can keep it paleo, but omitting the yeast.  If you are wondering what the heck nutritional yeast is, check out this post.

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Heathy Avocado Pesto Dip (Vegan)

I am a huge fan of avocados.  So I made some avocado pesto dip.  In my opinion, avocados make everything better.

Avocados are great on their own, in salads or smoothies.  This avocado pesto is fantastic.  It is oil free and dairy free.

I loved this healthy vegan pesto dip as a dip, but I could also see it being used as a sauce or maybe in a wrap as well. 🙂

Avocado Pesto Dip - My Whole Food Life P

If you are worried about the avocado browning, you can always squeeze a small amount of lemon juice onto it.  I ate it for a second time today and it tasted great even though it had browned a little.

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Spaghetti Squash with Pesto Sauce

I have been trying to experiment with grain free pastas lately.  I first made my Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Pesto.  That was a huge hit, so I thought I would try spaghetti squash next.  That is how this Spaghetti Squash with Pesto Sauce was born.  Now this pesto sauce is different.  It is made with hemp oil. If you haven’t had hemp oil, you should give it a try!  Not only is it healthy, it has a very nice nutty taste!

Spaghetti Squash - My Whole Food Life 1

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Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Pesto (Vegan)

A while back I got a spiralizer. For some reason, I hadn’t used it yet.  Until now.  I made this zucchini pasta.  I’m so glad I did. The spiralizer is super easy to use and it’s priced very well.

It makes great low carb noodles. This zucchini pasta with avocado pesto is delicious and low carb!  To get the Paderno Spiralizer, click here.

 

Zucchini Pasta

 

This whole meal literally took me 10 minutes to make!  Great for those busy days when you have little time to cook dinner.  Perfect for those hot days in the summer where you don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove.

You could top this with your favorite protein to make it complete.  Another quick meal on my blog is my Pesto Portobellos. 

 

You can learn how to use the spiralizer by watching this short video.

 

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Pesto

Prep Time 20 min

Ingredients

    For the noodles

    • 2 zucchinis with the tops removed
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

    For the pesto

    • 2 avocados
    • 15 basil leaves
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
    • 2 T olive oil
    • 2 T fresh parsley chopped
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    1. Using a spiralizer , cut your zucchini into ribbons and set aside. 
    2. In a food processor , combine all the ingredients for the pesto and blend well. 
    3. Take about 1/2 cup of the pesto and toss with the tomatoes and noodles. 
    4. Save the remaining pesto for another time or use it as a sandwich spread.

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    Recipe Notes

    If you have a spiralizer, I highly recommend this book . It has amazing recipes for the spiralizer that go well beyond the zucchini noodles. I got about 2-3 servings out of this. Enjoy!

    Dairy Free Spinach Pesto Recipe

    You need to try this Dairy Free Spinach Pesto!  Who doesn’t like pesto?  I actually prefer it over a tomato sauce any day.  We have basil growing in our backyard, so I thought I would use some of it to create a pesto sauce.

    I could seriously sit there and smell it all day!  Seriously, if you don’t have basil growing in your house or yard, you need to get some.

    Basil grows like a weed!  You can save so much money by growing your own herbs, and basil is no exception.

    Plus, you can freeze them and have herbs all year round.  This dairy free spinach pesto recipe makes more of a paste than a sauce, so if you want to turn it into a sauce, you need to add a bit more oil and/or some water.

     

    dairy free spinach pesto

    I love using this recipe for making pizza.  It’s great with a cherry tomatoes as well.  If you are not familiar with nutritional yeast,  it comes in flake form and gives a nutty and cheesy taste.

    It is often used in place of cheese.  Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein, fiber and B vitamins.

    You can find it at most health stores.  I used almonds when making this pesto, since pine nuts are so expensive.  Almonds make a great substitute.

    You can also make this healthy pesto recipe with kale if you like.  Works just as well.

    Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

    Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

    Prep Time 10 min Serves 1.5 cups     adjust servings

    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Throw everything in the food processor and mix until combined. Since my food processor’s lid broke and I am waiting for a new one to arrive, I had to use my Vitamix for this. I can tell you it was a bit harder in the Vitamix than the food processor.

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    Recipe Notes

    This recipe made about 1 1/2 cups and should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for longer storage. Enjoy!