This hemp heart pesto is vegan, nut free and raw. It makes lunch or dinner extra delicious. Most pestos have cheese in them which doesn’t work for those of us who eat dairy-free. I always make my pestos without the cheese. For some, it is best not to eat lots of nuts and this hemp heart pesto is perfect as the hemp hearts add the flavour and texture without the nuts.
It is very tasty! Also, it is easy to make this simple raw pesto, no cooking required. And it is full of healthy Superfoods.
Hemp Heart Pesto Ingredients
Hemp Hearts
Hemp hearts are definitely a superfood filled with health benefits! The hemp heart is hulled from the hemp seed. They do come from the same plant as marijuana but they will not get you high. Hemp hearts will get you high on nutrients and health benefits. I enjoy adding them to my meals daily.
Garlic
Garlic can lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, and lower high blood pressure. Garlic also prevents artery-clogging plaque in its early stage by keeping cholesterol particles from sticking to artery walls Add some garlic to your soups, stews, and salad dressing recipes to lower high cholesterol.
Sometimes it is easier to use some Organic Freeze Dried Garlic so no chopping and peeling.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is packed with health benefits from helping with weight loss to improving bine health to lowering bad cholesterol and much more. Learn all 12 of the Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Olive oil was referred to as “Liquid Gold” by the famous Greek poet Homer. If you are what you eat, what would happen if you consumed “Liquid Gold” daily? It’s one of the top oils you need in your kitchen.
We were shocked to find out that the olive oils that we thought were real authentic extra virgin olive oils were not! Read about The Olive Oil Fraud and which are the Best Real Olive oils
Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Nutritional Yeast Flakes add a tangy, cheesy taste to my food which is good since I don’t eat cheese. I add this to sauces and pesto as a replacement for Parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast flakes are an inactive form of yeast and are a good source of protein (contain 18 amino acids and nine are essential ones that your body cannot produce). Also, are a great source of B vitamins and the minerals iron, selenium, and zinc.
Not to be confused with baker’s yeast, which is still active and can grow inside your stomach, depriving you of nutrients, or with brewer’s yeast, which is inactive but bitter.
Organic nutritional yeast is not fortified, so it does not have the same B vitamins and bright yellow color as conventional yeast flakes. Any fortified yeast cannot be organically certified. Try this very good variety of nutritional yeast: Druids Grove Organic Nutritional Yeast Flakes Kosher Certified
Himalayan Salt
Also, I always use Pink Himalayan Salt which is a salt that is actually healthy for you!
Now for your Hemp Heart Pesto, choose one of these greens:
Basil is one of my favorite herbs to use in my kitchen and adds a delicious flavour to this pesto. Basil has been considered to be ‘The Oldest Herb’. It has been used for health reasons and for its distinct flavour which is delicious. Basil is full of health benefits making it a herb superfood and it has an amazing history. Learn more about The Oldest Herb Is Full of Health Benefits.
Spinach was a superfood even before there was the term Powerfood. We’re referring of course to Popeye the Sailor Man. One can of the green stuff and he turned into muscle popping tornado of energy. Even without Popeye’s recommendation, spinach contains more nutrients per calorie than any other food on the earth.
Arugula with its aromatic, peppery flavour adds a wonderful dimension to a salad and to your sex life too. It is also known by other names such as salad rocket, garden rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, or colewort. The scientific name of arugula is Eruca sativa.
Now, time to make your own hemp heart pesto.
Hemp Heart Pesto
Ingredients
- 1-3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
- 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cups fresh basil or spinach leaves or arugula
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry the basil leaves.
- Chop the garlic.
- Put the basil, garlic, and hemp seeds into a food processor fitted with the S blade.
- Pulse about 10 times, to help break down the basil
- Add all of the remaining ingredients. to the blender
- Process till smooth, adding an extra drizzle of olive oil if needed to thin the pesto
- Taste and add more salt if needed
- It is great served on pasta, or as a dip, on salads, pizzas, toast or whatever you would like!
- Store in a glass container in the fridge.
Notes
My Delicious Hemp Heart Pesto Meal
This is a meal I made with this tasty hemp pesto. I cooked up some brown rice pasta. Sauteed some onions and mushrooms to mix in with the pasta and pesto. Steamed up some carrots to go on the side. It was a delicious lunch!
Have you heard of the olive oil fraud? Find out Which Olive Oil to Buy.
More Healthy Hemp Recipes That Are Delicious
Creamy Hemp Heart Milk Is Delicious and Nutritious – This hemp heart milk is made with hemp hearts which are the hemp seeds hulled. When I made this, I was very surprised at how quickly it was made and how creamy it was!
Wild Blueberry Grain-Free Crumble is Tasty and Good for You – This is a delicious wild blueberry grain-free crumble meaning it is gluten-free too. It is a very healthy recipe and is also refined sugar-free. What inspired this recipe was that my sister was coming for her birthday dinner and I wanted to have a very healthy dessert to serve.
Sweet Wild Blueberry Keto Smoothie is Easy to Make – I love this wild blueberry keto smoothie. It is perfect for a quick breakfast or makes a tasty afternoon snack. What makes it keto is that there are only a small amount of blueberries in it and all of the other ingredients are keto-friendly. I make it a little sweeter by adding a few drops of stevia to mine.
Try Some of My Other Tasty Pesto Recipes
Delicious Vegan Pesto – I love this vegan pesto without the cheese; it tastes like the real thing only better to me! Toss with pasta or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.
Vegan Zucchini Pesto – This zucchini pesto is lighter than the regular pesto as it has less oil and adds a refreshing zest of zucchini to your pasta. Also, I prefer not to use cheese and the nutritional yeast gives it a delicious flavor.
Tasty Vegan Chickweed Pesto – This chickweed pesto is vegan, is easy to make and tastes great! One of the best things about it is that it is made from a weed that grows everywhere. It is a delicate green weed that is so good for pesto. Toss with pasta or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.
Fresh Peppermint Pesto Is So Tasty on Pasta – I love this vegan peppermint pesto during the hot summer. Try it on raw zucchini pasta or even added to your cooked grains or on top of steamed vegetables.
Arugula Pesto Recipe – Healthy and Dairy Free – This arugula pesto is a favorite of mine and it is great to be able to use walnuts instead of the wonderful pine nuts which are so expensive. Usually, cheese is an ingredient when making a pesto recipe but there is no cheese in this and it still has a cheesy flavour thanks to the Nutritional Yeast used.