Roasted Pumpkin Pesto

It’s official, I’ve been bitten by the pumpkin bug! I just can’t get enough of the orange stuff! I want to add it to everything I make since pumpkin season only rolls around once a year and now is its time to shine.

Now this recipe is anything but your ordinary pumpkin dish. This is pumpkin walking down the aisle with Italian, hand in hand, their flavors intermingling to create this amazing roasted pumpkin pesto.

Sage and garlic combined with the earthy, nutty flavors of roasted pumpkin will awaken your taste buds.

The best part about this pesto is you can add it to many dishes like gnocchi for quick pumpkin gnocchi, use it as a spread on your bruschetta, or use it instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich (thanks for this tip Karen), top your soup with it, and even use it to season your polenta.

One of my favorite uses for this pesto is to add a little more olive oil, add in some white balsamic vinegar, shake it up well, and now you have a quick and delicious salad vinaigrette that has all the flavors of the season.

This roasted pumpkin pesto is a superstar to the foods. Just one taste and I think you’ll agree with me {smile}.

Roasted Pumpkin Pesto

Ingredients

1 cup roasted pumpkin

½ cup raw, whole almonds

1 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons water

½ teaspoon sea salt

 ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese, freshly grated

pinch of rubbed Dalmatian sage (for topping)

Directions

After you have washed, rinsed, patted dry, and destemmed (cut the stems off) your sage leaves, set them aside.

Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree. You can puree to your own liking of either coarse (the ground almonds) or finely ground (almonds). Also if you prefer it a little thin, you can either add more water, olive oil, or both.

Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate up to 1 week or you can freeze in a freezer safe container for later use. If freezing, pour a little olive oil over the top before covering.

Watch me make this recipe here on Simmer.

*Helpful Hints*

- Before serving, sprinkle a little rubbed Dalmatian sage over your pumpkin pesto creation for a little more flavor. As you sprinkle it, rub the sage between your fingers to help release its flavoring.

- my recipe for how to roast a pumpkin is here.

- All measurements are US

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Pesto Roasted Almonds

I’m loving these sunny, chilly days of November! Mainly because I can start using my oven without worrying if it’s going to make my home hotter than it already is and because now baking season officially begins for me! Oh how I love a toasty, warm home with delicious aromas coming from the kitchen.

It comes as no surprise that this recipe was inspired by my Basil Pesto recipe from last week because after I made it, I was scraping the insides of my blender trying to get out every last drop because it was just that good!

That’s when this idea popped into my head…how do I get all of this tasty pesto out of my blender and still be able to use it? Easy peasy, just add water!

So I added some water and made this delicious pesto paste that I proceeded to pour over my remaining almonds, tossed them into the oven, and BAM! It was created, my recipe for Pesto Roasted Almonds.
 

A healthy quick snack for on the go and that’s easy to make with a hint of basil and garlic. They also make for a delicious addition to any party platter and a great gift idea for any nut or pesto lover you might know.

Pesto Roasted Almonds

Ingredients

1 lb. whole, raw almonds

2 Tablespoons Basil Pesto

3 to 4 Tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Place pesto in a large mixing bowl, add water little at a time until you get a runny mix that is not too watery and maintains some paste so it can lightly stick to the almonds. You can always add more pesto or water, depending on your taste and how big a batch you're making.

Add in almonds and mix together until all almonds are coated with pesto mix.

Spread almonds over cookie sheet so they lay flat, not all bunched up.

Place into oven and cook for 15 minutes, this is half of your cooking time.

After 15 minutes, take pan out of oven and turn almonds over. Do this with the best of your ability, it won’t be easy but just a few flips with a spatula and move them around the pan will do, so they cook thoroughly.

Place back in oven and cook for remaining time or until mix is dry and crumbly over almonds.  Keep an eye on almonds after 15 minutes as you don’t want them to burn.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

After almonds have cooled off completely, store in an airtight container.

*Helpful Hints*

- You can find the recipe for my Basil Pesto here.

- About 10 minutes after removing pan from the oven, you can sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese for extra flavoring.

- All measurements are US

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

Basil Pesto

 

What do you do when life hands you too much basil at one time? Make pesto.

I don’t know about you but I L-O-V-E pesto! I use it on my spaghetti noodles, I slather it on my French bread before baking, I use it instead of tomato sauce when I make pizza, I use it to season my spaghetti sauces, I can find a use for it in any Italian dish! It’s my one stop Italian food favorite, next to olive oil and fresh garlic, of course.

 

So when I saw how easy it was to make your own pesto, I was all over it, especially with all these basil leaves I had!

Although the traditional recipe of pesto is made with pine nuts, you can use any variety of nuts you choose for making it. And since I didn’t have pine nuts on hand at the time I made my pesto, I used almonds. To me the almonds didn’t change the flavoring of the pesto, as the basil and garlic are the quintessence of this recipe.

The result was delicious! A beautifully green pesto sauce with a rich flavoring of basil and garlic, magnifico!

A little fact about basil, throughout Italy its meaning is Love. So next time you’re making an Italian dish for your loved one, throw in a little extra basil {wink}.

BASIL PESTO

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese, freshly grated

½ cup raw almonds

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

¼ cup water

Directions

After you have washed, rinsed, patted dry, and destemmed (cut the stems off) your basil leaves, set them aside.

Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree. You can puree to your own liking of either coarse (the ground almonds) or finely ground (almonds).

Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate up to 1 week or you can freeze in a freezer safe container for later use.

Inspired by ~ Lou Lou Girls Pesto Pasta

*Helpful Hints*

- All measurements are US

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Disclaimer - This post may contain affiliate links.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.

Shared with: Savoring Saturdays