Fresh Basil Pesto

Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.

There are many varieties of basil. The most common one found in popular supermarkets is sweet basil and the one used in this recipe. It is a tender plant that imparts a sweet, pungent, astringent taste, with a mild heating effect.

Basil has a slightly heating effect, opens up circulatory channels, and is used to help relieve coughs and colds as documented in Ayurveda, the 5,000 year old traditional health system from India. Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda (SVA) also recognizes that basil can pacify electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR), particularly holy basil (Ocimum sanctum L.), otherwise known as tulsi. Electromagnetic frequencies and radiation interferes with the flow of prana in the body. Adding fresh basil leaves in your bath is also beneficial to cleanse these prana disruptors. With holy basil/tulsi, don’t drink too much of this if you have a liver condition, fatty liver or have an overheated liver.

I substitute pine nuts at times with either cashews, sunflower seeds or almonds, the latter soaked overnight and peeled. (Check out my almond milk recipe.) I also keep in mind SVA principles when I’m cooking, like avoiding regular consumption of garlic, or none at all, because of its powerful antibiotic properties having the ability to also wipe out friendly bacteria in the gut. If you’re used to the powerful pungent garlic taste you could add some to the recipe. You can also try combining 50/50 basil and a green vegetable like spinach, kale, or broccoli. In fact, leafy greens, like spinach and chard, and cruciferous vegetables, like kale, broccoli or cauliflower all contain some dietary sulfur compounds which garlic has plenty of. The sulfur in the allium family, which is also found in onions, leeks, scallions, shallots, gives them their heating and antibiotic effects, wiping out not just bad bacteria but the friendly bacteria in the gut as well. Garlic has the most potent antibiotic properties of all the alliums. Unfortunately, there is no differentiating between the good and bad bacteria with garlic and allium’s super power. This also holds true for many other antibiotic compounds, but some antibiotics are life saving and we do need to take them. Cooking alliums destroys some of their potency, yet still powerful enough to harm the friendly bacteria. Alarming as this is, I gently caution clients of this fact, especially those who have chronic digestive issues, to try and avoid or eliminate garlic and onions for a period of time as part of treatment of digestive issues.

We add this pesto to all kinds of meals like pastas, as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, pizza, or in soup as a finish. So flavourful that a small amount goes a long way. My little one loves it! And that’s always a win!

Basil Pesto

Yield: ½ cup pesto
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup basil leaves, not tightly packed (substitute ½ cup of kale for basil-kale pesto)
1⁄3 cup pine nuts (optional) or cashews
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄4 tsp sea salt or Himalayan soma salt

Instructions

1. Place basil leaves and cashews in a small food processor pulsing until blended and course. If you only have a large food processor, you may need to double the recipe. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add olive oil and soma salt and blend further on low for just a few seconds. Avoid blending on high speed as olive oil will turn bitter.

Use pesto immediately as the leaves oxidize quickly, losing its essence. If refrigerating, place in a tightly sealed container with a drop or two of olive oil on the pesto to coat the top.

Enjoy!

References

Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015