Ahhh, pesto. I remember the first time I tasted this appetizing sauce. I was dining on an eggplant sandwich and my taste buds came alive with the succulent flavor of it. Every since then, I have loved to experiment with pesto.

Pesto has its origins in Italy, where it was made with crushed herbs and olive oil using a mortar and pestle.  A versatile sauce, pesto can be made with an array of ingredients and used in many different dishes.

Here are a few recipes and meal ideas. For all the recipes below, just add the ingredients to a blender and process. It’s that easy! Feel free to adjust the measurements of the ingredients to your own taste and consistency preference.

Pine Nut Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 cup basil leaves

Dash of sea salt

This is perfect as an accompaniment to any sandwich. I add this to Ezekiel Bread with slices of avocado, tomato and spinach for a tasty lunch.

Hemp Seed Pesto

1/2 cup hemp seeds, hulled

1 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 cup basil leaves

1 tsp lemon juice

Dash of sea salt

Use this pesto as a dip for veggies or tortilla chips, or as a spread for crackers.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 cup organic sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup olive oil

1 cup basil leaves

Dash of sea salt

Ideal for use in pasta. I make zucchini noodles using a spiralizer. The noodles are very simple to make (even easier than boiling for my kitchen-challenged friends!). You can find a spiralizer here.

You can add freshly ground pepper, oregano, thyme or parsley for an extra dose of flavor.

What are your favorite pesto recipes? What dishes do you like to use it in?