I was determined to grow some kind of vegetables this year before Aleta made the vegan decision. Being clueless about gardening, I sought the most remedial stuff to plant. Herbs. “Herbs are essentially weeds, you can’t mess them up”, said the guy at the local nursery. I learned about an Earthbox. These things make it absolutely simple for anyone to grown anything (including weeds). So, we have basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, and tarragon in addition to some pepper and tomato plants.

I remembered watching a Food Network show a while back where Giada threw some walnuts into a mushroom pesto sauce for flavor. This last Sunday for lunch, I had decided to try something like this. From the backyard, I picked two cups of basil a couple sage leaves, and a couple tarragon leaves. I threw in two garlic cloves and about two cups of nuts. Pulsing the mixture, I gradually added olive oil, a shot of balsamic, and a whole lemon until it made a decent paste. Aleta and I both stuck our fingers in the mixture and were shocked out how tasty, fresh, and savory it was. We mixed it with some diced tomatoes and whole wheat fusili, garnished with some basil.

What a phenomenal lunch.

Recipie:

• 2 cups basil
• 2-3 sage leaves
• 2-3 tarragon leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 – 2 cups walnuts
• juice from one lemon
• olive oil for desired consistency
• balsamic vinegar to taste

Preparation:

Pulse the herbs, garlic, and lemon in a food processor. Add walnuts 1 cup at a time to taste. Gradually add olive oil until the mixture is to the desired paste (1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil). Add shots of balsamic for extra flavor. Serve as a dip with pita or mix with pasta.