I'm not sure what it is, but the older I get the more avocado obsessed I seem to be. I think at this point that I have avocado in my life almost every day. With a fridge full of greens that were on the way out and some special vegetarian tacos on the plan for dinner tonight, I decided I wanted to try something a little daring and different with making an avocado based pesto.
I mean, what goes better with tacos other than avocado? Nothing.
This pesto is basically a cross better a traditional pesto and a guacamole. You've got avocado and cilantro in there along with greens, garlic and some cheese. The use of the avocado means that this pesto is, you guessed it, oil free! Plus, the additions of all that green goodness bulks up the avocado so you get a whole lot of flavor for few calories.
Now, like I said, I used both swiss chard and baby spinach in this pesto. But really, any sort of green will work well here; arugula, kale, beet/carrot tops, etc. It just depends on what you like and what you have on hand.
The same thing goes for the nuts. I used pinenuts merely because it's what I had in the pantry, but pistachios, almonds or cashews would be other good choices. Just be sure if you swap anything out to adjust the nutrient count below.
As mentioned, I'll be using this pesto on some vegetarian tacos, but you could really use this in any way you would any other pesto. It would be amazing tossed with some pasta or spread over crackers or toast. Mmm...
Look at the gorgeous green color. It doesn't get much better than that!
If this comes out too thick when blending it down, just try adding a little pickled jalapeño juice or water to reach the desired consistency. I personally used the juice to loosen the pesto but not dull any of the flavor down.
Spicy Avocado Pesto
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 9 • Size: About 2 Tbsp. • Calories: 57.2 • Fat: 4.1 g • Carb: 2.5 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Protein: 3.2 g • Sugar: 0.4 g • Sodium: 143 mg
Ingredients:
2 C. Greens (I used baby spinach and swiss chard.)
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan
1/2 Avocado, Seeded & Skinned
2 Tbsp. Pinenuts
1/2 Jalapeno, Seeded & Sliced
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Directions:
Add everything into a blender or food processor and blend away.
I ended up adding a touch of pickled jalapeño juice to thin out the consistency as needed.
Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days!
