Cilantro & Pumpkin Seed Pesto
You all are too funny with your comments on mom hair! I think we all agree that its the whole package that counts… and that Halle Berry (short hair and all) does NOT have mom hair 😉
I was going through my kitchen the other day with a mission to remove all clutter from my cabinets… We have so much food that hasn’t been touched!
In an effort to not waste, I came across a giant bag of pumpkin seeds that I bought a while back. I have no idea why I even bought them… but I’m sure I had a good reason 😉
I’ve seen other bloggers make cilantro pesto before and I have to admit… I was a little intimidated by it. The only pesto I make and like is basil pesto.
I very nervously combined the cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and some garlic in a food processor and pulsed away….
A little olive oil, the juice of one lime, and some cumin were added in the mix…
I was AMAZED at how good this was!!!
I thought about adding a little jalepeno to it, but decided against it. Next time I’m adding in the hot stuff!
I made a chicken quesadilla for dinner and spread some of this on top. It was the perfect addition!
Ingredients:
- 2 giant handfuls of cilantro (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 pumpkin seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of one lime
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt to taste
- additional water if needed
Directions:
Combine cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and garlic in food processor. Pulse a few times to break everything up.
Add in lime juice, cumin, and olive oil. pulse until nice and creamy. If the consistency is too thick, add a little water to make desired consistency… or you could add more lime juice. For a little kick, add one small seeded jalepeno to the mix 🙂
Enjoy!
Ohmigosh does this sound right up my alley! How yummy!
I’m one of those people that thinks cilantro tastes like soap. I wonder if you could make this with another herb instead…
This is so interesting! I am going to have to try and report back!
Sounds delish and I have all of the ingredients to make it! I am making black bean tacos later this week and bet it would be a perfect addition!
The pesto looks great! I love the greeness 😀
That pesto looks so fresh and delicious- it would probably be good on halibut as well!
I think we had almost-identical meals last night – while I didn’t quite have cilantro pesto, I had a cilantro/avocado based coleslaw alongside a quesadilla!
cool combo! a nice change from traditional pesto. i’m sure the flavor just “pops”!
That looks delicious!
looks SO beautiful! sadly, I am not a huge fan of cilantro…but I am sure I could sub for basil!
I have never made pesto before. I am totally going to try this out and make it hot! I love cilantro!!!
I do that all the time … I buy things for no real reason and then end up having to be creative. This looks delicious!!
YUM! I just made a quick pesto the other night with arugula and spinach..now I need to try this one! The color is gorgeous!
Uumm… YUM!! The thought of using anything other than basil for pesto has never even occured to me. I know, I really think outside the box. 😉 It looks tasty. I’ll have to remember that for my Cinco de Mayo get together.
That sounds wonderful! I’ve made a cilantro pesto that had miso in it.
Oh, and Ava eats hummus either way, spooned in by me, or she digs her hands right in her bowl and grabs it. I haven’t tried giving her anything to “dip” into it. I don’t think she’d get that yet. She loves hummus!
great recipe b/c in the summer, cilantro is sooo abundant and is much cheaper than basil, which is a bonus 🙂 and pumpk seeds are usually cheaper than pine nuts…score!
xo
This sounds so tasty! With chicken sounds even better!
That sounds wonderful!! I love to use pesto on pizza instead of traditional sauce!
I was thinking while reading, “I wonder where she’ll use this”…quesadilla….brilliant! I love it! I will definitely try this!