"cheesy" vegan pesto w/ parsley & cashew nuts

We spent this past weekend at my in-laws house in the country. Their garden and beautiful outlook are inspiring and provide us with such an amazing change of scenery (and pace). We always come home in a better mental space than when we arrived. 

This time I came home with a huge haul of gorgeous organic parsley from my mother in-laws impressive garden. I used some of it to make a parsley pesto. This one is vegan and uses a few tricks to create the great flavor. 

Basil is not in season yet for us southern hemisphere dwellers so parsley is a great winter alternative. Honestly though,  I think I prefer parsley pesto. It's fresh and not overpowering in the the way that basil can be. You can use this pesto in all the usual ways. We like it through gluten free buckwheat pasta and on top of roasted vegetables. 

Cashew nuts, capers, savoury yeast and a dash of white pepper give a satisfying, savoury, almost cheesy flavour.

Beware of over processing the cashews. You'll end up with a herby cashew butter if you process for too long. It'll still taste good but will be a little unwieldy.

"Cheesey" vegan pesto w/ parsley & cashew nuts

1 cup (tightly packed) parsley

1/2 cup cashew nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

8-10 capers

1 1/2 tsp savoury yeast flakes

juice of 1 lemon

dash of white pepper

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except salt and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until the herb and nuts have a fine texture. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy! x