Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Delicious! This is my preferred sauce for dressing pasta. It also makes a great sandwich spread. Use a whole pepper from a jar of roasted red bell peppers, or if you're up to the task, roast your own. See also regular Pesto, & Pesto Tomato Sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 C fresh basil leaves
• 1 fire-roasted red sweet bell pepper
  
• 1/4 C walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a mini-food processor or blender, and puree into a smooth and creamy sauce. If too thick, or won't combine smoothly, drizzle in additional olive oil. Keep in airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or freeze (also airtight, or your whole freezer will smell like pesto!) up to 6 months.

Pesto, Made w/ Walnuts

Pesto makes a delicious sauce for pasta or pizza, and a great spread to dress up sandwiches. Traditionally, pesto is made with pine nuts, but V & I prefer walnuts, which are far less expenive and make a creamier, sweeter pesto. For make-ahead convenience, freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays, then store the frozen pesto-cubes in a zip-top bag in the freezer. You can take out and thaw one or two cubes as needed for weeks! Variations: Pesto Tomato Sauce; Roasted Pepper Pesto.

Ingredients

• 1 C fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 C walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a mini-food processor or blender, and puree into a smooth and creamy sauce. If too thick, or won't combine smoothly, drizzle in additional olive oil. Keep in airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or freeze (also airtight, or your whole freezer will smell like pesto!) up to 6 months.

Pesto Tomato Sauce

V & I invented this one summer evening while making grilled pizzas. They were delicious, and so is this sauce. Variations: Regular & Roasted Pepper Pesto.
Ingredients

• 1 C fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 C walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 C prepared tomato pizza or pasta sauce (we used Pizza Quick b/c that's what we had on hand)

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a mini-food processor or blender, and puree into a smooth and creamy sauce. The color will be a kind of gross greenish brown, but it will taste outstanding! Use as you would any pizza or pasta sauce.