The Food Matters Project: Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut “Pesto”

Week 3 of the Food Matters Project!!  Today it is Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut “Pesto” brought to you by Heather.  I love traditional pesto made with basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese, but I also love to mix it up.  This recipe does just that.  Using Roasted Red Peppers and Walnuts.  I switched it up even more from the recipe and instead of basil I used spinach and arugula because that is what I had on hand.

I am a firm believer in making everything from scratch.  No jarred peppers here.  Roasting them on your own is so easy.  Yes, it takes two seconds to open a jar, but what else are they putting in that jar to keep it fresh?  I roasted my peppers in the oven under the broiler, turning them as they blister. 

I added my pesto to chickpeas to make homemade hummus.  And you know I didn’t get my chickpeas from a can either.  I made those from scratch too.  I also added a little bit of cilantro to the mix.  It added a nice herbaceous flavor. 

I absolutley love hummus!  It is such a great snack. 

P.S. – Mine didn’t turn out as “red” because I didn’t use as many red peppers as the recipe called for.  I only used 2 peppers.  They aren’t in season right now and so they have to be shipped in from other countries.  I really try to eat local and in season as much as possible. 

Check out how all the other foodies faired here.

xoxo,

Dominica