Monday, May 11, 2009

Cilantro Pesto


The first time I ever had tofu (or probably cilantro for that matter) was from Whole Foods - cilantro pesto tofu. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Thus began my love affair with cilantro. Then I discovered that some people don't like it. In fact, there is a whole website devoted to hatred of cilantro: Ihatecilantro.com. Nevermind them. When our friend posted on Facebook that she had more cilantro from her garden than she knew what to do with, I quickly offered to take some of it off her hands, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

I made this cilantro with walnuts and parmesan cheese, similar to a basil pesto, just subbing in cilantro. I plan on emulating my favorite Whole Foods dish and tossing it with oven-baked tofu for some quick and easy lunches next week.

Cilantro Pesto
source from common pesto ratios

Ingredients
2 cups cilantro, packed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a food processor, combine cilantro, walnuts, and garlic. Pulse to combine.

Slowly add olive oil in a stream while food processor is running, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Add the cheese and pulse again until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.