Almond basil Pesto

We had a huge bunch of fresh Basil from our produce box last week. Instantly I thought we are going to need to make Pesto for dinner.
We have tried the recipe with Pine nuts, but we were out of pine nuts and I remembered seeing a recipe using raw almonds instead of pine nuts. It turned out DEEEElicious!

1 Cup fresh Basil, Packed in tight
1/2 Cup raw almonds (chopped up real good, Blentech or vitamix or fod processor)
2/3 Cups grated parmesean
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth, I added bits of water make a little thinner.. you can use more oil too)

I cooked up some Quinoa, Penne noodles, grilled Zucchini (out of our garden), Mushrooms, and I baked some Chicken breast for my hubby and the kids.

 Grilled zucchini, mushrooms, tomatillos

My hubby eats meat, when I make food, I cook some meat for his meal

Here is the meat free version. The pesto is sooooo nummy. I never tried it on quinoa before, but it is great! I also roasted tomatillos, They added a good zing to the other grilled veggies.

I love to make enough food for left overs. For lunch the next day I had Quinoa, fresh and grilled veggies topped with Almond Pesto.... MMMMMMM