My Pesto Manifesto: Basil Benefits

Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy, but that savory green goodness has spread around the world.

A native to India but used heavily in Italian and Vietnamese cooking, basil has a ton of benefits:

- helps build yang energy and generates warmth to improve circulation

- supports liver, kidney, stomach, spleen & large intestine function

- basil oil has antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer properties

- used in traditional medicine for mild depression, headache, constipatio, nausea, fatigue, bronchitis, gout, colds, glue and menstrual pain.

Since my basil plants are poppin' I thought I'd dive into pesto season with a new recipe - and you can try it too! Pesto freezes very well, so fill up an ice-cube tray with left-overs to use later this winter in pasta dishes or soups.

Ingredients:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup pine nuts2 garlic cloves, peeled2 teaspoons blond or chickpea miso paste1/3 cup Red Star Nutritional Yeast Flakes Instructions:1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they just begin to turn brown and release their delicious scent.2. Put all of the ingredients and in the food processor and process until creamy.3. Serve on pasta or vegetables.