A few months back, I told you how simple it is to make pesto. Thinking about St. Patty’s Day, I decided to use some yummy green pesto in a new way for a St. Patty’s Day appetizer. So here you have it – Pesto Deviled Eggs. I used parsley-almond pesto in these, then topped it off with a little bit of dried basil.
Parsley – it’s more than just a pretty garnish! Parsley comes from the same family as carrots and celery. Unlike its veggie cousins, however, parsley is loaded with chlorophyll, which gives it that beautiful dark green color. Chlorophyll reduces the cancer-causing properties in fried foods. This means that if you indulge in other St. Patty’s Day appetizers that are a wee bit on the junky side, the parsley in these eggs will help to counteract the damage. Parsley is also full of vitamin C, folic acid, and iron.
If you have no time to make your own pesto, you could use a store-bought variety to make these.
PESTO DEVILED EGGS
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup of parsley-almond pesto (see below)
1/2 cup of coconut milk (NOTE: Honestly, this will not flavor the eggs in any way. The coconut milk is a healthy substitute for mayo or sour cream)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. garlic
pepper to taste
dried basil for garnish
Hard-boil the eggs and let cool completely. Remove shells and cut each egg in half lengthwise.
Carefully scoop out yolks. Place the yolks in a bowl. Add half of the milk and all of the pesto. Add all seasonings except for basil.
Mix with a hand-mixer until fluffy. If the mixture is too thick, add milk until desired consistency is reached.
Using a teaspoon, carefully fill each egg-half with some of the egg-pesto mix so that some of the mix heaps out (see picture).
Garnish with basil. Makes 24 eggs.
PARSLEY ALMOND PESTO
Approx. 4 cups fresh parsley (1 bunch)
1/2 c. blanched almonds
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes (optional; gives a cheese flavor)
1 tbsp. dried garlic OR 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled (NOTE: fresh garlic will create a much stronger flavor)
Rinse parsley well. Remove the bottom 1/2 of the parsley stems. (Save for making broth if desired).
Place almonds in food processor with half of the water. Pulse about 5 times. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth (a little bit of chunkiness is o.k.).
This recipe yields approximately 2 1/2 cups. You can freeze separate portions to make future meals easier….great on sandwiches, or as a topping on baked potatoes. Keeps frozen for 6 months.
