Basil Pesto

So its a beautiful hot summer day. I am sitting outside bathing in the sun relaxing in my mother's backyard. I decided I want pasta today. My mom has a garden with an abundance of herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries, and pretty much every veggie you can think of. I decided to pick some basil leaves and make a pesto sauce. Here's what I had for lunch today over some whole wheat spaghetti topped with Parmesan cheese.

Basil Pesto Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of pine nuts
2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2/3 cups of EVOO
1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese
salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:
Toast the pine nuts and garlic in pan with a teaspoon of olive oil on low heat. Mix ingredients in the pan until you begin to see them brown. Remove the garlic and pine nuts from the pan and place it in a food processor or the magic bullet (which i love) along with the basil, EVOO, Parmesan cheese, and a bit of black pepper. Blend ingredients until smooth.

Boil your favorite pasta and mix in the pesto. I used whole wheat spaghetti. Serve your dish either warm or chilled for a light refreshing summer meal. You may add grilled chicken to your pasta for some protein or you can serve it along with any grilled meats.