Vegan Hemp Basil Pesto

A vegan recipe to discover the benefits of hemp

Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on the planet. It is an amazing gift of nature, can produce high-quality clothing, textiles, foods and because it is also naturally resistant to pests, it doesn’t require harmful pesticides even when grown on a commercial scale. As a food, hemp seeds have an abundance of health benefits. Just in cause you were wondering hemp seeds grown for kitchen use contain a completely insignificant amount of THC so its completely safe and doesn’t trigger our perceptions at all. Hemp is one of the most complete proteins in the plant food kingdom, containing all the 21 known amino acids, including the 9 that humans are unable to produce themselves. Protein is essential for basic bodily functions because it helps to build new cells whilst repairing tissues after any stimulation of the muscles. Nowadays you can also find affordable hemp-protein blends that you can substitute to dairy proteins after a workout! Hemp also contains nature’s perfect ratio (3:1) of omega 3 to omega 6 essential fatty acids. This is a unique accomplishment in the plant world! Healthy fatty acids help to lower the bad cholesterol in our system cleaning out blood vessels, and being packed with linoleic acid skin disorders, PMS, menopause, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and has good anti-inflammatory benefits. More than that Hemp seeds are high in the antioxidant vitamin E, a very helpful antioxidant. It has also been found to contain tocopherol, which benefits both Alzheimer’s and atherosclerosis.

Like most plant foods, hemp seeds are rich in soluble and un soluble fibre. Fibre naturally keeps the colon clear, helping with digestion and correct evacuation of the intestines. 

There are many ways to consume hemp. You can use seeds as well oil for eating use in the kitchen. Actually you can also find hemp powder you can substitute up to a 30% of the whole amount of flour in any bread recipe. Today I wanna share with you my hemp basil pesto recipe. It’s a great way to include hemp in our diet. It’s completely vegan so suitable even for those who are dairy (or even gluten) intolerant. Let’s see the recipe:

Ingredients :

WHAT YOU NEED

• Fresh basil leaves: 25 g
• Extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
• Hemp oil 20 ml
• Nutritional yeast 10 g
• Hemp seeds 10 g
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1 pingh coarse salt

WHAT TO DO

Put all the ingredients in a morar and work with the peste for few minutes. Place in a small glass jar and keep in the fridge up to even 2 weeks is stored properly (the oil will avoid the ingredients to spoil).

I used this pesto to dress some hemp linguine I made at home using 80 % of type 1 flour and 20% hemp flour. You can also pair it with any kind of pasta or even on some bread. If you like any other herb such as rocket leaves for example, you can replace the basil with it. Try your own one and find out what suits your preferences best!