Lower Fat Arugula Walnut Pesto

Every week I make a batch of pesto. Eating a lower fat, vegan diet sometimes it's hard to feel satisfied and a T of pesto stirred into soup just before eating or as a spread on a sandwich can make the difference between an OK meal and something that is very satisfying. I like to vary the greens. Sometimes I use baby spinach, sometimes kale, sometimes basil. This week it was baby arugula. I usually just throw things together, but since I've been slacking on writing down recipes, I decided to measure and post the recipe. The lime adds a great flavor that is not really limey if that makes sense.

Arugula Walnut Pesto

3 cloves garlic
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 c walnuts
(you can toast them if you wish. I didn't because I'm trying to do as much raw as possible)
7 oz baby arugula
1 T golden flax meal
4 T water
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T light miso
2 t dried basil
1/8 t cayenne
several grates fresh nutmeg

Method:
Place garlic and salt in a food processor and process until the garlic is almost pastelike. Add the walnuts and process some more. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it becomes the consistency you like. If you don't care about fat or calories, you can use extra virgin olive oil in place of the water.

Yield 1 cup

1 Tablespoon Pesto contains:
35 calories
3 g fat

in comparison to 60 calories and 6 grams of fat in traditional pesto.

Lightlife Smart Dogs are something both my kids like.. I made these sandwiches for my 16 year old... Teen boys sure eat a lot. Each sandwich contained 2 Smart Dogs cut in half, vegenaise, dijon, spinach, tomatoes, ketchup and relish. He was very satisfied and all in all, even though it's a lot of food the calories were much less than traditional hot dogs. 1 Smart Dog contains 45 calories, 0 g fat, 9 g protein and 1 gram of fiber.. much better than the 120 calories per the animal product.
I just love seagulls. I think they're beautiful. It is a beautiful day today.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!