About a year ago, I went over my friend’s apartment for her annual anti-Valentine’s Day gathering, which basically entails about 15 girls determined to enjoy Valentine’s Day via friends, booze and snacks. It’s really just a reason to get together and drink. Of note: my friend who has hosted this bash in the past now has a boyfriend (yay!) so we’re going to have to plan around her this year.
One of the dishes that she made was Giada DiLaurentiis’ Pea Pesto Crostini. Knowing I’m on my diet, she showed me the list of ingredients before offering me one (I have great friends). Because of the parmesan and salt, I couldn’t eat it, but looking at the list of ingredients, it gave me some great ideas. I realized I could make my own version and infuse some new flavors. And so, I give you a slightly revised version of Giada’s Pea Pesto Crostini.
Original Recipe: Courtesy of Food Network and Giada found HERE
Revised Recipe: Courtesy of Me 🙂 Jackie
Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup (or a good handful) of fresh mint
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/3 cup olive oil or mix of olive and canola oil
Directions
Roughly chop the mint and place in a food processor, along with the peas, garlic, and ground pepper. Pulse together. With the machine running, slowly add the oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the juice of the lemon and pulse a few more times. Season with additional pepper as necessary.
This can be put on a crostini (as the original recipe calls for) or can be added on top of meat or fish. Or as a simple dip with crudite. It’s delicious so however you choose to eat it, I hope you enjoy!
Note: Photo cred goes to Kim Sunee
Spilling the Beans 