0002 -- mango pesto

these days i don't tend to cook as much as i did, although still find myself constantly perusing tastespotting for some super yummy recipes. i should take a minute and plug tastespotting since it's got to be the most visually stunning foodie site i've ever been on. as well, they have the best search feature options, just type in what you craving (say ginger carrots) and every recipe related will pop up, brilliant!

in our house we love making our own sauces and dips. most store bought condiments these days have too much sugar, sodium, or preservatives for our liking and why not do it fresh! last week we were craving pasta something fierce but it was too warm for just our usual red sauce so we agreed on pesto.

we've made pesto a few times now and it's always so good and keeps so well! this time we decided to switch it up and do something a little sweeter and more refreshing than our basic pesto and added in mango. talk about a game changer!! i would have never expected it to be so good and so addictive and really so simple to make!

Mango Pesto (adapted from Love & Lemons)
1.5 packed cups of fresh basil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup diced mango
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes (we used cayenne powder instead)
a good pinch of salt & pepper

we enjoyed it over veggie pasta, mozzarella balls, diced red onion, and some fresh avocado for dinner. it was so simple and took us maybe 15 minutes to throw it all together. since then we have used it as a dip for veggies and even just a spread on sandwiches!