Thursday, September 1, 2011

Southwestern Scramble with Cilantro Pesto

Pesto has always been a question mark for me and I really have no idea why.  In theory, I should have always loved pesto.  I love all of the ingredients separately, so what's not to love about smashing them all together?  But for some reason, I only recently started enjoying pesto.  Weird, but I'm glad I finally jumped on that bandwagon!  Pesto is amazing and surprisingly versatile.  In the Clean Start cookbook (my current fave) there's a recipe for cilantro pesto.  What?!  I've seen people make parsley pesto, which totally grosses me out, but cilantro pesto is another story.  I LOVE CILANTRO.  I wish I could wear it as a perfume and that all future suitors would show up at my door with a bouquet of cilantro.  I know that it's a controversial herb, but as soon as you tell me that you don't like cilantro, I will become immediately suspicious of you and your motives. 

So obviously I had to make this pesto immediately.  But what would I use it for?  You could use it as a dip or a spread on a wrap or sandwich.  Or you could eat it plain with a spoon (no judgment here).  Tonight I thought I'd add it to a southwestern-style scramble that I'll make for dinner for a post-run protein boost.  This scramble is delicious by itself, but the cilantro pesto really perked up the flavors and added another dimension that was a-maz-ing.  This collaboration of recipes would be a great breakfast or dinner, and the pesto would be good for everything!

Cilantro Pesto (recipe from Clean Start Cookbook)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup roasted dry peanuts
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
Juice of one lime
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Directions
Chop the cloves of garlic in a food processor.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl and add cilantro, peanuts, ginger, lime, and pinch of salt.  Turn on the processor and drizzle olive oil into the mixture slowly until it comes together to a loose consistency.  Taste and season accordingly. 

Southwestern Scramble


Ingredients
3 eggs
1/3 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup black beans
slice of avocado, chopped
salt & pepper
Cilantro pesto

Directions
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat.  Crack three eggs into the pan and scramble with a fork.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Once the eggs have started to set, add in the black beans and tomatoes.  Stir the eggs carefully until they are almost at the consistency you like, then add in the avocado.  Heat briefly, then remove from the pan.  Plate up your eggs and then add a spoonful of the cilantro pesto.  (If your pesto has been in the fridge, add it in to the pan with your black beans and tomatoes.)  Mix it together, eat and enjoy.  Delish.

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