Vegan Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic scapes....who knew that a part of the plant that is usually snipped away could be so dang delicious? I grabbed by first bundle of garlic scapes recently at a farmer's market, when I received free credit to shop (yes, you read that right). I figured that I would spend my free dollars on some ingredients that I don't normally cook with.
And boy, was that a good decision. Seriously, take a look at how beautiful this ingredient is!
For those who don't know, garlic scapes is the part of the plant that grows out of the bulb and eventually flowers. This means that in order to ensure bulb growth, these are usually pruned off at just the right time. For the savvy gardener, these become produce. Garlic scapes have a much milder, semi-sweet, yet garlicky taste. So, for those who don't like the bite of raw garlic or onions - this is your part of the plant.
Naturally, I didn't know what to do with these. I used them instead of garlic, which was okay. Something told me that there was a better use for them, though. So I did some researching and found this recipe, which I instantly fell in love with.
Vegan! Yes!
Ingredients:
INGREDIENTS
8-10 garlic scapes
⅓ cup (30g) walnuts
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ lemon, juiced
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 Fresh basil leaves*
*this is optional, and something that I decided to throw in for good measure.
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the garlic scapes by cutting cutting the top bulbs off. Discard and cut the scapes in 1" pieces.
In a food processor, add the scapes, walnuts, yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process until the garlic scapes break down and its relatively blended. Scrape the bowl down.
Add the olive oil bits at a time, processing it in until everything is mixed well and the desired consistency. Scrape down the bowl as needed. *This is when I added the fresh basil leaves.
Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container or freeze it!
Or, put it on pasta and devour it right away, like I did.
I topped my pasta with vegan parmesan "cheese", and it quickly became one of my favorite things that I've ever made. Super light and packed with flavor all at the same time. It may make you consider growing garlic just for the sake of scapes. I know I did.
Enjoy!
