I’m one of those people who likes cilantro. Some people think it tastes soapy. Not me! I like it as a garnish, added liberally to salads, salsa, marinades, and pesto. I’ve made several versions of cilantro pesto without the cheese.
If you like cilantro and pesto and you follow a paleo or primal diet or simply avoid or minimize cheese because of food allergies, sensitivities, or digestive issues, the recipes below will serve your you needs.
Pesto without cheese
I’ve found it easy to omit cheese (whether feta or Parmesan) from pesto. I usually add sea salt to make for the briny flavor of cheese. Pesto’s tty forgiving. Although I usually measure when I make it (so I and others can replicate the results if they come out great), I find it’s pretty easy to replace some of the cilantro with parsley or even chives, depending on what’s at hand. I’ve made it with onions and without, with red peppers and without. Same for black pepper.
Pesto beyond pasta
I can’t remember the last time I had pesto on pasta. I eat pasta so rarely; it’s not part of my weekly or monthly diet. When I do eat it I buy gluten-free rice pasta or have rice noodles in an Asian restaurant. I usually serve pesto with blanched veggies, use it to dress a tossed green salad, use it as a topping for chicken, a basting agent for white meat fish, as a dip for jicama, or occasionally as a spread for brown rice crackers topped with cucumber rounds.
Recently I discovered that cilantro pesto tastes great mixed with Grape Seed Oil Vegenaise or
Olve & Flax OIl Vegenaise mayo and eggs to make egg salad or with egg yolks to make Angeled Eggs (a guilt-free version of Deviled eggs).
Photo credit right: Chef Rachel Albert ©2010
Cilantro on ice
If you’re cooking for one or you’re the only one in your house that likes cilantro or pesto, you can freeze some of what you make. I freeze foods in wide-mouth jars. For small portions (1/2 to 3/4 cup portions) I use jam jars (sold in the canning section of hardware stores, supermarkets, and superstores), leftover mustard jars, or glass bottles saved from nutritional supplements.
Defrosting pesto
Make sure to label the jar with the contents and date before storing it the fridge. You must leave an inch of space in the top of the jar (below the lip in the jar) and place the jar in the refrigerator until it feels cold to the touch before transferring it the freezer, so it doesn’t shatter. To thaw, simply transfer the jar the fridge the day or night before you plan to use it. If necessary you can run the jar under warm (but not hot) water once it’s partially thawed.
Photo credit right: Chef Rachel Albert ©2010
What follows are two version of cilantro pest with some of the variations I’ve tried. Some natural foods experts claim that eating cilantro can help your body get rid of stored mercury. I haven’t seen any studies to back this up, but it certainly wouldn’t help. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in green foods will help your body deal with stress and the onslaught of free radicals we’re exposed to every day.
Do you have a favorite cilantro pesto recipe?
Cilantro Pesto #1
Yield: about 1 1/4 cups
The initial idea for this recipe came from this web site. I’ve tinkered with the ingredients. Unlike traditional basil-based pesto, this sauce requires no Parmesan. The complementary flavors include red onion and chiles. The original recipe called for Serrano chiles. I’ve used ground chipotle and also canned jalepeno peppers in separate batches. Although you can use almonds, I’ve also prepared it with pine nuts.
Photo credit right: Chef Rachel Albert ©2010
I like to spread this pesto over raw cucumber or jicama slices, use it as a dip or sauce for blanched broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and radish or bell pepper slices, over chicken or fish, or as an addition to egg salad or the filling for angeled eggs. It also pairs well with brown rice crackers or brown rice pasta.
Ingredients
2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed
*
1/4 to 1/2 cup blanched almonds
, toasted walnuts, or raw or lightly toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped red onion
or green onions/scallion
1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile
or 1 tablespoon canned jalapeno pepper (double if desired)
1/2 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt
(I use Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed, optional
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (double if desired), optional
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil or avocado oil or as needed to blend
Additional oil to cover the puree in storage
- In a food processor or Vita-Mix, pulse the cilantro, almonds or other nuts, onion, chile pepper, and sea salt until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.
- Add more oil as needed to create the desired consistency. Whatever you don't plan to use within a few days spoon into a glass jars and cover with a layer of olive or avocado oil and a tight fitting lid; use within 1 week.
- For longer storage, freeze the pesto in small jars (see notes above), covered with a thin layer of oil to prevent oxidation. You could also freeze pesto in stainless steel ice cube trays, then top out the frozen cubes and strore in a larger containter for future use.
Variation:
- Replace 1/2 to 1 cup of cilantro with parsley that’s been washed, spun dry, and had the stems removed.
Cilantro Pesto #2
Yield: About 1 1/4 cups but don’t quote me; I forgot to measure the yield last time!
I found this recipe on Rebeccca Woods’ web site. She’s a natural foods chef, author, speaker, and nutrition educator who recommends, seaweed and cilantro for chelating mercury stored in our tissues. She says they both chelate mercury and safely discharge it from the body so she recommends their frequent use. I started with her recipe then omitted the Parmesan cheese and replaced some of the cilantro with parsley.
She uses this pesto as a topping for grilled fish (see Pacific Halibut), chicken or vegetables, cilantro pesto is also good as a dip, over pasta or grains and on sandwiches. This pesto keeps in the refrigerator for several days. For optimum flavor, bring it to room temperature before serving.”
I like to serve this sauce with raw cucumber or jicama slices or blanched vegetables, over cooked chicken or white meat fish, as a basting sauce for baked fish, as an addition to egg salad or the filling for angeled eggs. It also pairs well with brown rice crackers or brown rice pasta.
Tips: Be sure to wash the parsley impeccably well to remove all traces of sand. Remove large stems, rinse parsley leaves again, spin dry, then use. If using walnuts, I place them on a clean dish towel, folding the towel over the nuts to cover, then I rub the towel back and forth to remove the bitter skins. This reduces bitterness and keeps the nuts from irritating the roof of your mouth.
Ingredients:
2 cups rinsed, loosely packed fresh cilantro, large stems removed
1 cup rinsed fresh parsley, large stems removed
½ cup roasted pine nuts, walnuts* or macadamia nuts
2 cloves garlic
, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon lime juice
; lemon juice also works (double if desired)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, plus additional oil to cover the puree in storage
½ teaspoon mineral rich sea salt or to taste (I use Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
- Strip the cilantro leaves from the stems and set the leaves aside. Coarsely chop the stems and place them in a food processor or blender.
- Add the nuts, garlic, lime juice, oil, and sea salt and process to a uniform consistency. Add the leaves and process until the leaves are coarsely chopped. Add additional oil or citrus juice as/if needed to produce the desired consistency.
- Whatever you don't plan to use within a few days spoon into a glass jars and cover with a layer of olive or avocado oil and a tight fitting lid; use within 1 week. For longer storage, freeze the pesto in small jars (see notes above), covered with a thin layer of oil to prevent oxidation. Alternatively, you could freeze it in stainless steel ice cube trays, then top out the frozen cubes and store in a larger containter for future use.
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