This is not Rachael Ray's pesto.

I love pesto. It's one of those bad foods that I don't get to eat...I mean, I can eat it, it's just not worth the calories. Ever watched Rachael Ray make it? The amount of olive oil (EVOO, I should say) she pours in is out of control. And in my opinion, totally unnecessary. Then again, I think everything she does is out of control. But that's a whole other topic.

So when I do cave and have pesto, I tend to make it at home rather than order it out. That way, I can control the amount of fat and my kitchen smells like basil and garlic all night. Yum. And since it fits perfectly in my cheese phase...done.

And pesto really is easy, even though it looks and sounds fancy. And since I may have made a LOT of brie stuffed chicken last night, I decided to pretty up the leftovers with something fresh for my girl's evening with K tonight.


Sun-dried tomato pesto pasta
Pasta (4 servings)
Sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed. A little less than a cup's worth.
Decent sized handful of sliced almonds
Big handful of basil leaves
Two big pinches of shredded parmesan (about 2 tbsp.)
4 cloves garlic
Large pinch salt
Lots of fresh pepper
Feta cheese

Cook the pasta in salted water. Save about a cup of liquid when you drain the pasta. In a food processor or blender, blend tomatoes, almonds, basil, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper until chopped well. Add the pasta water, and mix. Toss with pasta. Sprinkle feta on top before serving. Easy.
About 300 calories, 10g fat, 4g fiber, 42g carbs, 12g protein