Sesame Oil Pesto

I wanted to make a different kind of pesto to go with our steak and gingery cabbage slaw, so I decided to replace the pine nuts and parmesan with ground sesame seeds and the olive oil with toasted sesame oil. It has a great nutty flavor and definitely stands up to steak, but would also be great spread over toast or tossed over rice noodles.

Makes about 1/2 cup
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, ground with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder
1 handful of parsley (I like leave a bit of the more tender stems on)
1 handful basil leaves
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1/4 C toasted sesame oil

Procedure:
In a food processor or blender, add the ground sesame seeds, parsley, basil, soy sauce, and chopped garlic. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped and well combined. Drizzle in a bit of the sesame oil and pulse to combine. Add as much sesame oil as needed to get the texture you desire. Serve over whatever you'd like.

Note: Pesto freezes really well. I like to make a big batch and freeze it in ice cubes trays. That way, once frozen I can just pop the cubes into freezer bags and take a few out when I need it.