Pesto Linguini and Shrimp!

This is a quick and easy recipe to make a delicious homemade dinner. 

Ingreidents:

Pesto

Shrimp

Pasta

 

• You can use store bought pesto but I prefer to make mine from scratch.  Its simple and quick process that brings incredible flavor to your meal.  To find the pesto recipe go here! 

• Next I defrost my frozen shrimp in a bowl under cool running water. (you can also use fresh raw shrimp)

• On the stove I start boiling a pot of water for the pasta.

• Next I measure out my Gluten Free linguini to ensure proper servings.

• If your shrimp are shelled you can easily remove the shells under running water.

• While I leave the shrimp to drain in the sink I add the pasta to boiling water

• In a large warm skillet I add the shrimp and cook till pink on one side then flip them over.

• Once the shrimp is flipped I add a few teaspoons of the pesto and begin to saute the shrimp.

 

After draining the cooked pasta

I add it to the skillet and top it off with more pesto

• Stir the shrimp, pesto and pasta for a few minutes

• Then serve! I like to top it off with a bit of pecorino romano grated cheese.

For this post I used 4 Tbsp of oil and opted to leave out the pine nuts while making the pesto.  Each serving has 11 Weight Watcher Points Plus Values.  Yields 2 Servings

Homemade Pesto Recipe!

I love pesto! Lately I have had a lot of basil growing in my garden anda have been finding many uses for it.  Before I left on a trip I wanted to be able to use the large amount I had growing for fear it may die while I  was away.  Right away I thought about making pesto.  At first I wasn't sure if the large amount I had was even enough to make a decent amount of pesto.  After some reading I knew it would be a perfect way to transform my basil into numerous delicious meals in the future.  It is a simple and easy process anyone can do.  Here is recipe for how to make pesto.

40 Basil leaves 

(you can add parsley if you like or if you don't have enough basil)

1/4cup Romano cheese

(you can also use Parmesan)

2 cloves of garlic

1/4cup pine nuts

(optional) 

2Tbsp Olive Oil

2Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(you may need to add more oil to get the desired consistency) 

A Dash of Salt

I start by putting my Basil leaves and Olive Oil in my Ninja Blender and pulse a few times to break down the leaves. You can use any sort of blender or food processor.

Next I add the cheese, garlic, salt and pine nuts if desired, then pulse the blender a few more times.

The last step is to add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you can use more olive oil or canola oil if desired or if you don't have EVOO).  I add it slowly and blend the pesto in between to reach the desired consistency.  I like my pesto to resemble a thin paste.

Then Enjoy! 

There are so many uses for pesto.  You can use it as a sauce, a spread, a drizzle or as an ingredient in so many dishes.  I love it on pasta or as a spread in a caprese panini.

Have you ever made your own pesto? 

It's easy being green!

Like me, many people don't always know if their natural or organic products are the real deal.  Here is a quick and simple cheat sheet to help you find the products that deliver what they claim.  When  shopping for natural and organic products you want to look for these seals of approval!

 USDA ORGANIC 

In order to certified USDA Organic at least 95% of the ingredients must meet the USDA's National Organic Program standards for how their components are grown, mined and processed. 

 

NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

For a brand to even be considered for this certification, at least 60% of it's entire line must be natural.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET PREMIUM BODY CARE

Any item that earns this seal is made without any of the 400 "unacceptable" ingredients identified by Whole Foods Market.

 

ECOCERT

This is a European authority that requires at least 95% of a products ingredients to be of natural origin, and 10% organic.