I grew a successful pot of basil this year, all from seeds. I’ve always purchased basil already started then moaned at how straggly and thin the plants grew throughout the summer. But not this year! I tossed in the seeds and now have a thriving, bushy plant!
I had leftover roasted hazelnuts from making my dacquoise and I figured “hey, throw them in the pesto, can’t hurt.” It’s been quite a while since I had pine nut pesto, but I can tell the hazelnuts have a different complexity to them. If you don’t have hazelnuts on hand, pine nuts or walnuts would work just as well!
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup blanched and toasted hazelnuts
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp miso paste
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 week.
Spread on pizza or pasta or anything in between.
Avocados and Ales 
Looks great! I still have to master how to keep my basil plant alive, any tips? 🙂
Keep it in indirect sunlight and prune it regularly! Don’t let it flower either, I always pinch the flowering tops off if I see them, as it makes the plant stop producing leaves and focus on reproduction.