Avocado Pesto with Garlic and Fresh Cilantro

Avocado Pesto with Garlic and Fresh Cilantro is a delicious addition to so many foods. Its delectable flavor hides a surprisingly healthy, allergen-friendly option that’s also a perfect gluten-free appetizer recipe for parties.Stop everything you’re doing. Call in sick, and make this recipe. Then settle in for some binge-watching of favorite shows while diving into this deliciousness. May I suggest Murder, She Wrote or Sharknado 1, 2, 3, or 25? Ooh, Sharknado 4 is arriving in just a matter of days. So maybe take a sick day then as well. So many sick days to plan, so many details to remember, so little time. But this recipe is so worth it.

Paleo pesto recipes, and, more specifically, those that are also autoimmune protocol-friendly, have not historically been my favorite. They taste as if grass got together with dirt and started a family. Grass and Dirt’s firstborn would be some version of off-brand pesto, and I just can’t.

Also, this is how I feel about kale. But, Spiriteds, I am working on a solution or two to repair my relationship with that leafy green. It goes something like this: add lots of coconut oil and seasonings. I’ll keep you posted on what I discover.But about that avocado pesto. No hard feelings here. I don’t even care that when I first started playing around with this recipe, I couldn’t decide whether it was a guacamole type of thing or a pesto kind of thing. I went with pesto because I don’t know why. It feels more pesto-y.

So what does this deliciousness go with? Hmm, let me think about that. Oh, just only everything. On top of burgers, with veggies, with seafood, on top of pizza as a sauce, on top of chicken, by itself. It has just the right kick to add flavor to just about any dish you can think of.

The garlic adds just the right flare. A hint of lime keeps it fresh. And the cilantro? Well, it leaves me speechless. Absolutely speechless. Avocado and cilantro are my new peanut butter and chocolate. Where have I lived all my life? Under a Hot Pocket, that’s where. Hot Pocket, you know I love you. I just can’t eat you anymore. We’ll always have Mom’s kitchen.K-Hubs and I are a little obsessed with avocado pesto, and now I want to go eat some more. Because of this obsession, however, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that bring out the best in the pesto.

For this recipe I highly suggest having a resident slicer dicer on hand. A K-Hubs, if you will. If you don’t have a K-Hubs, then hire, rent, date, or marry someone who is the calmest, most detail-oriented person you know. Someone who is willing to slice and dice herbs for the flavor, to prevent stringiness (Is that a word? Also, stringy herbs in a pesto are just the worst), and, finally, so as to not clog the food processor (because practical).

You can also use the juice of a lime, if you like. However, I admit to using a little lime juice from a bottle. Either will do in a pinch. I think even The Gram used lemon and limes from a bottle. So, if she did it, then you can, too. No one here will tell. Speaking of The Gram, I totally think she’d go for this, in spite of probably being horrified by our lifestyle. What, no cheese? How can one possibly live that way? Pretty well, actually. She’d likely dip some cheese into it or slather it over a gluten-filled piece of garlic bread. But, you know, it’s the thought that counts.

As for the final product? Well, avocado pesto, I think we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.

Avocado Pesto with Garlic and Fresh Cilantro

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Ingredients

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• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp lime juice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt (I originally had this at 1/4 tsp – start with 1/8 tsp and add more if necessary)
• 1/8 tsp onion salt

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Instructions

1. Blend avocado and oil together on a low setting.
2. Add pressed garlic., cilantro, and parsley.
3. Increase speed slightly and blend until evenly mixed.
4. Add lime juice, sea salt, and onion salt.
5. Serve immediately or chill up to 24 hours.

(This recipe was originally posted on March 29, 2016. Updates to the recipe include a reduction in sea salt as well as new photos!) 

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