Basil Cashew Pesto: Savory Sauces Recipe

Most traditional pesto recipes call for parmesan cheese, but this cashew-based version is both dairy-free and vegan, not to mention really easy to make Serve over tofu, pasta, veggies, or rice for a simple--yet flavorful--lunch or dinner. If you prefer, you can always use a vegan parmesan cheese substitute in place of the nutritional yeast, but take care to read the ingredient list to make sure that there are no hidden dairy ingredients like whey or casein lurking in the list. Note: you may not need to use the full 1/2 cup of olive oil, and you may decide to use more. For a thicker, spread-like paste (if using on sandwiches, etc), use less oil; for a thinner pesto (to be used on pasta, over tofu or other proteins, etc), use more oil. Basically, just add the oil until the pesto looks right for your dish and palate