Fridge and pantry pesto

My three year old, like most toddlers, is crazy picky and totally random about what she will and will not consume. She opposes the very existence of any kind of  sauce or dressing. However, in a moment of bravery, she tried pesto at a friend's house and decided it was not only palatable, but delicious. So now pesto is a staple at our house. 

Today my in-laws are coming for dinner and we are grilling. I thought I'd make a pesto pasta salad so there would be something for my daughter to eat. (Not into burgers...)

I didn't have any pesto on-hand, so I decided to raid my fridge and pantry and make my own. The nice thing about pesto is you can be creative, using a basic outline of: flavorful green, fatty nut/seed, oil, garlic, salty component. I used:

- Fresh basil leaves

- Thin sliced almonds

- Parmesan cheese (salty component)

- Olive oil

- Garlic 

(In the past I've used fresh arugula, parsley or beet greens, and pine nuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds, Romano cheese or Asiago) 

Blend them all together in a blender until creamy, adding the olive oil slowly until the consistency looks right. It should be pretty oily. Taste and adjust ingredients. 

A little pesto goes a long way for pasta, so save the rest in a jar in the fridge. Like most things in jars, it will taste even better the next day.

You can use it on sandwiches, on chicken, fish... The possibilities are endless. And delicious.

Here is my finished salad. Chock full of things my picky eater likes. Whole wheat penne, red bell pepper, cucumber, chopped up salami, and yummy pesto!