So it seems I am on a bit of a condiment kick lately.

It all started with my healthy, homemade Asian style BBQ sauce – you guys that stuff is the goods! Seriously, it something I always make sure I have on hand, we eat it allllll the time.

I like to call it my magic sauce because I can get my daughter to eat pretty anything if I put a teeny, tiny little dot of that deliciously magical BBQ sauce on it. #parentingwin

But, as delicious as it is, we are not here to talk about my Asian style bbq sauce although, if you haven’t made it yet you really should get on that, it’s kind of life changing  #justsayin

Anyway, moving on . . .

So, after my healthy, homemade Asian style BBQ sauce came my creamy, dreamy, 2 minute {paleo} garlic and dill dressing which, I don’t know if you know this or not but, that stuff is awesome-sauce and I use it on errrrrrrrry-thang. I seriously can not get enough! (see 👉🏻 here, 👉🏻 here and  👉🏻 here )

But again, as amazing as it is, we’re not here to talk about my creamy, dreamy 2 minute {paleo} garlic and dill dressing either.

What I do want to tell you about is this seriously incredible roasted almond jalapeno pesto.

Oh.

My.

Word.

You guys, did you hear me?!

ROASTED ALMOND AND JALAPENO PESTO!!!!!!!!

You guys, this pesto . . .

It’s light, fresh and deliciously nutty with a cheeky kick of heat!

A delicious little twist on a much loved classic!

It’s seriously so good I want to eat it on alllll of the things 😋😋😋

Our vibrant base is made with a combination of spinach and coriander (cilantro) along with a good pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Next, we kick things up a notch by adding in one feisty little jalapeno’ then, we cool things off by adding a touch of zesty freshness with a cheeky squeeze of lime.

Spinach, coriander, jalapeno and lime, all good things right?!

But, those roasted almonds is where the magic happens.

I was going to just add them in raw but, there is something truly incredible about the depth of flavor that develops when you roast those nutrient rich, gloriously golden, gems of deliciousness and roasting them was definitely the right call here!

Yes, it will mean you have to wait an extra 5-10 minutes before you can get that pesto into your belly but, believe me, it’s totally worth it.

I mean, have I ever steered you wrong?

Not yet my friend and certainly not today!

Just quickly before I leave you to go get your pesto on, I feel like I should mention that I only added one little teaspoon of coconut oil into this recipe because;

1 – I just adore the flavour of it. The touch of coconut oil adds subtle sweetness which I think really helps to balance out the earthiness of our aromatic base. It really just bring the flavors of this pesto together without compromising the taste at all.

The last thing I wanted was for this pesto to taste oily or have an overwhelming taste of coconut. So I just used 1 teaspoon for flavor and texture and then added 1 Tablespoon of water to bring it together to my preferred consistency which brings me to my next point.

2 – I like my pesto to the nice and thick, I like to be able to use it as a dip or a spread and I find that adding more oil leads to a much thinner (read runnier) pesto and I find that it doesn’t seem to “stick” to whatever I want to serve it with very well.

That being said if I want to drizzle it as a sauce over burgers and things (like this) I simply thin it out with a splash of water but, do what you feel people, each to their own. I just wanted to put that out there.

So, this pesto . . .

It’s all natural, quick and easy, light, fresh, deliciously nutty and seriously addicting.

It’s super easy to make using just a handful of ingredients that I bet you have on hand already and comes together in a matter of minutes.

It also happens to be naturally vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly and 100% Whole30 compliant but, most importantly, it’s downright delicious and you need it in your life, asap!

Eat it straight up by the spoonful, stir it into some scrambled eggs, spread it on some avocado toast and maybe add an egg or two and some bacon because, bacon, and have yourself a killer breakfast.

Use it to dip some veggies in for a seriously awesome afternoon snack, stir it through some zucchini noodles, smother your face chicken in it, or steak, or fish, or or protein of choice, drizzle some over your burger, or some deliciously simple, perfectly roasted pumpkin or crispy oven fries . . . as you can see the possibilities on how you can enjoy this little pot of deliciousness really are endless.

However you choose to use it you really cant go wrong!

All natural, quick and easy, light, fresh, deliciously nutty, seriously addicting roasted almond and jalapeno pesto;

Make it. Eat it. Love, love, love it.

Roasted Almond & Jalapeno’ Pesto {Vegan, Gluten Free & Paleo Friendly}

Makes approximately 1 cup of light fresh, deliciously nutty pesto with a cheeky kick of heat.

Ingredients –

2 cups, firmly packed, baby spinach – washed and rinsed

1/3 cup Coriander (cilantro)

1/4 cup raw almonds

1 large jalapeno (I use fresh), finely sliced (with or with seeds depending on how feisty you like things, more or less to taste)

1 Tablespoon of lime juice – from approx 1/2 a lime

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, melted and cooled.

Salt and pepper to taste

Method –

1 – Pre-heat your oven to 175’C (350’F)

2 – Place your almonds onto a lined baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.

3 – Once your almonds are toasted place them, along with all remaining ingredients into your food processor or blender and process until well combined.

If you’d like to make a thinner pesto add a touch of water (or neutral flavored oil) a Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Pesto should keep well stored, covered or in a sealed air tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. It can also be frozen (for up to 3 months) in a ice cube tray, then transferred to a ziplock bag in single servings ready to grab and go as needed.

Enjoy xo

__________________________________________

Question of the day –

Are you a fellow pesto lover? What’s your favorite way to eat it?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your pesto (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

__________________________________________