Basil Spinach Cashew Pesto

I love fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and cheese.  These things when combined with spinach, cashews, and salt, make the most delicious pesto.  So quick and so fresh!  This makes enough for two or three portions.  You can easily double this for a larger family.

3 oz of fresh greens like basil and spinach

1/4 cup unsalted cashews

1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Notes:  

*You can use other fresh greens like kale and chard.  Do not use dried.

*You can use other nuts like pine nuts or almonds.

*You can sometimes substitute cheeses, like another hard Italian cheese.  I used a shredded Italian 6 cheese blend (not technically all hard cheeses) with great results.

*The best olive oil is cold-pressed, non-GMO types sold in dark bottles.  After you have the good stuff, other olive oils will taste cheap with a bad aftertaste.  It's worth it to try the good stuff.

*I almost always use pink Himalayan salt for the extra minerals.

The easiest way to mix this up is in a food processor.  Just throw everything in, and in under 30 seconds you will have perfect pesto.  A blender could work in a pinch -- just pause and scrape down the sides every few pulses to be sure all ingredients get chopped and blended.

I like to eat this over fresh pasta with grilled chicken.  This would also be great on flatbread with fresh mozzarella slices and sliced Roma tomatoes and a balsamic drizzle.