Make this whenever you have an overabundance of herbs in the garden you can’t use all at once. It’s a great way to preserve the fresh flavour of herbs. Add a spoonful to liven up sauces, drizzle it over cooked veggies, spread it in sandwiches… use your imagination! You can keep this in the fridge for quite a few days, or freeze it in small batches.

2 cups herb leaves (parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, or mint will work well)
salt
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
3 tbsp to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, to taste (try using peanut oil for cilantro, or grapeseed oil for dill or mint)
1 tbsp sherry vinegar OR freshly squeezed lemon juice (try using freshly squeezed lime juice for cilantro)

1. Combine the ingredients and process well using a food processor or immersion hand blender. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

5 ripe avocados
juice of 1 lime
½ white onion*, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
½ bunch cilantro, chopped (OPTIONAL)

*Make sure it’s a WHITE onion — they have a cleaner, more tangy flavor than yellow onions.

1. Combine all the ingredients and mash up with fork. Don’t overblend.

The sunflower seeds makes the pine nuts go further, and the spinach makes the fresh basil go further. I like this pesto better than the real thing! Serve this with plain rice crackers or sliced baguette.

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil
2-3 cups baby spinach

1. Blend the garlic, salt, sunflower seeds, pine nuts and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Blend well until smooth.
2. Add the basil and spinach, and blend until smooth. Taste and add more spinach if needed.

1 head garlic
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh sage, finely chopped
1 19-oz can navy beans or white kidney beans
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the outer layer of papery skin from the head of garlic and trim a small bit off the top of the head to expose each of the cloves.  Place in the centre of a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Seal the package.  Cook at 400°F for 40 minutes.
2. While the garlic is roasting, cook the onion and sage together in olive oil over low heat until the onions are soft and just starting to brown.
3. Combine beans, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add cooked onion mixture.  Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the mixture; discard the leftover papery skin.  Purée the entire mixture using a food processor or immersion hand blender until smooth.

1 19oz can chick peas, well rinsed
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup tahini
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients. Purée until smooth in a food processor or using an immersion hand blender.