Edamame Pesto

We have a new favorite topping for pizza. I've been making an edamame pesto I found on the Post Punk Kitchen. It is great for using all the fresh basil our garden has been providing us and it is a much lower fat version of pesto, and really good. It is good on pasta too, but I'm finding that when paired with fresh, local tomatoes on a pizza it is really perfect.

Edamame Pesto
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves
handful (1/4 cup or so) fresh cilantro
14 ounce package shelled edamame, thawed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 teaspoon salt
optional: 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Place garlic and basil in food processor and pulse a few times to get it chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add a little more veg. broth if it seems too stiff.

To top our pizza we spread the pesto on pretty thick, cover with sliced olives and fresh tomatoes and a sprinkling of vegan cheese. I have never used the cilantro because I have never had it on hand, and I have always used the optional nutritional yeast. I don't have an awesome pizza crust yet, I'm still experimenting. I'll post one when I find a really good one. But I think this is the sort of pizza topping that would work very well on a loaf of italian bread sliced in half. I think I'll try it that way next time for the sake of fast and easy dinners.