Protein Packed Pesto and Peas Stuffed Tomatoes

The end of the summer is approaching, it is my favourite season but I find comfort in the harvest!

We have friends we have potlucks with and Andrea told me you don't need to make pesto with pine nuts and she showed me. It was delicious and I came home with a huge bag of basil she gifted us.

That weekend, I made walnut and hemp basil and parsley pesto following this basic recipe I found on Pinterest. I used less parsley than the recipe called for, added some chili powder and turmeric as well as hemp and chili flakes.

That day we had begun pulling pea plants from the garden because they were dry and sporting brown spots on most leaves and pods.

Bye bye peas.

 Eric beautifully carved yellow and red tomatoes , removing seeds with a melon baller tool while I was processing together the walnuts, hemp, oil, garlic, salt, spices, parsley and handful upon handfuls of green and a bit of purple basil leaves.

We combined several tablespoons of the thick pesto with our peas and some hemp hearts.

Stuffed the tomatoes before sprinkling more hemp onto them.

 They baked in the oven for eight minutes at 400F and broiled for two minutes. These stuffed tomatoes can be eaten raw.

When I use the oven, I make a point out of using the oven! Our tomatoes baked alongside organic roasted potatoes and a beef roast while a gluten free gravy made from scratch with local mushrooms simmered, and snap peas steamed on the stove top.

Pesto can obviously be a delight with pasta and stir fries, it's nice added to warm soups and sour cream dips too. If you don't cook it you benefit from fuller nutrition so consider stirring it in to hot dishes just before serving.

What other nuts, herbs or spices have you used in your pesto?