This is a reduced oil adaptation of True Food Kitchen’s Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto, which is served in their Ancient Grains Bowl. This stuff is bold, bright, and vibrant.
If you are detecting a pattern here—you’ve nailed it! These True Food Kitchen recipes will soon be rolled into one big adapted, reduced oil, TFK Ancient Grains Bowl post. These components are great in other dishes and as meal prep components. So far, the Ancient Grains have been posted with both Instant Pot and oven instructions.
Serving Suggestions
- Marinated Oven Roasted Kebabs
- Homemade Vegan Gnocchi
- Easy Oven-Roasted Marinated Savory Portobello Mushrooms
- In bowls
- As a dip for your favorite roasted veggies
Cilantro Prep
Wash and dry the cilantro bunches. Chop the last inch or two of the thicker stems off of the bottoms of each bunch. If the stems on the ends of your bunches don’t look all that thick and have lots of leaves, then you don’t need to cut them off. Use them in the pesto.
If Cilantro Tastes Like Soap To You
I’m sorry about your taste buds. Try subbing dino kale in this recipe, it’s lovely with the pumpkin seeds and the citrus brightens the kale. You could also sub basil, flat leaf parsley or a mix of your choice of green things.
Let’s Make Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Place all ingredients in a blender or small to medium food processor, puree until smooth. Makes about 1.5 cups.
Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Equipment
- small to medium food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 bunches cilantro
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or just put a whole peeled clove or two in the food processor without chopping
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or flaked sea salt
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender or small to medium food processor, puree until smooth. Makes about 1.5 cups.
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from True Food Kitchen as published online in the South Florida SunSentinel.
If you enjoy pesto, green sauces & dips, you might also like these:
- Lemon Kale-Basil Pesto
- Chipotle’s Official Guac Recipe
- Zesty Avocado Pistachio Pesto
- Herbed Avocado Aioli
Did You Make Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto?
Any variations? What did you enjoy it with? Tell me about it in the comments section below.
How is it possible that this is so good and yet so easy to make? I love cilantro and this recipe is now a new favorite.