Growing up I loved my mothers homemade tomato sauce. In fact, I still do. It was so fresh and light and made the house smell amazing.
Over the years, as I started to learn more about food and nutrition and with my mother having developed an autoimmune condition and suffering with inflammation, I learned that tomatoes and many night shade veggies, like peppers and eggplant, can aggravate autoimmune conditions and make inflammation worse!
It’s true. Even though many of these veggies are incredibly healthy and delicious, they do contain certain compounds that increase inflammation. I would suggest if you are suffering with inflammation (joint pain, arthritis, etc) and/or an autoimmune disease, specifically rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia; eliminate all night shade vegetables for 3 weeks, then reintroduce them back into your diet to see how you feel. This would include: potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, tomatillos, goji berries, hot peppers and paprika.
This is where Pesto comes into the picture!
This incredible herb blend is delicious and so full of flavour! In fact, it contains many potent and detoxifying herbs to help cleanse the liver and support inflammation. That’s a huge win in my books! The herbs in this pesto are so powerful they can actually help to chelate (pull) toxins and heavy metals out of your system!
Pesto is so easy to make and can be used in many dishes. For a quick week night meal, I like to mix it into zucchini noodles or quinoa pasta, or use it as a salad dressing. It’s even amazing as a dip with raw veggies and homemade flax crackers.
This detox recipe is taken from my upcoming Qualitarian Spring Detox, which is launching on April 13th! I can’t wait! You’ll find so many incredible detoxifying recipes in the detox plus the recipe for the flax crackers 🙂 From smoothies, to juices, detoxifying salads and incredibly nourishing and filling entrees, this detox is sure to reinvigorate and renew your health.
I’ll be sharing my best detox tips and tricks and can’t wait to jump onto a live webinar with all the spring detoxers and answer all your pressing questions.
Be sure to check your emails in the coming weeks for details as to when it will officially launch. Get ready to reset your health, detox your body and feel your best, ever!
In the meantime, while you wait for launch of our Spring Detox, make this detoxifying pesto and reap the alkalizing and energizing benefits.
- ½ cup fresh mint
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper
- Combine fresh herbs and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.
- Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste.
- Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt.
- Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to saturate the flavors.
- If storing overnight, pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it bright green.
- For extra creaminess, feel free to add ¼ cup pine nuts or cashews to the blend.
