Pumpkin Pesto Cheese Recipe for the Raw Foodists out There

Michael Schott

​If you haven't been to Lifefood Gourmet, its food is all organic, raw, and vegan. You'll find familiar staples such as burritos, burgers, lasagna, and tacos, but prepared with nuts, seeds, grains, and other nonprocessed ingredients that are good for you. The Mexican hard-shell tacos, for instance, are made with sprouted quinoa and flax dehydrated crunchy taco shells, pumpkin-spiced "carne molida," bell pepper pine nut cheese, guacamole, lettuce, and salsa fresca. I've always liked my food cooked, but I'm curious to try some of these dishes. For now, I might just attempt to make this pumpkin pesto cheese recipe that chef John Schott shared along with his Earth Day tips.

Pumpkin Pesto Cheese (approx. 3 ½ cups)

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup pine nuts
8 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cup Fresh basil
2 tsp sun-dried sea salt
2 Tbsp lemon juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Place nuts in a Cuisinart food processor with an S blade and grind them into a thick paste. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few more times. Note: Always use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the processor and get an even mixture.