Beet Cashew Pesto

I brought this to girls' night a few weeks ago and accidentally sold it to my friends as vegan. Who ACCIDENTALLY calls something vegan? And they ate it!!! Half way through the night it dawned on me that there was parmesan in the recipe. I struggled for a couple of minutes trying to decide whether or not to tell them. I mean, I was mortified. But I'm not a horrible person, so I finally owned up to my mistake and my friends, thankfully, were so gracious.

But a couple of things that are true about this dip:

1. The color is outrageous. That picture is pretty darn true to life. Beets, to me, are a perfect example of how creative our God is. That color is out there in the wild. That blows my mind all the time.

2. It's amazing slathered on basically anything. Crostini, cucumbers, endive spears, sandwiches, veggie chips. I could go on.

Anyway, here's the recipe for my non-vegan beet and cashew pesto.

Ingredients:

• 2 beets

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews

• 1 cup parmesan cheese (cubed, from a wedge of parmesan)

• ¼-½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ½ cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of organic, low sodium chickpeas)

• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Roast the beets. Heat the oven to 425. Remove the beet greens (save for a salad later!), wash the beets, and cut in half. Place the beets in a pie pan or other oven-safe dish, along with a little water to steam the beets and prevent burning. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skin by wiping the outside of the beets with a paper towel.

2. Soak the cashews. Add to a small bowl and cover with water for at least an hour, up to 4 hours. Drain the soaking liquid.

3. Add the beets, cashews, parmesan, and ¼ cup of olive oil, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend or process as much as possible before adding more liquid.

4. Add the remainder of the olive oil slowly, as you blend. If more liquid is needed, reach for the aquafaba and add it the same way, until a pesto-like consistency is reached.