Pasta with Avocado Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 avocados, roughly diced
• 1 1/2 cups basil, roughly chopped
• Handful pine nuts, toasted
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, or any hard, salty cheese (I used asiago)
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Splash olive oil
• Splash vinegar (white balsamic is my vinegar of choice these days)
• Pound of pasta, fresh or dried - I used fresh from Dave's Fresh Pasta, half Tomato, half Spinach
• 1 sweet bell pepper, sliced
• 1 sweet onion, sliced

Instructions

1. If your pine nuts are not already toasted, start by doing that first. I toast mine under the broiler, but I have to keep an eye on them because they will burn quickly.
2. While the pine nuts are toasting, mince the garlic and roughly chop the basil. Don't go crazy, the food process will do most of the work for you. And a note about the garlic, I know it's tempting to go crazy with it, but don't. I used 3 cloves, and I never though I'd say this but, it's just too much.
3. Add toasted pine nuts, garlic and basil to the food processor. Grate the cheese into the processor (or just throw in a handful if you're using the pre-grated kind) and squeeze the lime juice into it as well.
4. Start up the food processor! Stop when everything in there is at a pesto-y consistency. Don't worry if it's a little dry, you're going to fix that later.
5. Add the roughly chopped avocado and a splash of vinegar, then continue processing.
6. At this point the pesto is probably still a little thick, so give it a taste. If you think it needs more vinegar, add that now. If not, add a splash of olive oil to loosen it up a bit. Continue to do this until the taste and consistency are to your liking.
7. Next up: vegetables! I sliced up a red bell pepper and sweet onion, then sauteed them with a little salt and pepper. You can sauté any vegetables you like, or you can roast them, or add them raw. I'm looking forward to trying this in the summer fresh peas and chopped cherry tomatoes. If you're going to roast your vegetables, I suggest getting that started at the beginning.
8. Boil a pot of water, add the pasta, cook until al dente.
9. Mix all the goodness together!

Notes