Last Updated on January 23, 2024

This past weekend was wonderful! So full of friends, wine, and zero waste adventures. I love how supportive my friends are of my lifestyle.

Saturday morning I went to the farmers market with my friend Gillian. We got coffee from LEAF, traveled on foot, and sampled all sorts of goodies.

I packed my market bag full of tomatoes, grapes, romaine, and basil. We chose a beautiful Japanese Eggplant for a lunch experiment. It was our first time trying it, and it was delicious.

We met up with our friend Lindsay for a potluck. A typical get together consists of eating, drinking, chatting, and letting the dogs play all night long.

In addition, we swapped clothes from our closets! The table was full of fresh veggies, hummus, bread, crackers, cheese, fruit, and Gillian’s amazing cowgirl cookies.

The organic basil I plucked was begging me to create a delicious pesto. To be honest, I’ve never eaten pesto due to my dairy allergy. It’s so exciting to finally be able to eat things I’ve never been able to taste!

Even though it was a first, I had loud approval from everyone at the table. I have to say it was delicious! I even saved a little for myself.

We spread it on toasted focaccia and topped it with garlic and herbed goat cheese. To keep it vegan you can layer on some herbed vegan cheese. And, of course it’s amazing tossed with pasta.

Vegan & Allergy Free Pesto

• 1 Bunch of Basil with Stems Removed
• 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Pepper
• Juice of a Lemon
• 1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast

Pulse the basil until it’s roughly chopped. Place the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth.

Low key nights are my favorite. I love to stay in and share stories, food, wine, recipes, and even clothes!

I have to say this pesto recipe is definitely one of my new summer staples! This pairs perfectly with my homemade bread recipe. What are some of your favorite quick dishes to bring to parties?