Smart Food

You may be wondering, ‘Why is Savvy Julie eating pesto on a graham cracker? Has she gone nuts?’
If this was traditional pesto, however, I would not be experiencing this delicious, refreshing taste as I eat said pesto + graham cracker. Why? Because it is dessert pesto, silly!
This all came about when I was talking to Dan about my dessert hummus. A slip of the tongue later, the words “dessert pesto” came out of my mouth instead. I laughed it off, but then started thinking… I might actually be onto something!

I was so busy dreaming up this pesto that I missed my turn on yesterday’s bike ride. But it was totally worth it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons cashew pieces
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Mix the first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender until completely mixed. Add the oil, and blend. Serve and enjoy!
Let’s look at how this compares to regular pesto, shall we?
Traditional Pesto –> Dessert Pesto
Basil –> Mint
Garlic –> Chocolate
Pine Nuts –> Cashews
Cheese –> Cinnamon + Honey
Olive Oil –> Canola Oil
SO. ADDICTING. Looooove the cool minty aftertaste!
Smart Fitness
The winner of the Iron Girl giveaway is…Heather from Side of Sneakers!

Heather, please send me your mailing information, and I’ll get your prize right out to you!
Smart Life
I’m so excited that Dan has a 3-day weekend for the holiday. We don’t know yet how we are going to celebrate the 4th, but the extra time off will be nice!
What are your plans for July 4?
Whoa, dessert pesto sounds amazing…The photos look like plain old basil pesto. YUM!!!
I was surprised by how much it looked like regular pesto, too. Soooooo good!
Oh that sounds amazing!!!
yum!! That sounds delish!! I think I’ll be getting caught up and going to a party at a friend’s house. Have a good weekend!
Ahh, you are definitely on to something here, lady. This sounds phenomenal!
Something to do with the whole bag of mint I have in my fridge!
Perfect!
Ah, I love your imagination. Seriously, I would have never thought of dessert pesto! Looks good :).
Ahhh this looks delicious! Probably because it does actually look like classic pesto…
Very creative, though. ๐
Love the dessert pesto – neat!
I’m just hanging out with my family for the Fourth. I’m looking forward to good eats and lots of relaxing. ๐
Happy Fourth!
I was telling one of my friends about this today and she suggested toasting marshmallows and making it like a fancy s’more–with the dessert pesto in place of the chocolate.
I love the creativity!
Ooh, that sounds delicious!
You’ve seriously outdone yourself! When I first read that it was *dessert* pesto before seeing the ingredient list, I was like HOW in the world is she going to pull that off with something green?? Mint = genius ๐
Wow! I would NEVER have thought of this. GENIUS! Love the white chocolate addition.
Wowzers — I have never heard of such a thing. Now I’m craving graham crackers…maybe a s’more =]
Such a brilliant idea! I love it ๐
Wow! Such a great idea. Need to try it!
Wow, what a clever idea. I’ll have to try it.