It's rare that there isn't a pint of pesto in my fridge or freezer. It is my favorite condiment, hands down. It's versatile, fresh, tastes good on on just about everything, and you can make it with such a wide variety of ingredients. It's the perfect way to use up wilting greens and leftover herbs. Once you've made it a few times you realize it's the type of condiment that doesn't need a recipe. Most greens are great in pesto, I love adding basil, mint or chives, and most nuts and seeds compliment the rustic sauce. If you are new to making pesto and are still figuring out proportions and ingredients or if you are looking for fresh ideas, here are a few tasty recipes. My kale pesto and spring pesto are vegan pestos. Love and Lemons is a great resource if you're looking for pesto inspiration — she has several takes on the traditional, and Happyolks gets resourceful and uses carrot tops in her pesto. What are your favorite pesto ingredients?

It's spring in our apartment! We picked up a few new plants at the farmers market last weekend. It's so refreshing to have live plants and a light filled space to relax in this concrete city. I'd like to say I helped to beautify our space with greenery, but all of the credit goes to Daniel on this one. I don't seem to have the greenest of thumbs, so for now he can continue to grow the greens and I'll continue to cook them. This salad was the perfect lunch to enjoy in the sun with our new farmers market finds.

Lentils, Shaved Carrots and Pesto Salad
This is a perfect lunch for one, it packs well, and is fresh and filling. Lentils keep well after cooked so cook a little extra and throw them in other salads throughout the week for a little extra protein. Check the above links for tasty pesto recipes.
1/2 cup brown lentils
2 carrots
a few spoonfuls of pesto
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse lentils and cover with water in a small pot. Gently simmer until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add more water if needed while simmering. When the lentils are cooked, drain and toss with a generous pinch of salt.
While the lentils are cooking prepare your pesto (there are several recipes above). To shave the carrots, peel lengthwise with a vegetable peeler and place in a bowl of ice water. Ice water makes the carrots curl. Before serving, drain the carrots and pat dry.
Combine lentils and pesto, toss with carrots. Season with salt and pepper to serve.