Cashew Pesto Hummus

In the summer, my family grows basil. And grow is does. I have a black thumb so I'm not sure if this is actually characteristic of basil, but it seems to shoot up like a weed. It's good and all, but it's not like you can really make a meal out of an herb. So what do we do? We make pesto!

Ever since I was a little kid, pesto has reminded me of summer. We'd have big outdoor dinner parties pretty frequently, and pesto pasta was always on the menu. While the classic is delicious, when my mom asked me to use up some of our basil this afternoon, I decided to get a little creative and come up with a variation.

Cashew Pesto Hummus

• 1 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
• 1 cup unsalted cashews
• juice of half a lemon (about 3 T)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 T tahini

In a food processor, combine basil, cashews, lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil until smooth. Add chickpeas and tahini and process until well combined. Slowly pour in remaining olive oil until desired consistency is achieved- more will give it a thicker feel, while less will make it smoother. Serve with crackers or crudites and refrigerate in an airtight container.

This has all the flavor of pesto, with a thicker, more filling consistency that would make a great dip or spread for just about anything. It tastes slightly of hummus, but mostly of fresh basil- yum.

I sampled it on vegetable-flavored whole-wheat crackers, which was perfect!

What smells or flavors remind you most of summer? For me, it's chlorine, basil, honeysuckle, peaches and the egg stench of the bay while driving to the shore :)