Cilantro Lime Pesto~a flavorful way to jazz up your black bean burritos or any Mexican dish!
Have you ever gotten a dish in your head, and couldn’t get it out of your mind until you made it? Well a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a recipe at Gluesticks for Cilantro Lime Pesto, and I knew I had to try it. The combination of ingredients sounded so intriguing to me. Lime and cilantro=yum!
Honestly, my whole life, I have hated cilantro, HATED IT! I don’t know if with my dad’s Mexican cuisine, I was cilantroed out. Anyway, earlier this year my friend Teresa gave me a recipe for taquitos, and it was so good, even though it used cilantro. I adjusted the recipe a bit here. After experiencing that goodness, I was ready to try some more cilantro-infused recipes. As a bonus, my friend Keri says parsley is good for cleansing blood and cilantro is good for getting heavy metals and toxins out of the body. Bonus! Food is medicine, we are learning.
The Verdict:
I think, actually I know, I annoyed my husband with how many times I said, “I love this dish” the first night we had it. The flavors are so fresh. We have also used this as a pizza sauce with chicken with great results, as a dip for quesadillas, and as a salad dressing, diluting it with more olive oil. Just don’t over blend, unless you want it really creamy!
**Pictures updated 10/14. I have made the cilantro lime pesto several times in the last few years. It not only a great way to use up big quantities of cilantro, but it also adds so much flavor and zip to recipes. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Cilantro Lime Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- -2 cups cilantro stems removed
- -the juice of 2 limes
- -1/3 cup Parmesan cheese omit if making it dairy-free or use nutritional yeast, it's still yummy-I've done it before!
- -1/3 cup olive oil
- -1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts optional
- -2 garlic cloves
Instructions
-
Whirl all ingredients in a blender.
-
If you aren't using the pesto right away, pour a thin layer of olive oil to keep it fresh. You can either freeze it for 6 months-1 year (ice cube trays work well for this), or put it in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white or brown rice (you can also crock-pot the rice)
- 2-15 oz. cans of organic black beans
- cilantro lime pesto (recipe above)
- 1/2 cup cheese (we used mozzarella)
- whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
- Boil 3 cups of water.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of rice to the water, and simmer with a lid on until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Warm tortillas.
- Warm beans.
- Spoon on rice, beans, cheese and pesto onto the tortillas as desired.
- Enjoy!
Have you tried spinach pesto, yet?
That pesto looks incredible!!! 🙂
Thanks so much Amanda! The flavor really pops!
This looks delicious! I am a huge fan of cilantro, so I’m sure I will love this recipe. Pinning now.
here via I Heart Nap Time’s Link Party Palooza
Thanks Aria! The combo of cilantro and lime is A-MA-ZING!
This looks amazing. Anything with cilantro and lime in the title, and I am sold.
Thanks, Jodi! The combo really is great together! Thanks for visiting!
I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I added some black olives, chopped tomatoes and Siracha hot sauce. Mmmmmm!!!!
I am making it next week for a potluck. We love the flavors together!! Thanks for sharing, Kelly and for visiting!
Tried this tonight and added shredded barbeque chicken along with brown rice, cheddar and black beans. It was to die for!!! I love cilantro but have never made pesto with it. Thanks so much for the great recipe! I will be making it a lot and I think I’ll try it as a pizza sauce too.
Thanks for the feedback, Heather. Before I tried it I thought it would be a winner, and it hasn’t failed me. Thanks for visiting!
I can’t wait to try this! We are living in Cairo, Egypt right now and basil seems to be seasonal here but we find cilantro all the time. This would be a great substitute for when I am craving regular pesto, I am thinking! Fresh and lively! Thank you.
Hi Stacy, It really is an amazing combination! Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!
Great recipes! So fresh!
Can’t wait to try these! Yumm!
The pesto for this recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
this looks wonderful too…. Glad that I found you and thanks for sharing this recipe at Foodie Friends Friday… Remember to come back on sunday to vote for your favorite recipes.
Congratulations! Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate! Miz Helen
Thanks so much for the feature, Miz Helen!
Just pinned your great recipe, thanks for sharing on Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great week end! Miz Helen
This pesto looks amazing! I love cilantro. I haven’t tried it this way before. Great recipe!! Thank you for sharing on Fit and Fabulous Fridays!! 🙂
Hi Amee, if you love cilantro, I bet you’ll love it!
Your black bean burritos sound so good! Your pesto sounds wonderful as well. I’m a bit unsure about cilantro sometimes too, but if I just have a bit, and blend it with other flavours, I can experience all the goodness!
Yes, you can use part cilantro, part basil or spinach. They all work great or in combination. I have put the spinach in with the cilantro. Spinach can blend in well. Thanks for visiting!
This sounds really delicious! I love cilantro, so I am anxious to try this even on eggs for breakfast. Thanks for sharing it on Hearth & Soul. 🙂
I have tried it on lots of different things. It really livens food up! Thanks for stopping by, Judy!
I am on such a black bean craze lately! These look delish. Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. Have a blessed week. Hope to see you next Sunday.
We love black beans, here! Just got introduced to them 4 years ago, and I wonder where they’ve been my whole life! I’ll visit again! I just signed up to get your e-mails!
Just wanted to swing by and let you know that I made this my personal fave today at Weekend Potluck. I was intrigued because I hate cilantro too… but I am willing to try anything.
Please feel free to come by and pick up your red “featured” button: http://www.meetpenny.com/2012/05/weekend-potluck-may-4th-may-6th/
Thanks so much for the feature!! I really appreciated it!! I’d love to know what you think of it.
These burritoes look amazing! Thanks for being a part of our “Strut Your Stuff Saturday.” Hope to see you again real soon!! -The Sisters
Thanks! I’ll be back!
That’s so funny – I do that too,…moan and comment on how good something is the first time we have it. We are kindred spirits, lol. Thanks so much for sharing this at our party this week – I’ll be pinning this and trying it soon.
I am really having so much fun with food!! There is nothing like enjoying tasty food that is good for you! Thanks for pinning! I’d love to know how it goes!
Thanks for the info!!
Parsley is the blood cleanser. Cilantro is great for helping the body rid itself of heavy metals and other toxins!