Basil E. Tomatoweiler

Summer's not over yet! There's still basil to be eaten! Shown here in the form of sunflower seed pesto. This lighter- tasting (and dare I say, healthier?) version is quick and simple to make, but it does require a Vitamix or food processor or perhaps an overachieving blender.

Sunflower Seed Pesto

1 part garlic
4 parts sunflower seeds (or walnuts!)
4-5 parts fresh basil leaves
water/oil as needed

The proportions are actually a big guess on my part, I'd just throw in some garlic, nuts, and basil, blend, and see where the consistency and taste are at. Serve as 1 part substrate: 3+ parts pesto. It also goes really great in tomato soup. Here again, I have no real numbers. Maybe one of the chefs will email me their take on it:

Kyli + Lore's Tomato Soup (as vaguely remembered by Jess)

Saute onions and garlic (lots!), then fill pot with coarsely chopped tomatoes (don't bother removing the the seeds, they'll get strained out later). Cover and let stew for a while, then add lots o' chopped basil. Let stew for a few more minutes, then carefully blend (it's hot!). To each part blended, add a bit of olive oil (we ended up using about 1/8-1/4 of a quart jar). From the blender, strain soup into a pot, heat up again, and serve. If it's too liquidy, let simmer to reduce.