Save Your Herbs, Save Money ~ Basil, Parsley, and Mint "Pesto" Ice Cubes Recipe

Whenever I clean out my refrigerator, I end up throwing away bunches of wilted, wrinkly, dried-up herbs.  What I am really throwing out is money.  Straight into the garbage can go my pennies, quarters, and dollars.  I shall never see them again. Sigh.  

In order to stop the madness of throwing away my money, I had to do something drastic--immediately.  And so, I pulled out the herbs before they had a chance to die, and turned to my small food processor.

I stared at the bunches of thyme, sage, basil, parsley, oregano and mint.  The idea of putting all these herbs together did not make sense.  Instead, I chose my three favorites: basil, parsley, and mint, and hoped they would harmoniously come together.  Into the food processor they went.


Basil, Parsley, and Mint "Pesto" Ice Cubes

Ingredients


4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Place garlic and herbs in a food processor.  Pulse several times, scraping in between with a small rubber spatula.  Note: be sure your herbs are very well washed and dried before using them.  Pack the herbs tightly into a measuring cup.

2.  Drizzle in olive oil and vinegar.  Pulse until a smooth paste is formed.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Spoon "pesto" into an ice cube tray and freeze.

Keep the "pesto" cubes in the freezer until ready to use.  They keep the bright, green color for quite a while - thanks to the addition of vinegar.

I used these cubes over cooked pasta and shrimp.  Added a cube or two to a potato and bell pepper hash.  Stirred one into a bowl of creamed tomato soup.  And the ideas are endless!  How would you use these?

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