Something I’ve learned over the years about cooking, particularly going through my whole30/paleo journey, is how to make the same few things with different ingredients. This keeps foods interesting without having to reinvent the wheel each time. Obviously I enjoy cooking and learning new things, but most of the time, I want to throw things together without a recipe. One of these things is pesto.

A couple years ago I was with my students at a park in town. We had parked on the street; the owner of the home we parked in front of was working in her yard and offered me a ton of oregano that she had just picked. I love taking food that may go to waste and making something from it so of course I said yes. When I got it home I googled “what to do with a bunch of oregano” and pesto came up. Why I never thought of pesto being make with anything but basil is beyond me, but there were a bunch of recipes to I made it. It was amazing; I still remember how good it was today.

I was finally able this year to grow my own oregano and have made this a few times over the summer. I love to eat it on potatoes, bread (I try to avoid it, but every now and then I do), fish, meat, or grilled veggies.

Oregano Pesto:

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• handful of walnuts (toasted preferably)
• bunch of fresh oregano leaves
• about 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt/pepper
• crushed red peppers (optional)

I used a mini processor for this recipe- throw in the garlic and walnuts then fill to the top with oregano leaves. Process till everything is smooth, then add olive oil to the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper and red peppers if desired.