Pesto Egg Salad

It's hot here in Boston. Like, really hot. Hot enough for me to turn on the air conditioning, which speaks volumes. (I'm typically a fan-in-the-window kind of girl. And I'm cheap).

All this heat and humidity has my motivation to cook at about -5 percent. I also have no motivation to do any last-minute wedding planning (although there is a lot) - but, that's besides the point.

The other night, I at least mustered up the energy to boil some eggs for my dinner, while also using up some leftover pesto I made earlier in the week. I love adding pesto to my eggs in the morning, so I had a feeling this combination of cold eggs with the cheesy, salty pesto would be a good one. Thankfully, I was correct.

Pesto Egg Salad
Yields: 2 servings
Basil Pesto:
-2 cups fresh basil leaves
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan
-3 garlic cloves, chopped
-1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
-Generous squirt of lemon juice
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
1.) Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor and pulse. While the food processor is running, slowly add olive oil until pesto is smooth and ingredients are well-combined.  (Note: You will have leftover pesto, which is never a bad thing).

Egg Salad:
-4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled
-4 heaping teaspoons basil pesto
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:
1.) Chop up boiled eggs into bite-sized chunks; place them in a small bowl.
2.) Add pesto, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper; stir gently (feel free to add more olive oil if needed).
3). Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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The fresh basil, salty cheese, and cold hard-boiled eggs was an incredible combination - especially on a fiercely hot summer night. I highly recommend serving the egg salad in sandwich form with slices of fresh tomato.

Bonus: This recipe is also much healthier than your typical mayo-laden egg salads. Just sayin'. 

What kind of meals have you been making in this heat?

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