Gluten and Dairy-Free Chimichurri and Pesto

Maybe you’ve never heard of chimichurri sauce, but you’ve probably met her distant cousin, pesto. They’re so alike, you’d have a hard time telling the green sauces apart. But while pesto is basil with pine nuts, chimichurri contains parsley and/or cilantro. Whereas basil is a sweet herb, parsley and cilantro can taste peppery. And cilantro is bright and citrusy, while parsley is bitter. Both sauces are usually blended with garlic and olive oil and they enhance the flavor of meat and bread. I review two chimichurri meals, a pesto meal, and a pesto sauce made without Parmesan cheese.

Chimichurri

Kevin’s Cilantro Lime Chicken

Kevin’s Cilantro Lime Chicken has chicken breast strips in chimichurri sauce made with cilantro, lime, and garlic.

The chicken is prepared sous vide meaning “under vacuum” in French, and refers to vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it in a water bath at low temperature until tender. The directions are to microwave or sauté (preferred method) the chicken, then mix it with the pouch of chimichurri sauce. The meal is delicious with tender chicken strips, a tangy sauce, and a slight kick from the poblano chiles and jalapenos. The chicken does not have antibiotics and the meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, Paleo-certified, and Keto-certified.

Kevin’s also sells the sauce separately, which tastes delicious on beef strips. It’s also great as a dip for empanadas.

Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Beef Chimichurri

This meal is in the freezer section. A steam sauce bowl separates the beef strips from the chimichurri sauce on the bottom. After microwaving, you stir the beef into the sauce. It also contains vegetables: potatoes, green beans, and red bell peppers for a full meal. There are 24 grams of carbs and the only allergen listed is soy. Like Kevin’s, it has a slight kick from the serrano peppers.

Without a doubt, I enjoy both meals so much that I will make both and have “chimichurri night.”

Pesto

Tattooed Chef Pesto Harvest Bowl

The Pesto Harvest Bowl is a gluten-free and vegan meal with quinoa, cauliflower “rice”, zucchini, spinach, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and red bell peppers tossed in a vegan pesto. There’s just enough quinoa to satisfy your carb cravings, while the basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes give it a great pesto taste. I really like that it contains so many vegetables and 6 grams of fiber.

Seggiano Fresh Basil Pesto

If you’ve had bruschetta, you’ve had pesto. Bruschetta is a famous Italian appetizer with tomatoes and pesto served on bread, topped with cheese.

Most pesto sauces contain Parmesan, but Seggiano is dairy free. It contains traditional ingredients–basil, olive oil, and pine nuts. Cashews are also in it. It has a great basil taste and if you miss the Parmesan, you can sprinkle it with Go Veggie or Follow Your Heart grated Parmesan cheese. If you want a fresher flavor, Violife makes a Parmesan block of vegan cheese to be grated (https://liveglutenanddairyfree.com/vegan-cheese-not-dairy-crack/).

Conclusion

Chimichurri and pesto sauces are very similar, but chimichurri contains cilantro and/or parsley and is tangy while pesto has basil and is nutty. They also have peppers for a slight kick. Both liven the flavor of meat and are even used as dipping sauces and toppings. The reviewed meals would make a great addition to your dinner.

Did You Know?

Cilantro may protect the kidneys and basil may prevent fat build-up in the liver. Parsley is popular to prevent bad breath and aiding in digestion, which is why chefs garnish plates with the herb.

Fun Food Fact

For some people, cilantro tastes like soap. They share a common smell-receptor gene cluster called OR6A2 which picks up the scent of aldehyde chemicals which are found in cilantro leaves. The chemicals are also used to make soap. In regions where cilantro is popular, like Central America and India, fewer people have these genes (https://www.allrecipes.com/article/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap/).

Quote

About cilantro in a dish, Julia Child said, “I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.” Hmm, maybe she had the OR6A2 smell-receptor gene?