Lemon artichoke pesto

I really liked this. But wow, that's a lot of garlic! I used 5 good-sized cloves and had to eat like 5 peppermints after dinner to get rid of the taste- lol. But it's worth it! I made this and then boiled some pasta (whole wheat rotini and mini penne) and mixed the pesto with the pasta right after draining. (I used 8 oz. pasta and most of the pesto sauce with it- probably have a little over 1/2 cup leftover). I'll probably use the extra as a dip. I used jarred artichokes and omitted the canola oil. In it's place I added 1/4 cup water mixed with a tiny dab of "Better than Boullion". Then I added one large spoonful of the oil from the marinated artichokes I used. I mixed everything in the food processor- adding the artichokes and cheese after everything else was smooth, so that I could leave them semi-chunky. I also used basil instead of cilantro- I had it on hand. And I used the juice of 2 lemons. This was easy, different and tasted great! We had the pesto pasta with broccoli and breadsticks.  -  10 Jan 2008  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

I find this to be a inexpensive alternative to traditional basil pesto. It has a different, but just as enjoyable, taste. I left out the canola oil (using only the 1/2 c olive oil), used about 1/2 c cilantro, used only about 3 garlic cloves, and substituted pecans for walnuts. It was great!.  -  12 Nov 2006  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

Excellent recipe! I made this as an appetizer for a dinner party and served it with French Bread. It was so delicious that I made it AGAIN two nights later for an office dinner function! Loved the combination of the walnuts and the artichokes!  -  16 Apr 2008  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)