Oil Free Potatoes and Green Beans with Pesto

I’ll admit I was skeptical that one of my favorite side dishes could be tasty without oil. But oil free potatoes and green beans with pesto is a delicious, low fat, change of pace.

A couple weeks back we made a vegan pasta with cauliflower sauce using a steam/saute technique to cook the onions and garlic. Today’s recipe is also oil free, even the pesto dressing. I’ve become interested in exploring oil free cooking since reading (affiliate links) Forks Over Knives and Eat to Live, two plant based eating plans that limit the use of processed oils.

The combination of young potatoes and green beans has been a favorite since I was a girl. Adding a lemony pesto and sunflower seeds makes it that much better.

Instead of oil to act as the carrier, a few potatoes are added into the pesto to give it starchiness. It’s a technique used by Susan of Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and it works surprisingly well. To be honest, I expected to be disappointed and figured I could always add enough olive oil to make it work, but it really wasn’t needed. It’s great to learn another cooking technique, especially one that is helpful in reducing calories.

The herby lemony deliciousness is a bonus!

Oil Free Potatoes and Green Beans with Pesto

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Servings: 4

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• One pound fingerling potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
• Two cups fresh or frozen green beans trimmed and cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• juice and zest of a lemon about 3 tablespoons juice
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• water as needed
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook the potatoes and green beans in whatever manner you wish. (I steamed mine in the microwave.)
• Tear the basil leaves and place them and the lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor along with a couple pieces of cooked potato.
• Pulse a few times to chop everything and add water a little at a time to help the dressing come together.
• Toss the dressing with the cooked potatoes and green beans. Stir in the sunflower seeds and lemon zest.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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The consistency of the dressing is starchy, but not too thick. It should coat the vegetables without a problem. Have you tried making a salad dressing without oil? Tell me about it in the comments.

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