Sun dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

I have been making this pasta for years and everyone always asks me for the recipe, until now I didn't have one! I played around a bit and replaced half of the basil with arugula to cut down on the cost of the recipe and make it more family friendly. I decided to use tomatoes packed in olive oil and add no extra oil to the recipe because the oil that is in the tomatoes is very flavorful this allows the recipe to use less oil overall than traditional pesto recipes. I love using quinoa or brown rice pasta because it is gluten free and contains protein and fiber unlike other pastas. You can make the pesto ahead of time and have it on hand for a delicious last minute dinner.

1 cup fresh basil
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 TBS nutritional yeast (optional)
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
splash of maple or agave
sea salt and pepper to taste
half pound quinoa pasta
juice of half a lemon (optional)

Place all ingredients besides pasta and lemon in a food processor and pulse until everything comes together into a paste constituency and season to taste. Cook the pasta according to package directions in salty water. To add an extra dimension of flavor I like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon on the pasta right after it is drained and is still hot. Mix pesto with warm pasta and enjoy!