Cucumber Pesto Roll

More killer vegan food to make your mouth water after breaking a fast, or any old damn time. These are super easy and incredibly delicious when you use fresh, ripe ingredients. I will be incorporating dairy, baked goods, and seafood into my diet in the next few weeks, but this jammy summer treat makes a strong case for the vegan lifestylie! This recipe is very much based on one I found on several sites around the internet, but without gross pimientos and with the addition of seasoned tomatoes.

Cucumber Pesto Roll
1 large, symmetrical cucumber
1 tomato (I used creole)
1 avocado
1 oz fresh basil (large handful of leaves)
1/4 cup of pine nuts (or more to taste)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil (or more to taste)
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
ground black pepper
ground sea salt

1. Wash, then peel the cucumber in alternating strips so it is "striped" with peel. Cut it in half lengthwise and use a small spoon to seed the cuke and make a long trench in each cucumber half.
2. Dice the tomato VERY finely. Season with salt and pepper and small squeeze of lemon. Mix well, then spread a light layer into the trough of each cucumber half.
3. Process the avocado, basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be very thick. Spread a heaping spoonful of the pesto over the tomatoes in each cucumber half. Use a butter knife to level the pesto with the walls of the cucumber.
4. Carefully put the halves back together and wrap very tightly in plastic wrap. Place roll in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours.
5. Uwrap roll, separate halves, and cut into bite-size pieces. Arrange on a plate--maybe make it fancy and put the pieces onto a bright green lettuce leaf. Enjoy!