Pesto made with basil is a basic standby for many summer meals. I invite you to experiment with some other wonderful pestos that can expand your healthy, but tasty recipe selections for summer.

Mint Pesto

Mint is not just for ice tea! This pesto is refreshing and crisp tasting. The coolness of the mint highlights the other ingredients and is the perfect answer for a summer supper. Here is how you make it:

2 Cups fresh mint leaves
2 Tbsp. nuts(I use pine nuts or walnuts)
1 clove garlic (more to taste)
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Puree mint leaves in food processor. Keeping the machine running, add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil until you reach the consistency that you like for pesto. I prefer mine with a bit more oil than some.

This is fabulous mixed with cooled pasta and cherry tomatoes cut in half.

If you are thinking that pesto should always be made with basil, try some of the different basil varieties to change the flavor with a more subtle approach. This year, I have a spicy Thai basil, Lettuce leaf basil and a beautiful purple Rubin basil. Each has it's own unique flavor and adds a nice change to the basic pesto dish.

A nice way to use the purple basil leaves, is to mix up a smaller recipe of purple and one of green pesto, then drizzle them separately onto the finished pasta dish. The two colors compliment each other nicely, and makes for a more upscale twist on a great meal.

If you have smaller herb plants, and not enough basil for a your recipe, try adding other herbs to the mix: sweet marjoram, oregano and a bit of thyme make a great mixture.

Finally, a lemon-herb based pesto is fantastic on fruit salad, or mixed with your favorite vinegar on a tossed salad, fresh from the garden. Simply blend up any amount of lemon scented herbs, like lemon balm, lemon or lime basil, and lemon thyme. Add a light tasting oil, nuts and honey for a sweet mixture, vinegar for a tangy one. This is a nice, dressing for those last minute dishes when it is too hot to cook.

Good cooking to you!