Artichoke-Mushroom Petso

Mushrooms, artichokes, and pesto are 3 of my top 5 favorite foods, so it made sense to me to just combine them all into one delicious dip.  I ate this slathered on slices of garlicky ciabatta, but I think it would also be delicious with pasta.

The Ingredients:
1/2 c olive oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
4 c sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 t salt
2 packed cups basil

1 1/2 c artichoke hearts (canned, cooked from frozen, or cooked from fresh--but rinse them if using canned)

3/4 c walnuts, toasted

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1 T lemon juice


The Process:

1. Heat 2-3 T olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 6 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pulse together basil, walnuts, remaining olive oil, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a food processor until basil leaves are well-chopped. Add artichokes and pulse several more times to incorporate.  Add cooked mushrooms with all their juices, and pulse about 15 more times.  Serve right away or put it in a jar with an airtight lid to keep it from turning brown.