Toasted coconut-sesame cilantro pesto

Pesto Italian cuisine

Late last summer we bought a house (yay!) in the country (yay!), adding about 20 minutes to our previous 20 minute commute (cue the violins). In October I also returned to work full-time. With two active children, ages 6 and 8, suddenly I found myself in survival mode when it came time to cooking. It killed me. As we struggled to adjust, getting home late to start dinner, late to eat dinner, falling asleep at the table (or sometimes in the car on the way home – the kids, not me), I became frustrated and quite honestly, depressed. My main outlet-hobby-favorite-pastime became a difficult, awkward dance. To all working parents out there who also enjoy cooking weeknight meals every night of the week – I tip my hat to you! It’s not easy. With the New Year, I came up with a weekly routine that really eased the pressure. By assigning each night of the week a different theme, I had an orderly crutch to help plan, but also had the freedom to be creative and change things up week to week. In January for example, Monday was pesto night, Tuesday was chili night, Wednesday was taco night, Thursday was soup night, Friday was nacho night and Saturday (my favorite) was things you flip night. One Monday in January it occurred to me that coconut and sesame, while not technically nuts, would make a lovely pesto. Especially when toasted.