Pesto Pea Salad

I saw this recipe on my SIL's blog almost a year ago now and have wanted to make it, but I always forget about it. We almost always have all of the ingredients on hand on any given day, so I can't believe it has taken me this long to make it. But like I said, I always forget about it. So anyway, I finally made this for our lunch today since I didn't have anything planned since we were thinking we'd be out in Holland. This salad actually popped into my brain as I was thinking of what kind of salad to make for lunch. This was delicious! And super simple and fast to put together. I think I will probably be taking this salad on a regular basis for my lunches. I didn't have any cooked chicken in the fridge, but it'd be great with chicken and other veggies, too.

Pesto Pea Salad

2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. crispy pine nuts
2 1/2 cups baby salad greens
grated parmesan (I forgot to put this on, but it was delicious without it!)
4 Tbsp. pesto, recipe follows (I used some that I had frozen last year)

To assemble, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas and pignolis over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss. Top with cheese.

Pesto:
1/4 cup crispy walnuts
1/4 cup crispy pine nuts
3 Tbsp. diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.