Cottage Cheese Pesto

We've just seen this recipe in the New York Times and loved it! So versatily, and very yummy!! Who doesn't like Pesto? Can be used as a dip, spread or pasta sauce (thin it with a spoon of the pasta cooking water)

Cottage Cheese Pesto

Servings: 1 cup

• 2 plump garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, or a combination
• 1 cup low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 

Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Add the basil and/or parsley, and process until finely chopped. Stop the machine, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until smooth and creamy. Serve with pasta, or as a dip or spread. If serving with pasta, use 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cottage cheese pesto per serving. Add a spoonful of the pasta cooking water to the cottage cheese mixture to dilute it before tossing with the pasta.

Nutritional information per 2-tablespoon serving (using fat-free cottage cheese): 43 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 131 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 4 grams protein.

Source: Martha Rose Shulman and NYTimes.com