Bunches of Basil

A couple weeks ago I went to Costco for three things. Of course I left with a whole lot more than just three measly things, as always. Costco seems to be impulse buy central, and this trip was no exception. They always seem to have something that you've never seen there before and you just can't pass it up. This trip's indulgence was an insanely large pack of fresh basil. I love fresh pesto and freeze batches of it in small containers to use for a quick pasta or sandwich spread whenever I need it. After I made a large batch of it the pack of basil looked like it was still full, so I decided to try to find something new to do with it.

I found a recipe for a tomato basil vinaigrette on epicurius that sounded great so I decided to try it. This is absolutely the best dressing I have ever made. I made four batches of it, and it is already all gone! I used it as a marinade for grilled chicken, which was fabulous and I used it warm on pasta and grilled vegetables instead of spaghetti sauce and as dressing for a pasta salad with Israeli cous-cous. I made a couple changes to the original recipe, so here's my version:

Tomato Basil Vinaigrette
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup (packed) fresh basil
1/4 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup oil from sun-dried tomatoes
black pepper

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth