(upbeat music) - I head to the 3 Cricketeers commercial kitchen to join as they test recipe for cricket flour pasta.

Okay, now we are gonna put it right here to cut.

With cricket pesto.

Cricket pasta, cricket- - [Both] Pesto.

(both laughing) - So, water is boiling, why don't you throw in some pasta?

Why pasta?

- Pasta makes it easy to eat crickets.

It's not as scary that way.

- I think it's bringing crickets into everyday meals.

You're the perfect person to let us know if we're on the right track.

- [Lidia] So I think it's done.

- Originally we thought we'd be able to sell frozen crickets next to the frozen shrimp at the grocery store, and people weren't really ready for that yet.

But we did realize, and our business kind of changed that we had to do the education and we had to make the products show people how easy it is to work with crickets and see how delicious it is.

And it's just like any other protein or grain that you eat.

- [Lidia] So we made the pasta.

- [Claire] Yes.

- The cricket pasta, and now you want to come up with the sauce.

- That's right.

- To dress your cricket pasta.

Pesto.

- Pesto.

- Pesto and pasta made in heaven.

You have basil here, you have arugula here.

- I was an environmental lawyer before this, and I was always interested in doing as much as I could to improve our environment, protect the planet, save the planet, really, if I can even do that.

(gentle music) When Chase came home with a cricket cookie, it really hit me that we can eat an efficient form of protein and really do our bodies a favor and the planet a favor.

And I looked into it and sure enough, just a few years before that, the United Nations had issued a report on food insecurity and insects were at the top of the list.

I just jumped into it, built a terrarium in the basement, started growing crickets.

They hatched.

- So when we were able to grow them, I started sneaking it into the boys' food and they loved it.

When I started looking into the benefits of the crickets, it actually is an anti-inflammatory.

It heals your gut with prebiotic fiber, high protein, and more and more research that's coming out right now, we're realizing that it's the missing link to our gut health.

- [Lidia] These little guys- - [Claire] Yep.

- [Lidia] So what do you think they will add to this Pesto?

- [Claire] They have a nutty flavor.

- My reputation is at stake here, ya know?

But yours is building, good.

Let me taste this.

Hmm, very good.

I like the crunch.

Okay, put the garlic right in there.

Pistachios, toasted pistachio, salt.

Okay and now this little crickets go in there.

How much do we put in, okay?

- [Chad] Virtually all the bowl.

- [Lidia] The whole bowl you want?

- [Chad] Sure, why not?

- [Lidia] That's a lot.

Okay.

- [Chad] That's a lot.

- Let's put that on and let's get going.

Let's put some oil in there.

(gentle music) (blender purrs) - The way this all fits into feed security and stability is cricket powder has a really long shelf life.

It's a complete protein, so it has all the essential amino acids.

It has B12, it's a prebiotic fiber, has more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk.

So really, it's a super food that- - It's vitamins in a bag.

- It's vi.

(laughing) - [Lidia] Put it on.

Maybe another.

- Mmm, it smells good.

- This looks pretty good.

Do you want cheese?

- Sure.

- Okay.

- Thanks.

- What are you gonna put on top of that?

- A little bit of cheese, please.

- Yeah?

And?

- Maybe a few crickets.

- Oh, you do your cricket thing, I have it here.

- I want crickets too.

- [Lidia] You're okay?

- [Chad] Yeah.

- All right.

Let me taste first.

- Okay.

- And I will tell you my opinion.

- Okay.

- Then you can go.

(gentle music) Delicioso!

Taste it.

(gentle music) It's really good.

Pesto, you talk about, you know, basil, little garlic, parsley, and pine nuts, crickets and pine nuts.

Crickets have that kind of nuttiness when they're dry.

And they also certainly have the crunchiness so they're parallel.

We could make a great pesto with some crickets.

Call me next time you're testing.

Okay?

(gentle music continues)