Packed with flavor, full of nutrition, and super simple to make; this basil and kale pesto will save your taste buds from boring flavorless food forever! You can put it on almost anything – chicken, fish (GREAT on salmon), and even your veggies – spread some on cucumber slices ;) … Anyway, I used a small food processor to make it. I have the nutribullet and I’ve tried to use that before but it doesn’t quite mix it well enough. I suggest purchasing a food processor.
You will need:
- 3 big handfuls (I used baby kale)
- 1 handful of fresh basil
- ½ cup lightly toasted walnuts
- ¼ cup pine nuts *Pine nuts can be pretty pricey so if you expense is an issue, just use all walnuts!
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Juice from ½ lemon
- ~1/3 cup olive oil – More/less depending on the consistency you like
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- *You can add ¼- ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese if you’d like … But to keep the recipe dairy-free, skip the cheese. Trust me, it’s just as good without!
Directions
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot (large enough to fit your kale). Once water is boiled, submerge the kale into the water, allowing it to lightly cook. After a minute or so, place the kale in a strainer and run cool water over it to stop the cooking process. When kale is cool, squeeze out the excess water.
Lightly toast your walnuts. Spray a small frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and place the walnuts on the pan over medium-high heat. Continue moving the nuts around to prevent burning. Toast about 3-5 minutes.
Place your nuts and garlic into the food processor and chop. Add basil, kale, and lemon juice. *If your food processor is small, like mine, add the kale and basil a little at a time.
Season with salt and pepper then grind.
Place a tablespoon or so of olive oil and process. Continue adding a little bit of olive oil at a time until the pesto is a nice consistency.
Taste and adjust as needed!
Health & Happiness
Jenna
fitbyjenna.wordpress.com 