Pesto’s and sauces are a great way of adding more plants into your diet which means you’ll be getting a healthy dose of fibre and micronutrients. Kale is rich in folate, calcium and vitamin C and with the addition of nuts, you’ll also be getting a hit of healthy fats that help keep you feeling satisfied.
This pesto is so tasty and versatile. As well as adding it to pasta, you can mix it into salads or even spread it on top of your salmon or chicken before cooking for extra flavour!
Time: 10 minutes
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
Half a bag of kale
A handful of basil
1/2 lemon
30g pine nuts or cashews
Parmesan or nutritional yeast (around 30g)
5 tablespoons of Olive oil
1 x garlic clove
Salt, pepper
Method:
Add the kale to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes, you don’t want the kale to be too soft.
Drain and leave to cool
If using pine nuts, toast in a pan for 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted. If using cashews, soak in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain.
Once the kale has cooled, add all ingredients to a blender.
Blend until smooth. If you struggle to blend, you can add a splash of water or more olive oil.
Serve with your favourite pasta. If you’re gluten free, lentil, chickpea or buckwheat pasta all work really well.
Add the leftover pesto to a jar and add a drizzle of olive oil to the top to stop it from going brown. This will last in the fridge for 3 days.
