Deep in the summer swing, with armloads of both kale and basil, this pesto came together simply (& deliciously) and has been made several times since (the kids even made it at my Kids Cooking Camp and it was an absolute success)! With the summer days sailing by as fast as they do, I haven’t had much time to post this recipe. Here it is now and, don’t worry, the basil and kale should still be in abundance for a while yet.
So far, we’ve served this up straight with tortilla chips, alongside some lovely barbeque’d salmon, on top of lentil veggie burgers with roasted yams, and in a crusty bread sandwich with roasted peppers. We’ve decided that it will pretty much get along with anyone (just my kind of spread)!
Lemon Kale Pesto
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Category: Dips, Snacks, Main Meals
Cuisine: Vegan, Plant-Based, Nutrient-Dense
Ingredients
4 cups kale, stemmed, chopped & loosely packed
Juice 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
2 cups basil, loosely packed
3 Large cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
½ cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
Fresh black pepper
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine kale, lemon juice and salt. Massage with hands until wilted and softened. Set aside.
In a medium frying pan, toast pine nuts over medium heat until just lightly browned.
In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth or desired consistency is reached (I like mine quite smooth - 5-7 minutes scraping sides in between).
Serve with tortilla chips or crackers, along side some roasted yams or on top of baked portabellos, with veggie burgers or bbq salmon. Anyway you shake it: yum!
Try this pesto! Feed it to your kids! Tell me how it goes!