PESTO!!! The problem with making traditional pesto is that unless you are blessed to have basil in season in your own garden, it is hard and expensive to come by in amounts large enough for a decent batch of pesto. Kale is everywhere these days, but if you are like us you have a giant bag in your fridge that you planned to use in a recipe and didn’t get a chance. This recipe is found in the “Sauces, Dressings, Dips & Other Odds and Ends” Chapter of Trim Healthy Table, page 524.
Karate Chop Kale Pesto
Description
The problem with making traditional pesto is that unless you are blessed to have basil in season in your own garden, it is hard and expensive to come by in amounts large enough for a decent batch of pesto. Kale is everywhere these days, but if you are like us you have a giant bag in your fridge that you planned to use in a recipe and didn’t get a chance. This recipe is found in the "Sauces, Dressings, Dips & Other Odds and Ends" Chapter of Trim Healthy Table, page 524.
1 Large Family Serve or Multiple Single Serves (Halve If You Desire)
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place the kale in a large bowl. Adding only a few handfuls at a time to a food processor, process the kale with a little of the oil, lemon juice, or water for each batch (the little bit of liquid helps keep the processor blades going). Once all the kale is processed along with all the water, oil, and lemon juice, add the Parmesan, walnuts, salt, pepper, garlic, nutritional yeast, baobab powder (if using), cottage cheese (if using), and whey liquid (if using). Process until super smooth.
Note
Intro continued... This recipe is the perfect answer for kale that needs to be used now before it goes to waste. It is quick to make, and freezes and thaws beautifully. The handiness of kale is not the only reason we use it for this pesto. Kale is trendy these days for good reason—it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence.
This recipe doesn’t just give you a little dose of kale, it literally packs it up to your gills in such a delicious and tantalizing way that you won’t even realize the enormity of greens you are eating until you feel your health buzzing! You just might find yourself doing cool karate chop moves alone in the kitchen like a superhero with all your newfound energy.
Kale is very low in oxalates, so it is safe to eat in large amounts without worrying about overdoing. Oxalates are an acidic substance found in some foods that can cause inflammation and pain for certain people, so nothing we want to overdo. Kale has high amounts of vitamin C and, combined with Baobab Boost Powder (another super C source you can read about on page 42), this pesto is a true beauty food. Vitamin C is necessary to synthesize collagen in your body and is the key to making all your supplemental collagen get to work restoring structure to your bones, joints, organs, skin, hair, and teeth.
Slather this pesto on pizza crusts (see page 252), dip in on plan crackers such as Savory Sesame Crackers (page 504) and crudités, sauté it with Troodles (zucchini noodles) or konjac noodles (see page 43), or dip sprouted-grain or sourdough crusts into it for a healthy Crossover treat. Dig in by the spoon if you want, but do yourself a favor and just eat it for goodness sake!
NOTE: The option of adding the liquid whey (from the top of your Greek yogurt) or kefir adds a probiotic infusion that will inoculate your pesto. Leave it out on the countertop for an afternoon after making it and then refrigerate it from then on. This will not only add a boost to its health benefits, but prolong the life of your pesto and allow you to enjoy it longer.
P.S. FROM SERENE: I had a bumper crop of arugula one year and used it to make this yummy pesto. Arugula tastes amazing as a pesto green because its sharp, astringent punch is similar
in strength to basil.
