Kale & Walnut Pesto

Kale, kale, kale.  I feel like all I have been hearing and reading about over the past year or two is our curly friend kale.  And then I finally decided to give in and start cooking with it – sauteing it and adding it to Vegan Mac & “Cheese”, baking up some Smoky Kale Chips, etc.

I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to jump on the Kale-train.  I love it now!  Kale may not be for everyone though – it has a pretty distinct/strong taste.  

My cousin actually reached out to me recently because she has been trying to add more of it to her diet to reap the health-benefits but she can’t quite stomach all those kale smoothies.

Fortunately for her (and for any others out there that can’t handle the taste of one of the “World’s Healthiest Foods”), this kale and walnut pesto is flavored with toasty walnuts, fresh herbs and tangy lemon.  It’s easy to whip up and it goes great on any pasta or as a sandwich spread.

Kale & Walnut Pesto    

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed Kale, de-stemmed
• ½ cup Walnuts, toasted*
• 2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast (non-vegans can use grated parmesan cheese)
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 2 TBSP fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ tsp Sea Salt
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• ¼ cup fresh Basil

Directions

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve over rice, pasta, or my personal favorite, Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi (pictured above).  This can also be used as a delicious sandwich spread.

*To toast the walnuts, preheat the oven to 400°F and bake almond slices on a pan lined with foil for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.