Kale & Cashew Pesto
Who knew Kale could be so delicious as a pesto? Or am I the last person to find out?!
After a relaxing Saturday morning I was craving my Warmed Pesto Baked Mushrooms for lunch. However, an absence of fresh basil at the vegetable store and option two being 100g of good quality basil pesto for around $6 meant things were not looking good and my mushrooms were slowly flying out the window! But an epiphany in the vegetable store had me remembering a Kale Pesto recipe I had seen in my Sarah Wilson cookbook. Knowing I had fresh kale in the garden I raced home to whip up this little ramekin of edible green goodness!
Kale is literally bursting with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which help to keep us healthy and happy. Not to mention being important in the prevention of certain diseases. I promise this is the easiest, tastiest and most economical pesto. It cost me absolutely nothing except what few supplies I needed from my pantry and garden. I'm also feeling quite smug that I managed to save $6 and made something more delicious than store-bought pesto (massive fist pump). This recipe is one of the many reasons to start planting Kale in your garden!
This would be perfect stuffed in mushrooms, added to a nibbles platter or simply enjoyed on fresh bread. Or better yet, imagine soft poached eggs sitting atop of this deliciousness. Brunch for the weekend me thinks!
Kale & Cashew Pesto - recipe adapted from Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar cookbook
Makes approximately 1 cup
1 medium bunch of kale, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Iodised coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Stem the kale for 2-3 minutes.
Place the kale and the remaining ingredients into a Nutribullet or high-powered blender and process until the pesto is creamy and bright green.
Store the pesto in a sealed container in the fridge.
It will store in the fridge for around one week, or alternatively, you can cover it with a layer of oil and freeze.
Enjoy!
Gluten-free, Dairy-free
