Vegan Kale and Walnut Pesto

#glutenfree #vegetarian #vegan

Pesto may just be one of my all-time favourite condiments, but store-bought varieties are often loaded with preservatives (lemon juice naturally does the trick just fine thank you very much!). With parmesan cheese as a key ingredient, they’re not ideal for vegans or those with dairy sensitivities either.  My version is sans the cheese (but not the flavour) and ups the nutritional ante with the addition of superfood kale and nutritional yeast (sometimes called yeast flakes). Hey presto, delissimo!

Ingredients:

2 cups kale leaves, ribs removed, coarsely chopped

2 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 large fresh garlic clove, smashed and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

¼ cup of nutritional yeast

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender (I use a Vitamix)
2. Process until the desired texture is achieved (I quite like it to still have chunks of the walnuts in place)
3. You can add more olive oil to create a runnier texture…perfect for drizzling over pasta, salads or pizzas!
4. If you don’t have access to kale, no problemo, spinach will work just fine too.

Nutrition Bite: Kale – This dark, leafy green is rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes including vitamins K, A, C, and E, as well as magnesium, fiber and calcium. Kale contains high amounts of beta-carotene, iron and folate. It’s also packed with fibre, which improves digestive health and helps you feel full. A cup of cooked kale provides more than half the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C!