Kale Pesto
It's officially moving week, which means life is a little (okay, a lot) crazy around here. We have officially gone from the "we don't have THAT much stuff to pack up" phase to "holy crap we have a lot of stuff to pack up" phase. It's like we were in denial at first and now we are accepting it and panicking.
Okay, so I might be exaggerating. We aren't REALLY panicking or freaking out, but it's no joke that life is pretty crazy at the moment because of moving and a HUGE project I'm working on. That said, I haven't been able to crank out blog recipes like I usually do. Every free second is spent packing, working, and keeping Lars and Soren alive.
So my question is - what do we eat when we're moving in three days? 90% of my kitchen is packed up. Grocery shopping seems a little silly at this point. And our freezer is basically empty aside from three cartons of ice cream and a bunch of frozen breast milk. The pickin's are slim.
Luckily I felt that I had to make at least one more recipe in this kitchen before shutting it down. This Kale Pesto did not disappoint. Lucky because we can eat it for leftovers and also because this means I had something to blog about this week! Double win.
What the heck is kale pesto, you might be asking? Basically, it's just pesto but made with kale instead. I've seen quite a few variations of kale pesto. Some with only kale and no herbs. Some with pine nuts and some with no nuts. And some with cheese and others without. In my version, I combined fresh and raw tuscan kale, toasted walnuts, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, and GO VEGGIE Vegan Parmesan Grated Topping.
Since I used GO VEGGIE Parmesan Topping, this pesto is vegan and has double the calcium than if I had used regular Parmesan. I love using GO VEGGIE as a healthier every day option!
The result was super flavorful, incredibly easy, and will be great for stretching out your basil garden this summer! Since traditional pesto is usually made with just basil, you need a LOT of basil. If you have a very pale green thumb like myself, you might appreciate that this recipe only calls for ½ of a cup of basil.
I tossed this kale pesto with some whole wheat fettuccine, but you can really use it like you would with any pesto. You can use it on grilled chicken or fish, on a sandwich, or even on pizza!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped Tuscan kale
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup GO VEGGIE Vegan Parmesan Grated Topping
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 ounces whole wheat fettuccine or your favorite kind of pasta
Instructions
- Place kale, basil, walnuts, garlic, salt, and GO VEGGIE Parmesan Grated Topping in a small food processor and pulse until almost pureed.
- Add olive oil and blend to combine.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Toss kale pesto with cooked pasta.
- Serve and enjoy!
This post is sponsored by GO VEGGIE Foods, but all opinions and recipe are my own!
How can this be “soy free” if the Go Veggie Parm you’re using is based on a “soy protein concentrate”?