If you’re anything like me, you probably have troubles getting enough greens into your diet. Here’s my solution: PESTO!
It’s that time of year when basil plants are in all their leafy glory which means it’s the perfect time to make pesto. Pesto is an easy and super delicious way to get healthy greens into your diet. Smear onto a piece of toast, combine with a bit of hummus, dilute for salad dressing or my personal fav…pasta!
What’s special about this pesto recipe is two things; first, is it’s plant based. There’s no need for (expensive) parmesan cheese for flavour in this one! Second, it has an incredible ingredient: dandelion greens!
In recent years, you’ve probably heard about these greens: they’re jam-packed with nutrients, great for detoxifying the body, they improve cholesterol levels and normalize blood sugar levels, and the list goes on. But how do you incorporate theses bitter wonders into your diet? Alas, pesto! Basil is so potent that it totally masks the flavour of the dandelion greens.
I’ve also substituted pine nuts (used in traditional pesto), for walnuts. Helloooo brain food! Walnuts are an excellent source of anti-inflammatory omega 3 essential fatty acids — AKA the good fats. Plus their not nearly as expensive as pine nuts!
Confession: after making the pesto, I proceeded to make some pasta salad and devoured the whole thing because it was so good!
Dandelion Greens and Basil Pesto
- 2.5 cups of fresh basil
- 1.5 cups of fresh dandelion greens
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/3 cups walnuts
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a food processor except olive oil. Pulse until evenly chopped.
Slowly add olive oil, pulse until combined but not totally smooth.
