It happens often in our house that everything on the table is GREEN so I thought I would share one of our favorite recipes with you today because it is GREEN! (pesto! haha)
My kids love pesto, I think they like it more than mac and cheese (possibly a toss-up). The fun thing about pesto is that it tastes different all the time and almost everyone I know has a different recipe. This is one of my favorites and I almost always have a jar in my freezer for those nights when you just don't want to cook anything! PRESTO PESTO!
I got this recipe by typing kale and mint pesto into google and out came tons of answers, then I did what I usually do and look at who has the best photos, I came up with The Dreaming Foodie - her photos are AMAZING! and her recipe is equally GREAT! - click to follow her recipe on her blog.
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| see! aren't her photos amazing! |
Kale, Mint and Cashew Pesto
As you use this recipe you will come up with your own proportions depending on how you and your family like it.
one bunch of kale
2 small handfuls of spearmint (I like the taste of spearmint better than peppermint in cooking)
1/2 cup cashews (I think I use a bit more)
1-2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt + pepper
red pepper flakes (my kids are used to these but you may get the 'spicy' comment from your kids)
Jess (The Dreaming Foodie) blanches the kale first - I just saw this now and have never done it for this recipe but I will certainly try next time! Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. I use the water from the pasta to help it if it comes out too dry or it's not processing. You can also use some pasta water when you are mixing your pesto into your pasta - it will help it stick to your pasta better.
This pesto is delicious on lot's of things; salmon, I made a lobster pasta with it the other night that was delicious! brown rice as a side dish, anything really...
When I lived in Italy I was macrobiotic and we obviously made lots of pesto (its the kind of thing you make when you have nothing left in your pantry) - we made it without cheese and it was delicious - just used pine nuts and a touch more salt (and lots of red pepper flakes). This was the first time I've made it with Kale though, it's just as good, if not better than with Basil.
Happy St. Patty's Day!
