Pesto My Heart!

Basil takes me back to one of my most favorite memories growing up in New Jersey.  I would watch my mom tend to her garden in the backyard during the summers and it seemed like there was always an endless supply of it.  I was inspired by this fond memory and decided to buy a basil plant of my own so that I too could have an abundance of this fragrant friend at my fingertips.  The first thing on my basil agenda? To make a pesto sauce with an extra kick by adding kale and spinach to boost up the nutrition!  Use it to marinate your favorite meats, toss in pasta, as a dip, salad dressing, the list goes on!  The recipe is vegan friendly and I hope you enjoy!  

Ingredients:

2 cups of basil

1 cup of baby kale

1 cup of spinach

4 cloves of garlic

3/4 cups of avocado oil (substitute with olive oil)

1/4 cup pine nuts 

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the basil, spinach, baby kale, garlic, pine nuts into a food processor and process for about 20 seconds (you may need to chop up by starting and stopping to help break the mixture down.  With the processor running, slowly drizzle the oil until pureed.  Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.   

Notes: 

Air is the enemy of pesto so use it right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator with plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out..  For later use, pack it into a container with a thin film of oil on top.