Supergreen Pesto

Presto, pesto!

Pesto is incredibly versatile. Tonight, I made a lazy dinner out of steamed new potatoes, canned chickpeas, and chopped-up sundried tomatoes, all tossed in a bowl with a few tablespoons of this pesto. It would have been even better with some cubes of smoked tempeh, but sometimes you just have to make do with what's in the fridge. Which is why I will likely be eating scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow, mixing some pesto into the eggs before adding them to the pan (call it, Green Eggs and WHAM!). Of course, most people think pesto tastes just fantastic with pasta (hot or cold). But they've likely never tried it smeared on a wholewheat tortilla wrapped around plain tofu and slices of fresh tomato (aka, the Eliot Lake Special). Eating pesto by the spoonful is also not discouraged...

Variations: 

• Replace some or all of the spinach with arugula (or try tender kale leaves).
• Add some fresh basil leaves for a more traditional flavour.
• Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas!) for a less saucy texture.
• Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) toasted pinenuts for a gourmet (read, expensive) treat.
• Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups (1 L) spinach leaves (pack tightly into a measuring cup)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
salt to taste (I used 1/4 tsp [2 mL])

1. Throw everything except the salt into the bowl of a food processor and whirl until you achieve the desired consistency, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary.

2. Taste pesto, then add however much salt you like.

Makes about 1 cup (250 mL). Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze small portions in ice cube trays.

Per 2 Tbsp (30 mL) serving: 65 calories, 6.8 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 12 mg sodium (before adding salt), 1 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g fibre, 0.5 g protein

© 2011, Holland Gidney