We love basil pesto in our home, but winter weather limits our ability to put it on everything. Luckily greens are very much in season!
Pestos made from greens instead of herbs have intrigued me for a while so I wasn’t going to start with something cute like arugula or watercress. I went straight for the biggest bad ass in the world of greens, kale. This is possibly the most vegan pesto to ever be pesto-d.
Kale and Pecan Pesto
Adapted from Bonappetit.com
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch kale, leaves only (no stems or ribs!)
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup raw pecans
- olive oil
- juice from half a lemon
- salt and pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the kale in the water and blanch for 1-2 minutes, until bright green. Drain and rinse the kale under cold water to stop the cooking process. Wring dry in paper towels.
2. In a food processor process the kale, garlic, nutritional yeast and pecans until the mixture is coarse. With the food processor running add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until you reach your preferred level of pesto thickness.
3. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, and store in the fridge for up to a week.
A very important thing to note! This pesto is (for lack of a sexier term) pungent. It stands to reason that if kale is very pungent – which it is – then kale pesto will be too!