Lean Green Pesto

My daughter likes eating pasta and I like her eating raw green things like spinach.  This is a great compromise, a fresh delicious pesto with raw spinach to mix with pasta, dollop on grilled meats or toss through cooked vegetables.   I think this works really well for children as the gentler flavour of spinach tones down the strong basil flavour, the higher liquid content of the spinach also means that less oil is needed, so this is a good bet if you are watching fat intake.

Green & Lean

Ingredients – Serves four, stirred through pasta

50g organic (why?) spinach

50g basil. Leaves and stalks, washed

50g pinenuts

50g parmesan, grated

1 fat clove of garlic

50ml avocado or extra virgin olive oil (why I love avocado oil)

Black pepper to taste

Method

start by washing the spinach.  Put the leaves in a large bowl and fill with water, leave for a few minutes, swirl around with your hand to loosen any dirt, and then drain.  

Next toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, tossing them all the time to make sure they don’t burn.  They just want to be lightly toasted and golden brown in patches. 

Put everything in a blender or food processor, and blend to your desired consistency.  I like it pretty finely done, like a coarse paste, this way it covers the pasta well.  For a more substantial meal, toss the pasta and pesto with torn roast chicken and steamed courgettes, top with a scattering of parmesan.

Lean Green Pesto Pasta