Healthy, Easy Green Pesto

Greens are in abundance now. In past summers, I purchased too many greens and ultimately they went to waste.

This summer I’ve gotten in to the habit of creating large batches of pesto that I freeze right away. Here’s a healthy, easy way to enjoy your greens…

What You Need:

Any greens: Spinach, Swiss chard, Kale, Basil
1 whole organic lemon (yes, the whole lemon!)
3 – 4 garlic cloves or 1 – 2 TSP garlic powder
olive oil
1/2 – 1 cup of grated Pecorino Romano (goat) or Parmigiano-Reggiano (cow) cheese

Clean and rinse the greens in a salad spinner. Fill a food processor with your greens, turn it on and gradually add enough olive oil till the greens turn a thick paste, slice your lemon in half and drop it down the chute, then add enough garlic and cheese to taste. Delicious!

Make extra batches for friends – or freeze and enjoy during winter months!What to do with It:

Spread it on whole grain bread with kalamata olives, artichokes or sundried tomatoes and broil in the oven
Serve with whole grain pasta, garnish with pine nuts or walnuts

If you’re still buying greens this time of year from a big supermarket, shame on you. There are tons of local farmers and markets to support. Find one near you at Local Harvest.

Victoria Boutenko wrote a great book called Green for Life. This book shares how greens play a vital role in making unhealthy individuals healthy again. It’s filled with great recipes for blender drinks using greens. Borrow a copy from your local library.

Please include a comment if you have a healthy recipe for greens. I’d love to hear from you. Thank you.