Good Food: Kale, Pepita + Lime Pesto

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Up until about two years ago, I’d never even heard of kale, let alone knowingly tried it. Before it become the famous super-food on trend that it is these days, I didn’t even know it existed. When I moved back from Indonesia, all the hipsters and the blogs I read were going on and on about kale. Kale this… Kale that… it’s awesome for you. It’s delicious. It’s a SUPER food. I had no idea what any of them were talking about.

NO IDEA.

Then last year I started experimenting a lot with kale when I found it at my local farmers market in autumn and through winter. It turned out it was a pretty killer addition to my smoothie breakfast, it was great in my fried rice or cooked into a hearty mac and cheese, it was delicious baked as chips… But that’s about where it stopped for me. I wasn’t a big fan of it raw, so it never became a real staple in our fridge (instead was just kept in the freezer for smoothies). But then I discovered a way I LOVE it. Kale Pesto. Who would have known it would be so great? But it is. Bo and I have eaten tonnes of it in the past few weeks as Kale has been showing up a lot in our organic veggie box… ’tis the season, after all. Kale season. This pesto is amazingly versatile, and keeps really well in the fridge for up to a week… and it’s so easy to make, it literally takes less than five minutes. Now there is no excuse not to love kale.

Get it in ya.

KALE, PEPITA + LIME PESTO

Ingredients:

2 cups of Kale (leaves trimmed from hard stems)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or Nutritional Yeast is a really great sub if you are dairy-free – I love the dairy free version just as much)
1/2 cup pepita seeds (sunflower seeds, pine nuts and cashews are awesome too)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Lime (Juice and a bit of the pulp too for extra tang)
salt + pepper to taste

Method:

Your going to need a good high powered blender or food processor for this one (you can do it by hand in the mortar and pestle, but it’ll give you a serious work out). Add the kale, pepitas and garlic to the food processor and pulse until it’s a nice fine grit. Add cheese, lime juice and a pinch of both salt and pepper and pulse again until combined. Continue to blend while you slowly add a steady stream of olive oil until you get the lovely smooth consistency you want. If you find that it’s still too thick after you’ve added all the oil, you can add more or you can use a 1/4 a cup of water instead to create a thinner pesto.

Serve on pasta, as a spread on bread, as a pizza base, as a dressing for potatoes or roast veggies… it’s pretty delicious just as a dip with crackers or sliced veggies too. Eat it all ways.

Serious ups from the kids on this one too.

Kale Pesto. Super food. Super simple. Super delicious.

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