Kale Pecan Pesto

When I am having an exceptionally busy week, I look for something quick and healthy to throw together for dinner so I can feed my boys, help them with their homework, bathe them and get them to bed at a decent hour before I can relax and unwind. Well that’s not entirely true… I am totally guilty of  sneaking a glass of wine somewhere in there too. A quick meal tends to be all what people have time for these days after their late work nights and their kid’s extra curricular activities. Not to mention all that is left to do before you go to bed like getting lunches ready, grinding the coffee for the next morning and picking up the two hundred nerf bullets that your kiddos forgot to pick up after an epic gun war.

When I think of quick, my mind usually goes towards a pasta dish. It is so easy to throw a nutritious meal together when you have some vegetables, a protein and some pasta. Most people also choose something that their kids are less likely to complain about while sitting at the dinner table. I dont know about you, but I want to pull my hair out when I am trying to get my kids to finish a meal that they are less than excited to eat. With that in mind, I decided to develop a recipe that you could sneak veggies into without your kids noticing and is super easy to make for those weeknights you do not have a lot of time or desire to make a huge home cooked meal. The recipe this week is Kale Pecan Pesto, Click on recipe title to view recipe.

Normally I get inspired to develop a recipe by something I see at the farmers market, but this week I tried something different. I went to the farmers market knowing what I wanted for a recipe I had already developed. I purchased this Tuscan kale from Siembra Farms. They had a few varieties to choose from but I felt like the Tuscan would work best in this application because it would break down easier in the food processor.

The pesto sauce literally takes less than 5 minutes to make. You grind up the nuts and garlic first. I love garlic so I add two cloves, but for those that aren’t as big of a fan, just add one. Then throw in the kale and basil. Lastly you add the cheese and drizzle in the olive oil until it reaches a paste like consistency. That simple. What I love about this recipe is that you can make a substitution so easily. For example, if you don’t like pecans, just add which ever nut is your favorite or go traditional with the pine nut. If you aren’t a big fan of kale, add spinach, arugula, herbs or any other greens that you like. You can even make this a vegan sauce by omitting the cheese. I like the fact that this pesto was so different and had so many vitamins, fiber, protein and other nutrients by adding kale rather than just herbs. It tastes earthy from the kale and the pecans, aromatic from the basil and an added bite from the garlic. One teaspoon of this stuff packs a serious punch in flavor. This shot is of the pesto before I added the olive oil.

Here is the finished pesto. Isn’t the color amazing?!

There are so many things you can do with pesto. You can add it into a pasta dish, mix it in with vegetables, add it to a mayo based salad, top a pizza or flatbread or top a piece of chicken, fish or meat. One of my favorite ways to use pesto is by making a mint pesto to pair with lamb chops. Its always a crowd pleaser. Tonight I made homemade ravioli and stuffed it with mild Italian turkey sausage, lemon zest and homemade ricotta. To finish the dish I added diced sun-dried tomato. It was so delicious that just about everyone finished in less than 5 minutes and went for seconds. I hit a home run and best of all, I didn’t have to pull any of my hair out.