Don’t mistake me for a millennial that is obsessed with Kale. I mean I like kale, but sometimes I get lazy and don’t want to put in the extra muscle of massaging and chopping it. That is why I have this easy peasy Kale pesto recipe that you can enjoy with pasta or as a dip. I was in a fridge clean out and used some leftover pesto on a white pizza and it tasted crazy good! I made it vegan but you can switch out nutritional yeast for good old parmesan and it will be just as delicious. I do want to add that the nutritional yeast adds a bit of that funkiness you get from cheese. 

 VEGAN KALE PESTO WITH PASTA 

INGREDIENTS 

FOR PESTO

• 2 1/2 c Kale leaves (packed & stems removes)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast OR grated parmesan cheese 
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small lime (juiced)
• 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

FOR  PASTA 

• 150 g of choice of pasta (i used linguini) 
• 1 zucchini shaved 
• 1/2 c frozen peas 
• 1/2 c frozen shelled edamame

METHOD

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. It should taste like salty sea water. Once boiling, add the broccolini, peas, and fiddlehead ferns. Cook for 1 min, barely. Shock them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking further.
2. In the same water, cook pasta al dente 
3. Juice the whole lime, and set aside. 
4. To make the pesto. Place the kale leaves, walnuts, garlic, lime and juice, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast/parmesan in a food processor. Blend into a paste.
5. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, scraping down the sides as you go, until you have a thick consistency. Taste for salt and acidity, adding more salt and lime juice if needed.
6. Drain the pasta and toss with the pesto while the pasta is still hot. Add in the cooked vegetables and toss again. 
7. If you have leftover pesto, store it in a glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top, the pesto should stay good for up to 1-2 weeks. 

NOTES 

• To reheat leftover pasta, heat olive oil in a pan and add sliced garlic and  saute for 2 mins. Sprinkle a pinch of chilli flakes and add the pasta and 1/4 cup of water. Cook covered for 2 mins and serve hot.