Collard Walnut Pesto

·
·
< 1 min read
Summary

A sneaky way to add leafy greens to your plate is by blending them into all sorts of dishes from smoothies to soups to dips. You would never know that collard greens are part of what give this pesto its pretty color. Collards are packed with calcium, folate, fiber, and vitamin K. Using this spread on top of avocado toast, in sandwiches, and as a pasta sauce is nourishing and delicious!

Yields2 ServingsPrep Time10 minsTotal Time10 mins

Collard Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

 2 cups organic collard greens (stems removed, roughly chopped)
  cup walnuts (raw)
 1 cup basil (packed)
 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
 2 garlic cloves
 ½ cup avocado (or 1 whole medium avocado)
 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly juiced)
 2 tbsp water (+ 2 Tbsp as needed)
 ¼ tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ tsp pepper (optional)
 ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1

Add collard leaves, walnuts, basil, nutritional yeast, and garlic to a food processor. Blend until smooth.

2

Add the avocado, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using.

3

Blend again until smooth. Add more water, if needed, one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.

4

Taste for additional ingredients of your choice (lemon, nutritional yeast, salt, or basil).

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
In place of fresh garlic use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.

In place of collards use organic spinach or kale.

In place of nutritional yeast, use 1 tablespoon of mellow organic yellow chickpea miso.

Nut-free
In place of walnuts use sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.

How to use the spread
Make extra to use it as a pasta sauce. You may need to add more water or vegetable broth to create a thinner consistency to use as a sauce.

Mix in with spaghetti squash and other vegetables.

Spread it on sweet potato toast.

Spread it on whole-grain bread with fresh baked garlic.

Use it as a grain bowl topping.

Use it as a vegetable dip.

Spread it on roasted vegetables.

Use it as a topping for grilled tofu or tempeh.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ingredients

 2 cups organic collard greens (stems removed, roughly chopped)
  cup walnuts (raw)
 1 cup basil (packed)
 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
 2 garlic cloves
 ½ cup avocado (or 1 whole medium avocado)
 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly juiced)
 2 tbsp water (+ 2 Tbsp as needed)
 ¼ tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ tsp pepper (optional)
 ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1

Add collard leaves, walnuts, basil, nutritional yeast, and garlic to a food processor. Blend until smooth.

2

Add the avocado, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using.

3

Blend again until smooth. Add more water, if needed, one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.

4

Taste for additional ingredients of your choice (lemon, nutritional yeast, salt, or basil).

Notes

Collard Walnut Pesto