Recipe: Kale Pesto Sauce

I know I've made a kale pesto previously for my vegetarian pesto pizza. But I really wanted to highlight this sauce on its own as it is really great for pouring over pastas.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. chopped nuts (I used pecans for this, but walnuts or almonds would also be good)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dried basil


Directions:
Drop the kale, parmesan, garlic, nuts, a splash of broth and basil in a food processor. Turn on food processor to chop all ingredients, and stream in olive oil while chopping. After streaming olive oil, turn off processor and scrap down sides. Turn on processor again and stream in remaining vegetable broth (you may need more to get the right sauce-like consistency).

Voila, your pesto sauce is ready to coat your favorite pasta.

Pesto over tortellini topped with parmesan...delicious!

Clean Eating: Asparagus Pesto Pizzettes

I'm a fan of asparagus, but I can see why other people may not like it. It has a distinct flavor and texture, and the smell can be a little off-putting. But it's a green veggie that I like to have as often as I'm able to get Cliff to eat it. So, I came up with a way to hide the asparagus: make it a pesto. I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with an asparagus pesto. But it's the first time I've used it in a recipe, and it turned out nicely. Even Cliff loved this yummy meal which incorporates all the food groups and earned a B+ nutrition grade on my calorie tracking site.

Ingredients:
2 pitas (I use the Joseph's Heart Healthy Oat Bran pitas as they are only 60 calories each)
40 grams raw almonds
111 grams raw asparagus
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Chicken Breast Shaved Grilled Strips (this helped me save time, but increased the sodium content - if you prefer to roast your chicken, go for it)
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Swanson 99% fat free all natural chicken broth
2 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Rinse asparagus and snap off woody ends. Pat dry with paper towel. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes. After removing from oven, lower heat to 350.

Meanwhile, place almonds in a small, dry skillet. Over medium heat, cook until toasted.

Place almonds, roasted asparagus, garlic and chicken broth in a food processor. Pulse grind until a pasty consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms until browned, adding salt to taste.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place pitas on baking sheet. Divide the pesto mixture between the two pitas and spread over the pitas. Top with chicken, then mushrooms, then shredded gouda. Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve as is or alongside a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 1 pizzette (345.2g)
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Calories - 407
Calories from Fat - 188
Total Fat - 20.9 g
Saturated Fat - 6.8g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 76mg
Sodium - 1730mg
Total Carbohydrates - 20g
Dietary Fiber - 9.3g
Sugar - 4.4g
Protein - 43.4g
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Vitamin A - 15%
Vitamin C - 45%
Calcium - 26%
Iron - 34%

Clean Eating: Vegetarian Pesto Pizza

Pizza has always been a comfort food. I think that's true for most people. But I wanted to find a way to make a pizza that's not only yummy, but also healthy and within my clean eating regime. I also wanted a way to use some of the fresh produce I received from my produce delivery service. I recently received some yummy tomatoes and kale, so here is my take on a pesto pizza.

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat flatbread
1 medium tomato
2 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 cup packed kale
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash of black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 360 F.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the flatbread on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes to get toasted.

Remove tough stems from kale and chop in small pieces. Place in a food processor along with garlic, shredded parmesan, walnuts, dried basil, olive oil, 1/4 tsp. sea salt and black pepper. Pulse grind to finely chop. Add vegetable broth and pulse grind into a paste. Scrape down sides of processor and pulse grind. Repeat until it is a well combined mixture.

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining 1/4 tsp. of sea salt.

On toasted flatbread, smear 1/2 of the kale pesto mixture on each slice of flatbread. Top with sliced tomatoes and then place sliced mozzarella on top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until mozzarella is completely melted. Slice into quarters and serve while hot.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 1 flatbread pizza (245.4g)
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Calories - 521
Calories from Fat - 259
Total Fat - 28.8g
Saturated Fat - 7.7g
Cholesterol - 25mg
Sodium - 1210mg
Total Carbohydrates - 46.4g
Dietary Fiber - 5.3g
Sugar - 3.2g
Protein - 23.1g
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Vitamin A - 119%
Vitamin C - 82%
Calcium - 43%
Iron - 52%