Kale pesto with macadamia tastes just like delicious basil pesto with the added healthy boost of kale. Perfect for pasta, sandwiches, crackers, and bread and freezes well.

Kale pesto with macadamia

A way to win me over is to give me homemade gifts.

Now I’m not talking paddlepop/glue creations, I mean the edible kind. I already knew Shannon aka the Naturopath and I were meant to be friends, but when she brought me a jar of her homemade kale and basil pesto I knew she was my kind of girl.

Ever since then I’ve been meaning to ask her for the recipe but fearing the answer would be similar to my mums ‘oh I just made it up’ response because Shannon is that type of cook.

When I saw bunches of fresh kale and basil sitting next to each other at the Noosa Farmer’s markets I took it as a sign and snavelled them up then got creative.

Instead of the usual cashews I went with macadamias to make it extra creamy (ok that and there were no cashews in mum’s cupboard at the coast).

This recipe is just as delicious as any pesto I’ve ever had but with an added goodness boost of kale. I’ve stirred it through pasta, used it on sandwiches, spread it on crackers, added it to bread recipes.

I even smothered a chicken breast in it and baked it in the oven for pesto chicken. It’s seriously versatile and even the kids love it which means I can sneak a vege into them.

What if I don’t have fresh basil?

I actually rarely use fresh basil in my pesto anymore since I started using essential oils. It’s very important to make sure you’re using 100% pure, food-grade oils so you can use them in cooking.

Remember a little goes a very long way so the best way to use essential oils in cooking is to start by dipping a toothpick in the oil then into the thing you want to flavour and tasting it then repeating

I haven’t done it yet but it would also be delicious stirred through hommus to make hommus pesto. Ok now I have to make another batch. Enjoy!

What about you? What’s your favourite way to use pesto?

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Basil and kale pesto

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 40g (1/4 cup) roasted macadamia nuts
• 3 garlic cloves
• 25g (2 tbsp) parmesan, grated
• 2 cups kale leaves
• 1-2 cups basil leaves (to taste)
• ½ cup olive oil
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place the macadamia nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until very fine then remove and set aside.
2. Add the garlic to the food processor and process until minced then set aside.
3. Place the kale, basil and olive oil in the food processor and chop until fine.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients back into the food processor and blitz to combine.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed - if it’s a bit bitter, add more basil - mine just needed a tiny bit of salt to perfect it.
6. Store in a jar in the fridge.