Basil, Walnut and Kale Pesto (Vegan, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb brown rice spiral noodles (make sure to use GF noodles if you’re gluten free – I love the brown rice noodles available at Trader Joes and Whole Foods)
- 10-12 cloves garlic, minced fine (since we’re already going to get out the food processor to make the pesto, I recommend using it to chop the garlic to save yourself some time!)
- 2 c. fresh basil
- 2 c. fresh kale
- 3/4 c. raw, unsalted walnuts
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 c. water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 bunch (about 10-12 stalks) asparagus, woody stalks removed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
- 20-30 cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 medium tomatoes chopped into 1/2 inch chunks)
Directions:
Start a large pot of water boiling, and cook your noodles according to the package directions. When you drain the noodles, reserve a cup or two of the water to add to the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add your onion, kale, basil, about 2/3 of the minced garlic, and walnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and the greens are just starting to wilt. (If you want your onion cooked very thoroughly you may want to add it a couple minutes ahead of everything else)
Once the greens and walnut mixture is ready, remove it from the pan and add it to a blender or food processor. Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and add asparagus and the rest of the garlic. Heat the asparagus for 3-6 minutes until it is softened but still somewhat crisp.
While the asparagus cooks, add water, salt, and nutritional yeast to the food processor with the cooked greens and blend until smooth.
Once your asparagus and pasta noodles are ready, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, adding the reserved pasta water to help the pesto coat the noodles. Serve warm or cold.
