Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Pesto From Our Garden!




We planted some Swiss chard, carrots, and basil on the back porch this spring, and Sawyer has been in charge of watering them every day. Although I know little about gardening, the chard and basil looked to me like they needed to be pruned a bit, so we picked a bunch of the leaves, and I made pesto sauce for our dinner last night. Sawyer had been telling me that although he likes to water the chard, he was not interested in eating it. He changed his mind after trying this sauce! Victory for Mom!

Chard and Hemp Seed Pesto

1/2 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. Swiss chard leaves
1/4 c. shelled hemp seeds
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chickpea miso (or any miso if you aren't allergic to soy)
Dash of pepper

Substitution Note: If you do not have miso, you can sub 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt, to taste. Also, hemp seeds could be replaced with pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Obviously the flavor will not be the same, but that will do in a pinch.

Directions: Puree all in a food processor or blender and toss with 1/2 lb. pasta and any veggies of your choice. We did radiatore and grape tomatoes with much success. Even Abiline ate it all up!

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