Raw Kale Pesto

more ways to eat kale.

Raw Kale Pesto

Bright, raw, perfect.

We're all obsessed with kale these days. Kale salads, kale pizzas, kale chips, kale EVERYTHING. I've been around the kale-paved block and then some. I've eaten it raw, cooked, baked and chip-ed, but now it's time for something new. Having not yet figured out a good way to pickle it (VERY open to suggestions, though) I'm turning to pesto, a go-to for preserving greens around here. Many recipes call for briefly blanching the leaves beforehand, but it's completely unnecessary. Simply remove the tough stems and process it uncooked. Raw kale makes a bright and simple pesto that is great with everything from raw chopped salad to a traditional pasta dish 

to eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon.

Not that I've ever indulged in such nonsense...

Gorgeous local kale, soon to be pesto-ed.
Can that be a verb now?

Raw Kale Pesto
(makes about 4oz)

1 bunch of kale, about 6-8 leaves, washed and center stems removed

1/4c raw pine nuts or walnuts

1 clove garlic

2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1tsp sea salt

1tsp lemon juice

1/4c nutritional yeast

pinch of black pepper

extra olive oil as needed

Coarsely chop kale and garlic clove and place into food processor or blender.

Add pine nuts or walnuts, sea salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and peppper.

Process until greens break down, about one minute. 

Drizzle in olive oil and blend until mix is well incorporated. 

For a thinner pesto, add more olive oil 1tsp at a time. 

Store in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.

Will keep refrigerated for a week or two and freezes spectacularly well.
Cover pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to extend shelf life.

Vegan Radish Greens Pesto

Leaf to root. 

Save those tops for..

Radish Greens Pesto

The finished product. 

Local english breakfast radishes (soon to be eaten)
 and their gorgeous tops (soon to be pesto). 

I don't generally buy into the asparagus mania that local foodies and gardeners get swept up in at the beginning of each growing season. I reserve my early spring vegetable excitement for the oh-so-humble radish. I adore radishes in all forms, but it is the often-overlooked peppery radish greens that have me marking off the days on the calendar, counting down to spring. I'm calling this a "leaf to root" kind of recipe; foodie frugality at its finest. Shop for radishes as you normally would at the farmers market or grocery store, but make sure the tops are attached. The quality of the leaves will reveal the radishes' overall freshness, so make sure they are bright and crisp. 

Now, there's no denying that radish greens have an abundance of delicious culinary applications (soups, stir frys, salads, dolmades and the list goes on...) but my hands-down favorite use for them is pesto. Prepared exactly as you would a traditional basil based pesto, the finished product has a lightly peppery flavor and is perfect in traditional dishes as well as more spring-y recipes such as veggie heavy pasta or grain salads. Slather some on a big slice of toasted sourdough and top off with fresh cut radishes and I absolutely guarantee that you won't be disappointed. 

Well washed radish tops, pine nuts and sea salt.

Recipe notes: 

I prefer pine nuts, but you can use walnuts in their place or a combination of the two.

The nutritional yeast is optional, but recommended as it gives the pesto a
more traditional cheese-y flavor.

Vegan Radish Greens Pesto Recipe:

2 cups of  well washed packed radish greens 

(about 2 small bunches worth)

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)

1tsp lemon juice

Place the washed radish tops, pine nuts or walnuts, garlic, salt, lemon juice and nutritional yeast in the bowl of a food processor or blender. 

Process until the greens have broken down (about a minute). 

Drizzle in the olive oil and continue to blend until mixture is well incorporated. 

Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. 

The pesto will keep refrigerated for about a week. 

Pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the surface will help it keep for a bit longer. 

Pesto also freezes spectacularly well,  so why not stock up for the winter??

This won't last long...