Delicious Fresh Lemon Pesto

One way to squeeze lots of nutrients into one little jar are pestos! And we love pesto! You can use it with pasta, bread, grains, all the wonderful seasonal vegetables you can find at the moment or even on salads, etc. Pesto is full of nutrients containing high amounts of omega-3 and antioxidants.

• Parsley contains lots vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, and calcium - supporting immunity and regulating inflammation.

• The almonds in this recipe will provide you with fiber, protein and are densely packed with vitamin E. If you use almonds with their skin you are also set with a whole lot of antioxidants, protecting cells from oxidative damage.

• Lemon is a great source of vitamin C and fiber. Lemons contain many plant compounds, minerals, and essential oils. Eating lemons may lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and kidney stones.

So here we go!

Ingredients:

• 2 small bunches of flat lear parsley leaves

• 2 cloves of garlic

• generous pinch of salt

• zest of 1 medium lemon

• ⅓ cup raw almonds (36g)

• Juice of half a lemon

• 3 Tbsp grated Pecorino cheese

• ⅓ cup extra virgin Olive Oil

• freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Place all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and pulse several times.

2. Turn the food processor on again and slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

3. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
   

Toss with pasta for a quick sauce, dollop over baked potatoes, or spread onto crackers or toasted slices of bread.

Calmina & Co. Tips:

• Roast the almonds beforehand to tickle all the deliciousness out of them. Couple of minutes in a pan or oven at 200, but keep an eye on them, they can turn burnt quite quickly.

• When serving pasta al pesto scoop some pasta water in a cup before draining to dilute the pesto.