Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you might have realized that kale has had quite the renaissance lately. From smoothies to salads, this power food has gone from garnish to house staple – and for good reason.
Kale is robust to withstand various methods of cooking while still maintaining its structure but mild enough in flavor that it goes well with most things. It’s also packed full of good nutrients and fiber, so it’s no wonder how kale has gotten so popular. Not a fan of the fibrous texture? This kale pesto recipe might be perfect for you.
If you are enjoying this recipe series, you can check out the previous CSA recipe here:
Roasted Beet Flatbread Pizza
Psst, some of our Johnson Fitness & Wellness stores are actually CSA pickup locations! We’ve got free totes to carry all of your goodies in. The CSA program that we use is organized by Westridge Organic Produce. To find out more about our local Madison, WI CSA program, you can go here!
Kale Pesto:
INGREDIENTS:
- Bunch of Kale
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts
- 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 2 Tbs Lemon Juice
- Handful of Basil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Roast walnuts at 350 degrees for 10-15 min.
DIRECTIONS:
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well-combined and to your desired texture. Taste and add more of any ingredient until it’s how you like it.
- Enjoy as a dip for crackers or on bruschetta or pizza.
Grilled Chickpea Pizza:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 Batch of Kale Pesto
- 1/2 Can of Chickpeas
- Frank’s Hot Sauce
- Olive Oil
- 3 Scapes
- Cheese of Choice (I used Vegan Cashew Cheese)
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Trader Joe’s Sprouted Grain Pizza Crust (or pizza dough of your choice)
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat a charcoal grill to 400 degrees.
- Rinse and drain chickpeas. Lightly sauté in a pan over medium heat with a little olive oil and a few shakes of Frank’s Hot Sauce until chickpeas start to turn golden, about 10 minutes.
- Remove chickpeas. In the same pan, sauté finely chopped scapes in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Spread a thin layer of kale pesto on pizza crust. Spread or sprinkle desired cheese over pesto.
- Top with cooked chickpeas, scapes and thin carrot slices. Add a few more shakes of Frank’s Hot Sauce.
- Carefully transfer pizza to grill and bake for about 15 minutes. Slice and serve!