Healthy Arugula & Spinach Pesto

Calling all Pesto sauce lovers!!! I have a recipe that you will not only love but it’s actually healthy too.

Do you love Pesto but hate all the calories associated with it? Traditional pesto is loaded with oil which is just empty calories. Did you know that each tablespoon you use will add on 120 calories to your meal? I don’t know about you but I’m not interested in adding on all these extra unneccessary calories. I also don’t know any person that just adds one tablespoon of oil to their food when they cook. Think about how much oil is called for in traditional pesto recipes. Add up all those extra calories. It’s actually pretty horrifying. If those extra calories came from wholesome unrefined foods then I wouldn’t worry about it. Oil of any kind has been refined and adds no benefits to our health contrary to popular belief however.

If you want to read more about the hazards of including oil in your diet I recommend you check out Dr. Mcdougall’s website and pick up some of his amazing books. The Starch Solution will open your eyes to a weath of information and practical tips.

My recipe for pesto is oil free, nut free and dairy free. I eliminated a ton of calories and I only use real whole foods. I believe that the food we eat should be full of nutrients and vitamins. This is the food of vitality and wellness. This is the food I want to fuel my body with and I hope you do too.

So what if pasta isn’t your thing? Yes some people just aren’t big pasta fans. It’s true but hard to believe I know! Don’t fret because you can also use this fresh oil free pesto sauce on baked or boiled potatoes which is amazing. It will take your plain potatoes to a whole new level trust me! It’s also a great alternative to adding unhealthy butter or sour cream to your potatoes. I also like to top my rice with a little of this pesto sauce too. It gives your rice a bit of extra flavour and colour which is really nice.

Here is my healthy and super easy to make recipe for Pesto. This recipe is made using Arugula and Spinach which is probably very easy to find for everyone. I do like to use Fresh Basil when I have it but it doesn’t have to be the staple ingredient in pesto. I love how you can play around with different healthy greens to create new and wonderful pesto recipes. You can never get sick of pesto sauce when you try new greens and create new ways of making this fabulous sauce.

Healthy Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Arugula & Spinach Mix
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower seeds
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 cup chopped Tomatoes
• 1-2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
• 5 cups pasta of choice. I used Quinoa Pasta.

Method:

1. Boil large pot of water and add in the pasta. Cook according to directions on pasta packaging.

2. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Combine well.

3. In a large bowl add the pasta and mix in the pesto sauce.

* Serves 4 people *

Enjoy!