Nourish
FOUR WAYS
with spring greens
There are so many ways to incorporate nutrient-packed leafy greens into your diet – smoothies, spreads, fritters, sauces, and more. These greens are versatile and easily substituted for each other in recipes. If you’re growing your own, but don’t have enough for a recipe, add store-bought greens to make up the amount. FRESH HERBY PESTO MAKES 11 SERVINGS OF 25g
Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts, but sunflower seeds taste just as good and cost a quarter of the price. They also make it suitable for those with nut allergies. Cheese is another usual ingredient but isn’t necessary when it comes to taste. The fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil are the heroes in this recipe. If you’re running short of basil, supplement the mix with other leafy greens – like rocket, parsley, baby kale, spinach, New Zealand spinach, or even ‘weeds’ such as chickweed and pūhā from your garden.
2 cups fresh basil leaves ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds ½ cup olive oil 1–5 garlic cloves 1 tbsp lemon juice ¼ tsp salt Roughly chop your garlic. If you adore garlic, then put in a few cloves. If you aren’t so much of a fan, then just one clove will do. Slicing it then frying/roasting it first will also calm the flavour down. Process all the ingredients in a food processor or in a large jar if you have a stick blender. Spoon your pesto into a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. If you can’t use it all in a week, spoon it into ice cube trays, freeze, then transfer the cubes into an airtight container to store in the freezer for up to six months.
TIPS
• Smoked garlic salt has a lower proportion of salt as it also contains spices and dried herbs. It also naturally adds some more flavour. • To toast raw sunflowers seeds, give them 10 minutes in a frying pan on a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once they start turning a light brown and you can smell the delicious nuttiness, they’re ready. SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This pesto melts beautifully over freshly cooked pasta. A spoonful lifts a jacket potato and makes boiled new potatoes even more delectable. It also works well as a spread on wholemeal toast. Just add sliced tomatoes for the perfect breakfast or lunch.
NUTRITION PER SERVE: ENERGY 553kJ (132kcal) | PROTEIN 1.7g | FAT 13.6g (SAT FAT 1.9g) | CARBOHYDRATE 0.5g (SUGARS 0.2g) | SODIUM 70mg
30
DIABETES WELLNESS | Spring 2022
