As a dietitian and a mom to four young children, I know how important—and how hard—it is to get kids to eat healthy meals. My son Otto loves the color green, so I developed Otto’s Green Pesto with spinach and basil to appeal to his eyes as well as his taste buds.
Ingredients
| ⅓ c. toasted walnuts, plus more for topping |
| 1 ½ c. fresh spinach |
| 2 c. fresh basil |
| ½ c. shredded Parmesan |
| ¼ tsp. salt |
| ¼ tsp. black pepper |
| ⅛ c. lemon juice |
| ¼ c. olive oil |
Preparation
1. Place the ⅓ cup of walnuts and the spinach, basil, Parmesan, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until blended.
3. Serve over pasta or chicken, topped with walnut pieces.
4. Makes 1 ½ cups of pesto. Leftover pesto can be used as a dip for raw vegetables or a sandwich spread—for instance, on toast with fresh green tomatoes.
Makes 12 servings of 2 tablespoons each.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 80; Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 110mg; Total Carbohydrates: 1g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Sugars: 0g; Protein: 2g.
