60 cal · 2 g protein · 4 g carbs · 4.5 g fat · 1.5 g fiber
A bright, rustic, oil-free pesto made from whatever herbs and leafy greens are in the crisper, bound with raw sunflower seeds.
Uses up greens before they go offWorks on pasta, grain bowls, soups, or as a dip for cruditésNo oil needed: the sunflower seeds do the bindingReady in 10 minutes flat
Prep
10 mins
Cook
0 mins
Serves
4 (1.5 tbsp per serving)
Servings
4
Ingredients
2 cups miscellaneous fresh herbs and greens (like spinach, basil, parsley, or kale)
2 stalks spring onion (green scallions), roughly chopped
1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds (or walnut pieces)
3 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method
1Pulse the Core: Place the raw sunflower seeds and chopped spring onions into a food processor. Pulse 5 or 6 times until they are finely ground.
2Pack the Greens: Stuff your miscellaneous wilting greens and herbs (spinach, basil, or parsley) into the food processor bowl.
3Drizzle the Liquids: Pour the apple cider vinegar and low-sodium vegetable broth directly over the greens.
4Blend to Rustic: Process on medium-high for 30–45 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, until it forms a thick, texturized, brilliant green paste.
5Utilize: Spoon over warm whole-grain pasta, stir into hot lentil stews, or use as a rich dip for raw vegetables. Store leftovers in a sealed glass jar for up to 5 days.
Boost the protein
·Blend 2 tbsp of hemp hearts directly into the pesto
·Stir the finished pesto into warm lentils or white beans
·Spoon over the Tempeh and Edamame Power Bowls
Storage
Keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight glass jar. The colour may deepen slightly over time but the flavour stays bright. Press cling film against the surface if you want to slow oxidation.
Variations
Add 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast for a savoury, slightly cheesy depth.
Swap sunflower seeds for walnut pieces for a richer, more traditional pesto texture.
Use it stirred directly into hot lentil soup in the last minute of cooking to instantly add freshness.
Add a small slice of preserved lemon for a more complex, salty flavour.
Nutrition note
Spring onions contain kaempferol, a flavonol distinct from quercetin, though both belong to the same broad flavonoid subclass. Kaempferol appears in the outer green layers of spring onions and in other allium and cruciferous plants. It has been studied as an inhibitor of aldose reductase, an enzyme involved in the conversion of glucose to sorbitol, a pathway that becomes problematic when elevated glucose leads to sorbitol accumulation in nerve and eye tissue. Spring onions deliver kaempferol in a whole-food matrix alongside the other bioactive compounds of the allium family.
Petra's Tip
If your greens include kale or collard leaves, strip them away from the thick woody stems first. The stems are too fibrous to blend smooth and will leave gritty bits throughout the pesto.