WHY WE LOVE IT:

It’s gut friendly. Leafy greens? Check. Nuts, lemon and garlic? Check, check and check... There are so many microbiome loving ingredients that get a guernsey in this mix.

It’s versatile. There are lots of ways to elevate meals with pesto. Try it as a dip, spread or pasta sauce!

The flavour is banging! If you like a traditional pesto - that’s exactly how this tastes. Not one tiny hint is given of the gut loving greens powder that lurks within.

TO MAKE IT YOU’LL NEED:

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves

Large handful of baby spinach

3 cloves of garlic, minced

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

¾ cup of nuts**

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup olive oil [more or less]

3 - 4 heaped teaspoons of PONO gorgeous greens powder

**traditionally a pesto calls for pine nuts, however adding in more variety is great for the microbiome! You can boost plant diversity by using any combination of walnuts, hemp seeds, pistachios and macadamias.

METHOD:

Start with some pulses. Add the spinach, basil and nuts to your blender and pulse several times until chopped. Next add the parmesan, garlic and lemon juice, then pulse a little more to incorporate.

Time to drizzle. With the blender on low, drizzle your olive oil in until the mix reaches your desired pesto consistency. Less oil makes a thicker mix, more oil is thinner.

Spike it. Finally, add your greens powder and blend gently on the lowest until incorporated fully. Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. Yum!

Recipe by: Jen Cox - AdvDip NAT + WHM. @keeperandkin