I absolutely love pesto !
Since I started making my own pesto I stopped buying the ready made stuff. Another reason i started to make pesto was to reduce the oil and calorific content. This recipe can easily be vegan but eliminating the cheese.
The contents of pesto are generally are all high in polyphenol content .
Polyphenols are found ubiquitously in plants, vegetables and many fruits.
Their main function as part of this diet is to increase the body’s baseline metabolism. Some studies also suggest that polyphenols can also help with control of diabetes and blood pressure.
All the ingredients bar the parmesan are good at giving the polyphenol dose needed.
Ingredients:
Herbs and Greens:
Basil- I love basil in almost everything . This is a classic ingredient in pesto and I have kept it in this recipe but have lessened the content to make room for the other greens and to reduce the cost.
Spinach– A rich source of iron, vitamin K, vitamin A and B2, it is a versatile green that can be eaten in any way. This adds a nice rich depth to the pesto without overpowering it.
Parsley– From the celery family, this is another polyphenol rich ingredient . Its polyphenol content go up by significantly when dried but I much prefer the flavour of fresh herbs
Nuts:
Pine nuts are the classic ingredient for pesto, but they are quite low in polyphenols and can be pricey.
I also prefer the taste of walnuts and pecans , both of which can be used for this pesto. I prefer pecans as I find they have a creamier finish than walnuts.
Cheese:
parmesan is the key ingredient in pesto but i have reduced its content down to 1 tablespoon. this will give the tang and flavour with less calorific load.
unfortunately dairy products do not have polyphenol content as not plant based but the great thing about this diet is that it is a diet of inclusion not exclusion ( more on that later!)
Alternates include gran padano or pecorino romano cheese.
For a vegan alternative , you can skip the cheese all together.
Polyphoods Pesto :
Preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time: N/A
Ingredients :
- Parsley, small bunch ( about 50g)
- Spinach, small handful ( 50 g)
- Pecans, handful ( about 40g)
- Basil, small handful ( about 30g)
- Parmesan cheese ONE table spoon, grated,
- One table spoon of olive oil ,
- Zest of a lemon
- Fresh chillies . as much as desired, I use ¼ teaspoon of flakes
- 1 table spoons of water (May need more if too thick a mixture)
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a food processor until all chopped and mixed.
Serve with your favourite pasta. I used wholewheat spaghetti, however any pasta will do well with this yummy pesto.
I also make a salad dressing with this pesto. Simply add the juice of 1 lemon and a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses and voila!
Polyphenol contents:
- Basil- 231mg/100 g
- Spinach- 248mg/100g
- Parsley- 90mg/100g
- Pecan- 1284mg/100g
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 55mg/100ml
- Total Polyphenol content for this dish: 1909mg/500g
Happy eating my friends.
Please be sure to leave comments if you try this recipe.
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Polyphoods 