Callaloo is one of my favourite dark leafy greens! Incorporating it into a pesto sauce creates a more substantial and earthy flavour to pesto itself. Using less olive oil and more water, this creates a lighter and slightly healthier version of traditional pesto!
Ingredients:
Pesto:
Can Of Callaloo 280g
30g Fresh Basil Leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
50g basil
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon white miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt & black pepper to taste
Packet of Vegan Chicken (I used Naked Glory's Chargrilled Chicken)
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil for frying
4-6 Sun-dried tomatoes for garnish
200g Pasta of Choice
Recipe:
Drain & Rinse can of Callaloo, then using kitchen towel/nut milk bag or muslin cloth drain all of the access water.
Toast Pine Nuts in a cold pan, bring up to a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes till toasted. Set Aside.
Blend the Garlic, Oil, Water, in food processor or Blender till smooth. Now add the Miso, Nutritional Yeast, Balsamic Vinegar And blend. Finally Add the Basil & Callaloo blending and seasoning with salt and pepper, I start with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and then alter from there. Feel free to add more olive or water if you want it to be slightly runnier too.
Boil pasta till al dente or a 2 -3 minutes less than the packet instructions.
As the pasta is boiling in a frying pan heat a glug of olive oil and fry your vegan protein of choice till golden brown. Seasoning with salt and pepper.
Add the frozen peas when the pasta is cooked to at the perfect al dente, then allow the peas to defrost for 1 minute or so. Drain the pasta reserving some of the pasta liquid.
Return pasta to the pot and add some of the pesto, as much as you like (I added around 100g) then loosen a little with the pasta water.
Add the pesto pasta to a bowl and then add the vegan chicken on top. Garnish with sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.
Store Pesto in clean jars in fridge, eat within 1-2 weeks