Super Green Pesto

Ingredients

50g watercress

50g baby leaf spinach

2 handfuls of any of the following:

• dandelion leaves
• parsley leaves (curley or flat leaf)
• basil leaves
• rocket leaves
• coriander leaves

1 tbsp of pine nuts

1 tbsp of either virgin olive oil, hemp oil, or flax oil

½ lemon juice

Method

1. Whiz all ingredients together in a blender or food process until a smooth     consistency.

2. Enjoy on toast, bread, or oatcakes use instead of butter and try it with tuna on top.  Try it as a dip with cut up vegetable slices, or add to pasta or grilled fish.  It can be made into a delicious salad dressing if more oil and lemon juice is added to thin the consistency.

3. Experiment with the flavour by adding either, a clove of garlic, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, or even walnuts instead of pine nuts.

Storage

Keep in a container with a lid for up to a week in the fridge.  Keep in a jar and add more oil if storing as a dressing in the fridge.

Nutritional information:

• Watercress contains vitamin B6, C, and manganese
• Spinach contains up to 13 different flavonoid compounds which act as antioxidants helping the body fight disease.  It also contains vitamin K, A, manganese and folate.
• Basil contains volatile oils that are anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.
• Dandelion leaves act as a natural diuretic which helps with water retention.  Also great for bones and teeth as contains calcium, magnesium and vitamin K.
• Parsley contains 3 times as much vitamin C as oranges and 2 times as much iron as spinach.   The volatile oils and flavonoids help in fighting against many diseases.  A super herb to add to any dish.
• Rocket contains vitamin C and dietary fibre.  Vitamin C helps protect the body from infection and important for healthy teeth and gums.
• Coriander helps control blood sugar, cholesterol and free radical production due to its phytonutrient content.
• Pine nuts are a good source of fibre, they contain monounsaturated fats which help protect the heart and also contain pinoleic acid which stimulates hormones and helps suppress appetite.