Easy Dairy-free Spinach Pesto Recipe

• Leafy greens are a rich source of folate, which is needed for production of serotonin. Serotonin is often nick-named the feel-good hormone.
• Contains vitamin C which we need in adequate levels to be energised and healthy. In times of stress our body will deplete Vitamin C (and let's face it modern life is a full of constant stressors) so we need to keep up our intake. Vitamin C will also help with absorption of iron from your meals.
• Dark leafy greens such as spinach are also a rich source of magnesium, an important calming mineral for the nervous system. Magnesium deficiency symptoms may include anxiety, depression, headaches, muscle cramps, high blood pressure.

When you get a couple of bunches of fresh spinach it can almost seem overwhelming...how are we going to eat all that??

What I love about spinach pesto is that it is a very quick and easy way to use up a bunch of spinach and then you have on hand easy feel-good greens to add to meals and snacks.

If you follow EMU Wellness on Instagram and Facebook, you might have seen me add this pesto to my eggs for breakfast, in a salad and even as a pizza sauce on a Primal Alternative grain-free pizza base.

Or here is a recipe for an easy Pumpkin Spinach and Feta Frittata

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free

Easy Spinach Pesto Ingredients:

• 1 whole bunch of spinach
• 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
• 1/2 cup (100g) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups (220g) of nuts e.g. macadamias, walnuts, cashews (we like using half macadamias, half walnuts)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (we like using this seaweed salt for added natural iodine)
• Freshly cracked pepper 

Easy Spinach Pesto Method: 

Step 1: Pull all the green spinach off the white stems and roughly chop (will end up with approx 250g of greens). Put them into a colander over a large bowl.

Step 2: Pour boiling water over the spinach and let sit for one minute to blanch it. Then drain off the water.

This step helps reduce the oxalic acid found in foods such spinach and kale which impair the absorption of non-heme iron. Read more about sources of dietary iron and factors that inhibit it here. 

Step 3: Add the blanched spinach, lemon juice and olive oil into a high powder blender or Thermomix. Blitz on high until smooth.

Step 4: Add in nuts, salt and pepper. Pulse until desired consistency. (Chunkier for a dip style, or smoother for a pesto sauce)

Can't have nuts? Try these Inca Inchi seeds

Store spinach pesto in glass container in the fridge. Best used within a week. Suitable to freeze.