Pepitas Pesto: Good for your heart and your gut

Although I love a traditional pine nut pesto, this is an alternative that is higher in fiber, lower in saturated fat and also filled with omega-3-fatty acids which reduce your risk of heart disease. And the good news is, because it is lower in saturated fat, you don’t need to worry about how much you use in your pasta.

Use 2 tablespoons in your salad instead of a salad dressing or alternatively, use it as a sauce for your favorite pasta.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of pumpkin seeds lightly toasted

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of crushed garlic

A bunch of fresh basil leaves- about a cup full

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

1/3 cup of nutritional yeast (or cheese if you eat dairy)

Blend it all together using a hand blender or Nutribullet

Don’t worry if there are some chunky bits of pumpkin seeds left as these add good texture.

A top tip to preserve the healthy qualities of extra virgin olive oil is not to heat it- so try and add the pesto at the end of your cooking.

Sources:

1.       https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170591/nutrients

2.       https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170188/nutrients