A Lighter Kale Pesto Magic for your salad or grains pasta

Pesto is great stuff
Hot or Cold
I love a good dollop of Pesto on a green salad mixed up with some yummy grain like Brown rice or Quinoa
YUM YUM!
But Most Pesto is pretty high on the fat profile
NOW
We all know that fat is not our enemy
Good fat that is
Fat is actually essential to our physical and emotional health

Despite what you may have been told, fat isn’t always the bad guy in the waistline wars. Bad fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats, are guilty of the unhealthy things all fats have been blamed for—weight gain, clogged arteries, and so forth. But good fats such as the monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3s have the opposite effect. In fact, healthy fats play a huge role in helping you manage your moods, stay on top of your mental game, fight fatigue, and even control your weight.

ALL GOOD STUFF RIGHT!

But I think it is also important to keep in mind fat as well as other food should be portion sized 
We should aim to keep total fat intake between 25-35% of calories 
Eating a big jar of almonds for a snack is just not going to be help you...too much of a good thing 
heartbreaker I know
The only thing you have to do is controle your portion.  Which is actually super easy
Just measure our 1/4 cup and for almonds you will get:  
163 calories, 14.0 g fat, 6.1 g carbohydrates, 6.0 g protein, 3.5 g fiber, 5 Points (if you are a WW)
OKAY I know that looks like a lot of fat but remember remember remember fat is NOT your enemy 

Portion is the Key :)

So enter this Pesto recipe

 It is a lighter version of most of the recipes I have come across

It has a zip from the lemon juice, salty yum from the miso, and creaminess from the yam, oh yeah and of course the lovely deep green colour from the Nutritious glorious Kale

You will love this stuff 

LIGHTER KALE PESTO

you will need:

3 cups of coarsely torn or chopped kale
1 heaping tablespoon Hemp Hearts
1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice 
1 teaspoon of miso
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoon of peeled cooked sweet potato

Tear the kale off the stems and tear leaves into pieces.  Heat a small amount of water, about 3 tablespoons, in a non-stick skillet. When the water is bubbling, stir in the kale pieces and sauté  stirring until just wilted. Add the cooked kale and the rest of the ingredients and process until blended.  If needed, add an extra tbs of water or two, a little at a time, (or a bit more lemon juice) to make a smooth paste.  To serve, place a handful of baby greens in a bowl. Top with warm quinoa or rice.  Add some pesto and mix it all together, wilting the baby greens as you go. Dig in. YUM

Enjoy

xoxo Ashie Girl