Kale-Basil Pesto Featuring Smude's Sunflower Oil

Recipe By: Kelley Dillon and Jenny Breen

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Ingredients

• ​2 cups packed torn kale leaves
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, shells removed (or pine nuts)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese(optional)

Sunflower oil has a slightly nutty flavor

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Scrape down the sides of the processor and blend again. Adjust to desired consistency by adding more oil or greens/herbs.
2. Serve immediately as a spread, salad dressing, or toss with your favorite pasta.

Cooking tip: sunflower oil is great for sautéing and frying due to its high smoke point of 450 F. 

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This recipe was inspired by our CSA which included Smude's Sunflower Oil from Pierz, MN.

The locally sourced items available through Sprout can benefit individual health and promote environmental and economic health in the community.

Sunflowers are tall, tough plants, with some varieties reaching 14 feet tall. These sun worshipers grow best in six to eight hours of direct sun per day. Smude’s farm is home to 150 acres of sunflowers every year.The brown middle of the sunflower will mature into a seed head after the petals fall off. The sunflower seeds are harvested and the oil in the seed is filtered and cold pressed.

Sunflower oil is high in unsaturated fat and full of vitamin E. Switching from saturated fat to unsaturated fat can improve heart health. Foods with fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E, & K), like leafy greens, should be eaten with fat so the vitamins are most accessible to our bodies.

Eating locally-grown food is an easy way to support sustainable agriculture and human health.