Broccoli Pesto

This afternoon when I was preparing dinner, my 4-year-old saw me getting a head of broccoli from the fridge. She promptly informed me that she "won't eat that", so I smiled sweetly back and her and told her she didn't have to... at least, not knowingly.

Sometimes you have to be a little creative to get the greens into your kids, and this recipe worked a treat. I even managed to sneak in some spinach! And I managed to serve up one of my kids' favourite meals at the same time - pasta and pesto, minus the cheese, too.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli, lightly steamed
1 small handful baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roasted
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (you may need more, check the consistency as you process the mixture)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
Your choice of pasta (I used spelt spirals)
salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan-forced), and roast the cherry tomatoes on an oven tray for approximately 20 minutes, or until soft.

Steam the broccoli for 8-10 minutes, and place into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic clove, the nuts, spinach, parsley and the oil. Process until well combined, drizzling more olive oil through the top of the processor, as required. Blend to your desired consistency (tip - the smoother it is, the more likely your kids will eat it!), then toss through the drained pasta and add the remaining ingredients.