Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • FOR THE KALE PESTO
  • 4 cups tightly packed kale leaves, stems removed
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (pine nuts or walnuts would work, too)
  • generous pinch red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
  • 1 extra clove garlic
  • 8 ozs light cream cheese, taken out of fridge for at least 1/2 hour to soften it a bit
  • 1 tbsp lime juice (you could use lemon juice, too)
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • Dash white pepper
  • Pinch salt
  • Pita chips and/or veggies for serving

Instruction

  • Add the kale and garlic to a food processor, coarsely chopping to create enough room for the other ingredients.
  • Add the pumpkin seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, cheese, and olive oil, and puree until it comes to a nice smooth consistency. The pesto is ready to use in making the dip.
  • Scoop the pesto out of the food processor and put in a container as you make the rest of the dip. It is fine to leave a bit of the pesto on the sides of the food processor.
  • Place the remaining clove of garlic in the food processor, and give it a whirl to mince the garlic.
  • Add the cream cheese, lime juice and parsley to the food processor. Turn the food processor on to combine the ingredients together. It can take a couple minutes for the cream cheese to get to an even consistency.
  • Add 1 1/2 cups of the kale pesto to the food processor along with the white pepper and salt. Puree to combine all of the ingredients. Note you will have a bit of extra pesto on hand, which can be used to spread on a sandwich or top fish or chicken.
  • Scoop the kale pesto dip into a serving bowl, and serve along with pita chips and/or cut vegetables to scoop the dip. Enjoy!