The twist on this classic pesto recipe is substitution of spinach or arugula for the customary basil.

Miso, a salty paste of fermented soybeans (available in health foods stores and in health section of regular markets), makes a good non-dairy stand-in for Parmesan cheese. It is a good source of many minerals, including zinc, manganese, iron, and copper, as well as vitamins B6 and B12, and protein and dietary fiber. It has the same cancer fighting effects as other soy foods.

Ingredients:
10 – 12 ounces spinach or arugula
1 ½ cups firmly packed parsley leaves
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice to taste
2 tablespoons white miso, more or less to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Steam the greens until just wilted. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible.
  2. Combine greens with the remaining ingredients in the food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Use at once or refrigerate in an airtight container, where it will keep up to 2 – 3 days.
  3. I like to use this pesto on the Green Pizza recipe. I cook everything first then add the pesto when the pizza is out of the oven, so the cooking process doesn’t destroy the good bacteria in the miso that is so important for the health of our GI tract (our gut!).