Spinach Pizza Pesto Pasta

I am finally having some success growing herbs at home. We live in a ranch style home and we do not have any good south facing windows. So all of my previous attempts to grow my own kitchen herb garden ended with sad dying plants. I finally invested in a grow light and this latest batch of herbs are doing very well. I am so excited to have fresh herbs growing year round! This recipe came from wanting to use my fresh basil and oregano in a pasta recipe. It turned out great.

Spinach Pizza Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

13.25 oz package whole grain pasta

1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
6 oz fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup raw shelled hemp seed hearts
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (you could sub pine nuts here, my son is allergic to nuts so I use seeds)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (you can drain them a little if you like)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

3 roma tomatoes, diced

Directions:

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Drain and reserve the pasta.

Put everything from the basil to the liquid smoke in a powerful blender or food processor and pulse until it is blended but not completely broken down. I like to distinguish little bits of garlic, seeds, and basil in mine. So I go until it is broken down, but still retains some characteristics of each ingredient. Simply pulse a few times and taste....stop when you like the consistency - you really can't mess this up.

Dice the roma tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Then toss the pasta, sauce, and tomatoes together. Voila...spinach pizza pesto pasta.

For 8 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 146 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  240 Calories from Fat  41

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  4.6g 7%

Saturated Fat  0.5g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  175mg 7%

Potassium  524mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates  41.7g 14%

Dietary Fiber  7.0g 28%

Sugars  1.6g

Protein  12.4g

Vitamin A 49% • Vitamin C 23% Calcium 7% • Iron 28%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet