This is the perfect winter spread to utilise the greens in the garden. It has less oil than normal pesto so it travels a lot better (no leaky oil containers in your pack). It’s great for getting more greens into your diet and also has a good protein and healthy fat hit from the seeds. If you don’t have a good source of watercress, you can use rocket instead.

This is a favourite of mine to spread on crackers topped with gherkins for some pre-dinner treats in a hut.

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Prep time 10min
Cost $4–$8 (depending if you have greens in your garden)

Ingredients

½ cup parsley (tightly packed)
1.5 cup watercress (tightly packed)
1.5 cup kale (tightly packed)
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (or parmesan)
1 tsp sea salt
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Method

Wash and clean watercress. Strip leaves off the hard stems of kale and discard stems. Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until leaves are broken down and sunflower seeds are ground. You may need to stop and scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl. If it’s not turning over add a little extra olive oil. Taste and add extra salt to your liking.

Transfer into container and store in fridge, if you’re taking it tramping, it should last 2-3 days depending on temperatures.