I like to start the day off with a great big spoonful of Hemp Hearts to help kick off my protein intake for the day. They’ve got 10 grams of protein in a 3-tablespoon serving! But I don’t stop there. I really love the cool little seeds for their taste and texture in so many recipes.

Here’s my newest creation … vegan spinach and hemp seed pesto! It tastes luscious, but provides fewer calories than the original (if that’s your goal!). It’s 100% plant-based, too. But if you’re a little bit more of a traditionalist, you can just stir a little bit of grated vegan Parmesan-style cheese into the finished pesto recipe.

To add to the newness of it all, I whirled this up in the food processor bowl of my new NutriNinja® Blender Duo. So powerful!

Disclosure Note: I received a complimentary Ninja® Blender Duo from NutriNinja® as a member of the food media. I was not compensated to write this blog post. The recipe and opinions in this post are mine.

vegan spinach and hemp seed pesto

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• Author: Jackie Newgent
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• Juice of 1/2 small lemon (1 tablespoon)
• 3 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (3 ounces=3 cups)
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves (1 ounce=1 cup)
• 3/4 cup raw shelled hemp seeds
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened freshly-brewed herbal tea, made with 1 tea bag, or as needed

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Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except the tea to a food processor, cover, and puree well. Drizzle in the tea 1 tablespoon at a time and puree until desired consistency.
2. Serve as wish, such as tossed with pasta or quinoa or spread onto roasted or grilled veggie kebabs. Or refrigerate for later use.

Notes

Per serving: 160 calories, 13g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate, 1g dietary fiber, 1g sugars with 0g added sugars, 7g protein

Nutrition

• Serving Size: about 1/4 cup

Jackie’s Culinary Tips!

• Create intrigue by using hemp seeds in pesto in place of pine nuts or walnuts.
• Add lemon juice to brighten the flavor and balance the slight natural bitterness from the produce.