Want to enjoy the fresh, bold flavors of summer? Look no further than this nasturtium pesto recipe. Made with nasturtium leaves, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and garlic. This simple spread is delicious on crackers or as a pasta sauce.

When we moved into our new (new to us anyway) 1796 farmhouse in Maine, we had a low spot in the yard that was constantly a mud puddle anytime we got the slightest amount of precipitation. So this spring we dumped a couple of loads of dirt in our mini pond puddle to fill it in. Then I decided to embrace the dirt patch and plant nasturtium instead of attempting to grow grass in this problem area. To say the nasturtiums thrived is an understatement.

Our sea of nasturtiums instantly took off and has been a beauty to both look at and enjoy eating this summer. Yes, that’s right, nasturtiums are an edible plant; both the leaves and the flowers can be eaten. Nasturtium leaves are known to have a spicy, almost peppery flavor. They are deliciously fragrant and very tasty. If you have nasturtiums growing in your yard, go give them a nibble!

How to Make Nasturtium Pesto

Making nasturtium leaf pesto is easy peasy. Just chop off a handful of nasturtium leaves from your plants. I usually just fill up my colander, it is approximately 3 quarts in size. Next, wash the nasturtium leaves. I put the freshly chopped leaves in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. This removes any unwanted aphids or other bugs. Using the colander, strain the nasturtium leaves.

Then move on over to your blender or food processor. Add garlic clove, nutritional yeast, olive oil, water, salt, and the nasturtium leaves to the pitcher and blend. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times with a spatula. Add a little more water if it is struggling to mix. Once mixed it is ready to enjoy!

Nutritional What?

Nutritional yeast is a vegan staple, made from inactivated brewers’ yeast that has a delicious cheesy umami flavor. It is an excellent dairy-free alternative. According to WebMD 2 teaspoons of fortified nutritional yeast contain the following:

• Calories: 20
• Protein: 3 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbs: 2 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams
• Fiber: 4% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 246% of the DV
• Niacin (vitamin B3): 109% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 212% of the DV
• Folate (vitamin B9): 59% of the DV
• Vitamin B12: 313% of the DV
• Iron: 2% of the DV
• Potassium: 2% of the DV

Hello B vitamins! Especially if you eat a low or no-meat diet, it’s so important to get your B vitamins. You can find nutritional yeast at any natural foods store, Whole Foods, and on Amazon. My kids just love the stuff. It is excellent on freshly popped popcorn.

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