Beet Green Pesto

In the last year or so, I fell in love with roasted beets but always felt guilty about throwing all of those leafy greens away and decided it was time to do something with them. This beet green pesto recipe uses very few ingredients making the greens shine!

Ingredients:

4-6 c. beet greens, stems removed (loosely packed)
1/2 c. walnuts
3 Tbs. Parmesan
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. olive oil (or until you reach a consistency that you like)

Combine all of the above ingredients except for the olive oil inside of a food processor. When most of the larger pieces of ingredients are broken down, slowly add in your olive oil until you reach the thickness or consistency of your choosing. I like to make mine on the thicker side, because I usually end up adding it to noodles or salads to where you always end up adding more oil or vinegar to smooth it out.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 c. Creamy Chicken Pesto mixture
1 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 large tortilla shells
1/2 c. Hunt's pasta sauce (I used traditional)

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. In a medium size bowl, mix the chicken mixture and shredded cheese together. Spoon half of the mixture onto the tortilla shells and fold each tortilla in half. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is gooey and melted. Serve each quesadilla with warm pasta sauce.

Chicken Cilantro Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:

1 c. Cilantro Macadamia Pesto
1 1/2 c. Easy Shredded Chicken
1 Archer Farms thin pizza crust
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c. packed spinach

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the pesto on the crust. Top with the spinach, chicken, and then finish with the shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. If you want a crispy crust, bake directly on the rack. This pizza is so delicious and fresh! The cilantro pesto and Parmesan combination is unbelievable.

Cilantro Macadamia Pesto

Ingredients:

2 c. packed cilantro leaves (large stems removed)
1/2 c. macadamia nuts
3 green onions, rough chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (give or take)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor. When you are adding the oil, just keep the food processor on low and when it looks the right consistency, stop adding the oil. It may be more or less than a quarter of a cup depending on what consistency you like.