Kale Pesto Bowties with Baked Tofu

Snow days in Brooklyn! Saturday afternoon was a few dreamy piano chords and the significant silence that follows the white blankets, fallen. LP and I stayed in. Two blocks away in the park I'm sure birds were walking on snow over ice over a lake but I only know that because Kay Ryan told me. I was quiet and surveyed the refrigerator to find a handful of materials to make this simple meal. Kale pesto is a deliciously earthy alternative to your average summertime basil pesto and spares you a few pretty pennies. This recipe uses walnuts, but if you are feeling really fancy you can use pine nuts. Makes enough to keep and use all week.

2 cups walnuts (toasted)
3-5 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
1 bunch kale (any kind, rinsed and chopped)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
ground pepper
squeeze of lemon juice
olive oil

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast the walnuts dry in the pan, stirring often. Once the nuts look toasted, remove from pan and place in a bowl to cool. Rinse the kale, chop and remove thick stems. In a large food processor, process the walnuts and garlic until in very small pieces. Add the kale, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and process until all pieces are small. Wile the food processor is running, add the lemon juice and olive oil until the mixture retains a smooth consistency. Add pepper, salt, and lemon to taste. To store, pack in a jar and top with a layer of olive oil before sealing.

Enjoy,
NRG