"Spring Tonic" Spinach Pesto

Where I live it's not unusual to get a snowstorm (or two or three) in March. But the morning I woke up to swirling snow outside my window and nothing but shades of grey and white, I thought "I need something green!" I needed something vibrant, fresh, and saturated with the color of spring. What I really needed was a spring tonic. Luckily, my fridge was stocked with fresh spinach and some herbs, so pesto became the project for that blustery morning. It's so easy to make in either a food processor or blender, and I always make at least a double batch and freeze some for later. You can spoon it into an ice cube tray, freeze till solid, then pop out and store the cubes in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Perfect to brighten up a bowl of pasta, I also use it in place of red sauce on pizza and as a grill sauce for fish. Toss a couple cubes into a pot of minestrone or your favorite vegetable soup for an instant hit of color and extra flavor. The vibrant green color and fresh smell of herbs whirling around in my food processor certainly helped take my mind off of the blowing snow outside my door!

"Spring Tonic" Spinach Pesto

2 cups (packed) fresh spinach
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 peeled garlic clove
healthy pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds (or pine nuts or walnuts)
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Put everything (just 1/4 cup olive oil for now) into food processor and pulse until it all starts to break down. Scrape down sides if needed then run machine while drizzling in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Process until it's the consistency you like. If you want it a little thinner, drizzle in a little more oil.

Happy Spring!