This filling, healthy and utterly delicious snack is a winner for lunch, as a dip or a mini-meal at any time of day. It's a wonderful combination of Mediterranean-style natural ingredients and herbs, garnished with Celtic Sea Salt and ground Black Pepper, topped with grated Italian Parmesan Cheese and served on slices of crunchy toast and real butter with the sweetest Vine Tomatoes - it's a super-healthy taste sensation.

There is nothing like a simple receipe made from superlative ingredients to boost your energy levels and your mood during the day. Providing your body with the nutrients it requires to keep you healthy on the inside and the outside, is the best thing you can do to help out and for your own pleasure too.

We all know how the Mediterranean diet is recognised as the secret behind raising healthy children, keeping workers fit in the fields and nurturing relatives in their later years tso that their minds remain as sharp as the grandchildren they are assigned to look after. Such traditional family values revolve around the growing, gathering, preparation, cooking and eating of simple fine foods that are transformed with the sensational flavourings of Wild Herbs, fresh Garic and Lemon juice and lashings of Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil.

Thye beauty of this recipe is its simplicity and its ability to be frozen in small containers or ice cube trays for up to 6 months. I love my Parley and Pine Nut Pesto on toast as desribed below but feel free to add it to soups, sandwiches, pasta and organic grass-fed beef recipes or as a dip with raw vegetable sticks.

Alternatively, you could just keep dipping your fingers in until it's all gone. Whatever way you choose, your body and mind will thank you for it.

Essential ingredients

4 cups x chopped Flat Leaf Parsley

Handful x Fresh Wild Garlic Leaves (optional)

1-2 cloves x Garlic

1 x half Lemon (juice only)

40gms x Pine Nuts (not toasted)

1 cup x Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil

2 tsp x Celtic Sea Salt (organic)

Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

2-4 slices - stone ground or artisan crusty bread

Real Butter (unsalted) for toast

How to prepare

1. Wash Parsley and roughly chop before adding to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add all the other ingredients (only 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt) - the rest is for final garnish.
3. Bland gently with a pulsing motion using a hand blender or add to a large blender. Blend to your liking either to leave some texture or to create a creamy paste.
4. Pour into a glass jar (for serving) and put any remaining mixture into a container for freezing.
5. Toast sliced bread, butter the toast.
6. Add pesto and top with grated Italian Parmesan Cheese, a drizzle of Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil, a sprinkle of Celtic Sea Salt and ground Black Pepper.
7. Serve of a large plate with sweetened Vine Tomatoes and a sprig of Parsley to garnish.
   

Nutritious ingredients

Vine Tomatoes

A great source of vitamin E with vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, phosphorus and copper along with potassium, vitamin A, C and K - all of which support heart health with potassium and folate promoting proper cell function.

Raw Garlic

A magnificent natural healer and cleaner with amazingly high levels of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C and B6. Also includes minerals including selenium, calcium and iron. Garlic contains very strong antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-cancer and anti-viral properties keeping us well protected from illness and cleansed throughout. 

Fresh Flat Leaved Parsley

Parsley is one of the richest sources of vitamin C with a high level of bone-strengthening vitamin K. Parsley also contains good levels of vitamins A and C with flavonoid compounds such as luteolin and apigenin. All of these essential elements have a powerful aklalining and antioxidant effect on the body, removing acidity and free radicals that would otherwise cause oxidative damage to the cells. Flat Leaved Parsley contains a greater concentration of nutrients than Curly Leaf Parsley although the latter is still a very healthy option if you have no alterative.

Pine Nuts (untoasted)

Pine Nuts are rich in magnesium, iron, antioxidants, zinc and protein, all of which help with diabetes management, heart health and brain health. Other essential nutrients include phosphorus and vitamin K. Pine Nuts are known to improve lipid profiles, reduce appetite and enhance brain function and  performance, making them a valuable addition to a healthy diet.

Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil

The main type of fat in traditionally produced organic Olive Oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Omega 3 fatty acids possess strong anti-inflammatory properties which lower the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's and vision loss. Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil also contains vitamins E and K. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that supports cellular repair function while vitamin K plays a key role in blood and bone health.

Italian Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan Cheese is considered a helpful food because it contains biologically active ingredients that benefit your body and general health. Parmesan is a hard Italian cheese which is considered a particularly healthy type of cheese because it is easy to digest and is full of essential cell and bone-building nutrients such as calcium and protein.

Sartori's Sarvecchio Parmesan is said to be the best with Parmigiano Reggiano the most popular. Both are expensive compared to normal cheese and have a wonderful strong flavour. For authenticity, look out for the hallmarks on the rind.

Lemon Juice 

Rich in vitamins C and B-complex and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, silicon, copper, and potassium. Considered to be a wonderful tonic that can help to cleanse and detoxify the entire body with exceptional antibiotic, antiseptic and anti-cancer properties. 

Celtic Sea Salt

This high-quality naturally harvested Sea Salt has 84 trace minerals that nourish and strengthen the body. You can also use Real Salt, or Pink Hymalayan Salt) - or a mixture as they each contain a few different essential minerals that are all needed for optimum health.

Black Pepper

Ground Black Pepper contains piperine which is a plant compound containing strong antioxidant properties.

I hope you enjoy making and savouring this supremely delicious and wholesome snack that will transport you to the delights of eating el fresco as you look out over the Mediterranean on a beautiful sunny day.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf