Garlic Scapes-Kale Pesto

My friend, Christal, gave me a bag of garlic scapes, with a recipe for pesto.  She explained that these cute curly stems were the tops of a hard-neck variety of garlic. In my additional reading about them, they were described as somewhat less potent than the typical garlic. But to be on the safe side, I think they are still best consumed with garlic-loving friends.

Typical pesto recipes contain high amounts of olive oil, so I substituted the more easily digestable coconut oil.  The heat in my kitchen in these sweltering summer days had already liquefied it, making it easy to make the pesto.  I also reduced the amount of nuts, and used walnuts since they contain the healthy Omega-3 fats.  I also added kale to boost the nutrition.  This idea came from my favorite blog, 365 Days of Kale.   The resulting pesto was delicious!   Quite tasty on whole grain crackers. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup chopped lacinato kale,  (tough stems removed)
2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/4 cup coconut oil (liquefy on low-power in the microwave)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Put garlic scapes, kale and walnuts into a food processor and process until very smooth.   Slowly add the coconut oil.  Transfer contents to a bowl and add the Parmesan cheese.  Mix thoroughly.  Add freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 16
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Calories: 53
Total Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 32 mg
Total Carbs:  2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0
Protein: 1 g