Chard Pesto - a sneaky one for the kids

Things have been growing well in the garden this year - especially courgettes! I was pondering what to do the kids for tea tonight using said courgettes and thought I'd do a pesto and courgette noodles (or zoodles! i think they are called).. realizing that my basil for the pesto was looking a bit worse for wear and still waiting for my kale to kick in (it's a late comer!), I thought I'd try my luck with rainbow chard pesto. Well it's definitely a keeper and really simple to make which is what I like.

1 massive bunch of rainbow chard

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

4 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

small handful of parsley - or mix it up with whatever herbs you have

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of grated parmesan

Stick them all in a food processor and whizz together to make a nice creamy consistency.

Chard is a good source of vitamins K, A, C, E, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, and Iron which every busy kid needs. Garlic is also a great source of vitamins B6, B1 and C, manganese, copper, and selenium. Top garlic tip - always chop or crush your garlic to activate the allinase enzyme, then leave it to sit for about 10 minute before using. This allows the enzymes to convert into allicin which has been suggested to have higher health benefits than just using the garlic straight away.

Why not double the amounts and freeze half?