Healthy Homemade Pesto on Toast with Tomatoes and Feta is a great light lunch. Perfect as the weather starts to warm up! Quick, easy and packed full of nutritional benefits this recipe is a real winner. Have a slice with a bowl of soup, an extra salad on the side or on its own. It’s perfect either which way!
Healthy Homemade Pesto – Health Benefits
The pesto base is spinach which is packed full of energy giving iron. It contains twice as much iron as most other greens. Spinach is also the most alkaline-producing food which means it helps regulate the pH of the body. This is important as to function property the body needs to maintain the balance between acidity and alkalinity in the blood and other body fluids.
It’s thought that having an excess of acid in the body creates inflammation with can cause certain diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. Therefore the aim is to consume more alkaline-producing foods to keep the acid/alkaline levels in balance. It’s also worth appreciating that whilst foods such as lemons are acidic, they have an alkalising effect on the body. This is because what determines the pH nature of the food in the body is its metabolic end state once it’s been digested.
Tomatoes and the benefits of Lycopene
Lycopene is a red carotene that gives tomatoes their rich red colour. Studies have shown it is protective against different types of cancers, such as breast, colon, lung, skin and prostate. It has also been shown to lower the risk of heart disease which is an increasing risk factor during midlife.
Lycopene works by neutralising harmful oxygen-free radicals before they can damage cellular structures in the body.
Healthy Homemade Pesto – mix and match your nuts!
The healthy homemade pesto can be made with cashews, almonds, walnuts or to keep the pesto recipe true to the classic – pine nuts. All nuts are rich in phytochemicals and fibre. They also are the best source of arginine which is an amino acid that plays an important part in the healing of wounds, the immune function in the body and promotes the secretion of several hormones such as insulin.
If you’re watching your fat levels, cashews have fewer fats than almonds and walnuts.
Homemade Pesto on Toast with Tomatoes and Feta
This light lunch is quick and tasty. Full of iron rich spinach which supports energy levels and vitality. The lycopene in tomatoes (pick red juicy ones) are protective against cancers such as breast, colon, lung, skin and prostate.
- Blender
- Toaster
- 100g Spinach
- Small bunch of basil
- 50g Nuts – such as cashews, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts
- 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 Lemon – juice and zest
- 2-4 slices Sourdough bread
- 100g Cherry or plum tomatoes
- 20g Feta cheese
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Make the pesto by adding the spinach, basil, nuts, olive oil, garlic cloves and the zest and juice of a lemon to a blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend. Check the seasoning after blending and add more lemon/garlic/salt or pepper for your taste
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Toast the sourdough bread and spread with approx 1 tbsp pesto to serve
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Top the pesto and toast with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta together with a few basil leaves. Drizzle with extra olive oil should you wish.