Sprouted Almond Nettle Pesto

There are so many places around Portland to gather nettles.  We usually go once a year and harvest a ton, make pesto, freeze some, eat some, and dehydrate the rest to use for tea.  For this recipe I actually bought a big bag for 3 dollars at the Hillsdale Farmer's Market from the folks at Springwater Farm who, by the way, sell the most amazing mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns (its just a wild foods fest at their booth). I used what I had on hand at home and came up with this superb pesto recipe. When handling the nettles
I use tongs and put them directly from the bag into the boiling water (see directions below) so that I can avoid the sting.  I then remove the leaves from the stems after they are blanched.  This recipe can also be made with cilantro or any other fresh herbs.  Hope you enjoy~Happy Spring! 

Sprouted Almond Nettle Pesto

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almonds soaked for 6-8 hours or overnight, drained and rinsed

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 large lemon juiced

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium sized bunch of fresh nettle leaves

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

preparation:

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and using tongs, place the nettles in the pot for about one minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.  Remove leaves from stems and set aside.  Using a food processor fitted with an S blade process the almonds, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil until well combined.  Add nettles and basil and process again until desired consistency is achieved.  Adjust salt and lemon to personal taste and enjoy!