Ingredients:

1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed and washed

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled (chopped if not using a food processor.)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2- 2 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

2 whole-wheat pita breads

Directions:

Place fresh spinach in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again. Squeeze excess moisture out of spinach. Finely chop.

Place bread crumbs in a cup with 1/4 cup water. Turn breadcrumbs out onto a towel and squeeze out excess water.

Combine spinach, breadcrumbs, walnuts and garlic into a food processor container. Process spinach mixture until just combined. With machine running, add olive oil. (If mixing by hand, place all ingredients, except olive oil, into a deep bowl. Stir to thoroughly combine. Slowly add olive oil while stirring.) Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread a thin layer of pesto onto pita breads. Sprinkle cheese over pesto sauce and place pizzas into preheated oven. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Note: The same recipe can be made with pizza dough. The spinach pesto can also be tossed with warm pasta or drizzled atop grilled, baked, or poached chicken breasts and fish. Leftover pesto can be stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week.