Beetroot leaves and other greens Pesto

This pesto is must try especially if you have any leftover green leaves, carrot tops, celery leaves, broccoli leaves or herbs 🌿🌿 

you will need:

3 cups  mixture of kale (stalks removed), leaves, herbs

half a cup of nuts, almonds in my pesto ( use parmesan if you wish )

3 small cloves garlic

100 ml olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt or less

Blanch the kale together with the leaves for 3 minutes.

Ground the nuts using a hand-grinder.

Combine all ingredients and blend.

If you have a tall blender that's perfect.

If you have one of those powerful blender then you don't have to ground the nuts separate.

Alternatively chop the greens by hand and add the rest of the ingredients.

Keep the pesto in a clean jar in the fridge.

Also the pesto can be stored in an ice cube tray and defrosted when needed for sandwich spread, pasta bakes topping or used on home-made pizza 🍕

I am sharing this post with veghog  blog EAT YOUR GREENS 

3 post workout protein fix

This is the first perfect protein rich lunch ( made in no time ), I used 2 eggs, a small cube of butter ( the size of my smallest nail )  chopped up fresh tomatoes, 1/4 avocado and a handful of spinach as well as some pumpkin seeds for an extra crunch ....

For this protein bowl I cooked some mixed whole grains with kale, I crushed butter beans with garlic and lemon zest and I made sweet potato chips...

Here is how I did it: 

I cooked the grains ( mixture of quinoa and freekeh ) in a medium size cooking pot for 20 minutes, half way I add the greens. 

For the beans, I heated up some olive oil in a small frying pan, adding 1 clove of minced garlic. After 1 minute add 1 tin of beans, zest of half a lemon, salt, pepper and chopped fresh parsley.

Add a splash of hot water if too dry.

Sweet potato chips: peel and cut the potato into tiny slices, spray with olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Place it onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes on 170 C 

Super healthy & super tasty protein rich smoothie 

These little power smoothie starters are amazing, I've recently discovered the recipe here !!!

To make this smoothie I blend 1 or 2 starters, handful of berries, 1 Tbsp nut butter, 1 chopped date, 1 tsp cinnamon and 250 ml almond milk or any liquid will do. 

Leek and kale with dippy eggs

This is a perfect meal to recharge your body after exercise.
Adding some yogurt and wholegrain mustard  makes it extra yummy, the taste is a bit sour-ish but also sweet from the leek....

Ingredients:

1 large leek, trimmed and sliced 

150 gr kale

olive oil

3 Tbsp natural yogurt 

1 to 2 tsp wholegrain mustard from jar 

parsley

4 eggs

Heat a big frying pan suitable for grill as well.
Add splash of oil, followed by the leek.
Saute the leek until soften, then add the kale, splash of water and put the lid on for 6-7 minutes or until the kale is almost cooked.
Stir in the yogurt and the mustard and simmer for a minute or two.
Make 4 hollows in the kale mixture and crack the eggs into.
Cook for 1 minute without any stirring and then put the pan under the pre-heated grill .
Grill everything for 3-4 minutes, make sure the egg yolks are still runny.
Sprinkle some salt, pepper and chopped parsley.
Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Freekeh, kale and avo salad

I've been detoxing a lot this month, nothing major or fancy, just eating more greens and more plant food such as whole grains, seeds and nuts.
This salad is one of my latest favorite lunch, it's ready in 12 minutes ....
I am entering `Eat you greens` which is hosted by The Veghog this month..🌿

Ingredients:

100 gr freekeh

1 avocado

4 handful of kale, stalks removed

handful of roasted seeds ( mixture of pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds )

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil 

lemon juice

 Soak the freekeh in cold water for 15 minutes. Cook the freekeh in a fresh water with a pinch of salt. Cook for 12 minutes for al-dente . For the last 6 minutes add the kale to be cooked together with the freekeh.
In a meantime chop the avocado and set a on a side.Drain off any water left from the freekeh/kale pan and stir in the avocado. Season with salt and pepper as well as olive oil and lemon juice.Divide into two plates and sprinkle some seeds on the top.

Super detox purple kale & millet soup

Purple kale, wow! How excited was I, seeing it in the farmer's market. I love adding kale into soups but I knew that this purple kale won't give the most attractive colour. Therefor there will be comments from the consumers especially from the youngest one.
Millet is an amazing seed, it is high in fiber, vitamin B and magnesium and it is easily digestible. I ❤ millet ! 

 

Ingredients:

1 leek

2 parsnips, celeriac or potato

2 - 3 handfuls of kale

50 gr millet 

olive oil
1 liter of veggie stock or water + low salt stock cube 

salt

pepper
chili flakes, optional
yogurt , optional

Start by washing and chopping the veggies. In a big-ish cooking pot heat up some olive oil, add the leek, stir for a couple of minutes and add the parsnip.
Pour in the stock and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes or until the parsnip is soft. Now add the millet and the kale and cook for further 10 - 15 minutes.
Adjust the taste. Blitz the soup into a food processor and serve it with some chili flakes and a spoonful of yogurt.   

One pot magic pasta

Inspired by Italian PASTA CRUDI, meaning raw pasta or pasta cooked together with the rest of the sauce ingredients. I have been making Spaghetti crudi cooked with fresh and ripe tomatoes but this is something different. The taste has blown my mind completely and now I am back to eating pasta like crazy. Try with parmesan on the top - it's bonkers !

Ingredients:

serve 4 - 5 

400 gr fresh and ripe tomatoes, chopped

200 gr pasta

2 - 3 handfuls kale

3 cloves garlic, chopped

200 gr cooked beans

zest of one lemon

50 ml olive oil

salt and pepper

1000 ml water

Place all ingredients in a large cooking pot, bring it to boil and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs, add some extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated parmesan.

Keep it vegan - sprinkle some nutritional yeast for cheesy taste and extra B vitamins.

Bio - boosting okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese egg pancake that is perfect for a super - quick and healthy supper. 

Ingredients:

50 gr flour of your choice 

2 eggs

one large handful of shredded kale

1 grated carrot

half stick of leek, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

half chili pepper, optional

50 ml water 

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp oil for frying 

Mix the flour, eggs, water, kale, carrots, leek and flax seeds together in a large mixing bowl.

Season with salt and pepper and add some chopped chili pepper.

Heat a large non - stick frying pan and add the oil.

Place several large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and press down to form a pancake.

Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, then turn it over and cook for further 3 minutes.

Serve the pancake with salad .

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

note: the recipe is from the book The medicinal chef but this is my version 

Butternut squash spaghetti with kale

Spiralizing vegetables into a noodles is a very trendy thing to do especially if you want to cut down on bad carbs or so they they say. This is a very tasty dish full of flavour - we loved it, especially in a company of toasted bread with avocado! 

Who says kale is boring! 

Ingredients:

300 gr butternut squash made into noodles, grated works as well

1 chili pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced 

chopped mushrooms, optional 

100 - 200 gr kale

olive oil

salt and pepper 

Prepare the squash, peel it and spiralize it if you have a spiralizer or simply grate the squash.

In a small cooking pot cook the kale for 5 minutes, make sure they don't change their colour.

In a separate pot heat the oil, add chili and garlic, stir well and add the mushrooms.

Sprinkle some salt and put a lid down.

After five minutes add the squash and 100 ml of water, put the lid back and cook it on medium heat until the squash is tender.

Add the kale, sprinkle some more salt and pepper.

Mix it all up - make sure there is no liquid left.

note: if you live in UK - m&s sells already spiralized squash for microwave use only and non freezable. Well, since I don't own a microwave, I cook them on a hob as described above and I did freeze them when I bought them .