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 

Detox balance soup

This soup is a little treasure, it's packed with nutrients from the veggies as well as the lentils and if that wasn't enough it's topped with kale and parsley. Why cheese? Detox is boring without balance !!

Kids approved it so I am over the moon 🌙

you will need or I should say I used:

1 big onion, diced

half a leek 

1 parsnip

2 potatoes

1 large carrot

about 350 gr butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 cup green lentils

1/2 cup red lentils

2 handful of kale

1 handful of chopped parsley 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1.6 l water or 6 - 7 cup

parmesan shavings ( optional )

Method:

Place all vegetables into a large cooking pot, add 1Tbsp oil.

Sweat the veggies for five minutes, add the lentils and boiling water.

Cook the soup for 40 minutes or until the green lentils are soft, the veggies and the red lentils will be cooked quicker.

Add the salt.

Take four cups of the soup and blend it together with the olive oil until smooth.

Pour back into the pot and add the kale as well as the parsley.

Serve the soup with parmesan shavings and crusty bread 

Serve 8 people 

Enjoy :)

I am sharing this post with eat your greens

Pumpkin three ways ( part 1 )

October is already here and I have been busy baking and cooking with my favorite veg Pumpkin !!

I've got some lovely velvety soup that is protein rich, I've also got a pumpkin wholemeal bread full of goodness and I've got pumpkin granola. Yes, I am so excited about the granola, the taste is phenomenal and everyone adds a handful or two as a topping on their cereal …..  

Pumpkin and red lentil soup with zaatar croutons 

1 diced onion

1 diced carrot

2 cloves garlic

1 celery stick

400 gr pumpkin, butternut squash or any squash you can get, peeled and chopped into big chunks

2/3 cup red lentils 

6 cups of water

1 veggie stock cube 

for the zaatar croutons I used rye bread, cubed and seasoned with zaatar, splash of olive oil before oven bake for 10 min on high temp. 

In a large cooking pot splash some olive oil begore adding the veggies. Stir in the pumpkin, lentils as well as the water. 

Cook until the pumpkin is soft then add the stock cube.

Cool is down a bit before you blend it.

Add some black pepper and salt if needed.

Serve 6 or more.

Pumpkin wholemeal seeded bread

500 gr pumpkin 

100 gr pumpkin seeds

200 gr wholemeal flour

200 gr white flour

150 gr porridge oats

4 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp sugar

7 gr salt

7 gr active dry yeast

Cut the pumpkin into big wedges no need to peel and roast it in the oven for 40 - 60 min or until soft.

Spoon out the pumpkin flash and make a pure.

Set a side.

In a large mixing bowl place all dry ingredients ( reserve about 30 gr seeds for topping ) add 400 ml of lukewarm water . Mix it all up adding more water if needed. Knead the dough on floured surface adding the oil here and there.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour or so.

After that place the dough back on floured surface, fold it a few times and place it into a baking tin ( covered with baking paper ) of your choice, mine is 900 ml loaf tin.

Brush the dough with warm water and sprinkle the seeds.

Let it rest for 1 hour.

Bake for 50 - 55 min on 200 C .

Pumpkin granola

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup mixed seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin 

1 cup pumpkin pure

1/2 cup maple syrup 

2/3 cup coconut oil

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl pour in the maple syrup, add the pumpkin pure and the soften coconut oil.

Stir all together and add the oats, nuts, seeds as well as the cinnamon and salt.

Mix it all making sure all the dry ingredients are covered with the pumpkin mixture.

Spread the mixture onto two baking trays and bake for 30 minutes on 180 C stir it half way through the baking.

The granola should be slightly colored and crisp.

Cool it down before you store in some glass jars.

Add some dry fruit if you like, I add some raisins !!

Delicious !! 

In my kitchen in September 🌽🍂🍆 🍅

Hello autumn - my favorite season !!

I have some exciting things and food this September and I am happy to share it....

Beautiful aubergines - picked from Wisley garden. There was some awesome fresh produce for people to take home for a small donation in return. 

orange beetroot from Wisley 

a few corns and a pumpkin that I used for my homemade tomato sauce 

super cute mini olives

I bought those napkins this summer from Macedonia 

super cute knives and forks for packed lunch, also from Macedonia 

my new paper cups 

some tea bags from Macedonia

sourdough bread baking continues in my kitchen ❤

Lentils salad loaded with fresh veggies, edamame beans and home grown chives 

the garlic was grown and dried by my dad  ❤organic 

Tomato sauce enriched with roasted pumpkin and garlic 

I make this sauce every September, this time I added some roasted pumpkin and garlic, it's perfect 

the recipe is on my blog click here if you are interested 

Aubergine & yellow peas coconut curry with homemade naan bread ( I could eat this every day )

Apple & cinnamon cakes - perfect for lunchboxes 

Carrot cake I baked for my husband birthday

the kids loved the roses made by carrot ribbons 

I am sharing this post with sherrys pickings in my kitchen in September 

Summer eating 🍅🍆🌿🌽

Harissa glazed aubergines is something we all enjoy eating in the summer. 

method: 

Slice the aubergine, brush with olive oil ( I use spray ) 

Place the slices on a baking tray. It goes in pre heated oven on 180 C for 20 min.

Get the tray out and brush the aubergines with harissa paste ( the one I use is smoky but mild and very oily ) 

Back in oven for another 10 - 15 minutes.

I serve the aubergines with Greek salad with added cooked lentils as well as toasted bread.

Grilled corn quinoa salad with falafels, tzatziki and pita bread 

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed this meal, it's summer on a plate, it's absolutely lovely !!!

I used: 3/4 cup quinoa , handful of chopped tomatoes, half a cucumber, chopped radishes, some red onion, avocado, tin of cooked butter beans, feta cheese, gilled corn, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and paper.

I grilles the corns under a grill for 20 minutes turning it every now and then.

In a meantime I cooked the quinoa for 15 - 20 minutes and chopped up the veggies.

Mix everything all up, season with paper, easy on the salt as feta cheese is salty enough.

Serve with tzatziki, falafels and pita bread for a perfect balanced summer meal ❤☀🌽 

I have found the best recipe for falafels, made from chickpeas ( of course ) as well as broccoli and cauliflower.  I made them in advance, kept in freezer and bake straight from frozen. Perfect !   here is the link for the recipe !!

Bambino portion 

from the market