Kale and pumpkin seed pesto

Kale and pumpkin seed pesto

I like to use the leaves and stalks of coriander in my pesto, just chop up the stalks a little. By all means, use just the leaves if preferred. I’ve only come across white miso that’s made with rice, but some miso pastes are fermented with wheat or barley, so double-check the ingredients if you are gluten-free.

1 bunch of kale (approx 250-300g), washed well, spun dry and hard stems removed

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup  lightly toasted pumpkin (pepita) seeds

1 cup of loosely packed coriander (cilantro) leaves and stalks, chopped

1-2 green chillies, seeded and roughly chopped, optional

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

1 tbs white miso (gluten-free)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place kale, garlic, pumpkin seeds, coriander and green chillies (if using) into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, you may need to stop it occasionally to scrape down the sides or move things around a little to get it all going. With the motor still running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Lastly add the lemon juice and miso, give it one final whiz, taste and season with sea salt and black pepper. If not using straight away pack into a clean glass jar, cover with a thin film of olive oil and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Tasty almonds

Tasty Almonds

3 cups of soaked almonds (12 hours)

1/3 cup of chopped mejool dates 

1/4 cup Shoyu or Tamari

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic 

1 tsp finely minced ginger 

1 tsp of lemon juice 

Rinse and drain almonds. In food processor puree dates, shoyu, garlic, lemon juice and ginger until smooth. Coat the almonds with the paste, put it into dehydrator for 48 hours or 1 hour in oven 180 C. 

Healthy Snacks choices for your picnic

Healthy picnic 

Turmeric Chai tea: you can buy it or add some turmeric into your ordinary chai, serve with bon soy and honey (optional)

Roasted pumpkin dip: 2 cups of roasted pumpkin, 1 cup of cooked chickpeas, 1 cup of macadamia nuts, 1/2 tsp of garlic infuse oil and rind of salt serve with raw carrots or cucumber 

Avocado moose: 1 avocado, 1 tbs of cocoa powder, 2 dates, 1/4 cup of rice milk

Fresh fruit: what ever is in season, play with it 

Eggplant dip

Eggplant dip

2 medium eggplants cut up in small cubes 

1 cup of white mushrooms sliced up 

2 tbs of tahini

1 tbs of good quality honey

3 tbs of olive oil 

pinch of salt 

Sauted eggplant and mushrooms with olive oil, salt and tamari for 15min on low heat, add everything into food processor, it is nice to serve hot with rice cakes or raw carrots and cucumber. 

Almond Hummus

Almond Hummus

3 cups of soaked almonds (12 hours) you can also use cashews 

1/4 cup of tahini

3/4 tsp of black pepper

1 /1/2 chopped garlic

1 3/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup of olive oil 

1/2 cup of lemon juice 

1/2 cup of water or rice milk if you like it sweeter 

3/4 tsp salt 

Rinse and drain almonds. Puree all the ingredients in food processor. You can always adjust any ingredients if you like. 

Avocado dips

Avocado dip for roasted veggies

1 avocado

3 dates (soaked in hot water for 10min)

1/2 cup of rice milk

2 spoons of tahini

Pinch of sea salt

Add all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Best enjoyed with your favourite roast veggies!! Store leftover dip in fridge.

Life changing bread

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

1 cup/135g sunflower seeds

1/2 cup/90g flax seeds

1/2 cup/65g hazelnuts or almonds or any
other nut you enjoy

1 1/2 cups / 145g rolled oats (for gluten free

option use quinoa or millet flakes)

2 Tbsp chia seeds

4 Tbsp psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp if using psyllium husk powder)

1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add 1/2 tsp. if using coarse salt)

1 Tbsp maple syrup (for sugar-free diets,
use a pinch of stevia)

3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee

1 1/2 cups/350ml water

If you like to make a fruit loaf add 1/2 cup of

chopped up dates and cranberries

In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it. Preheat oven to 350°C / 175°C. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!