Showing posts with label pine nuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pine nuts. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

You Might Never Cook Kale Again!

My sister-in-law shared some amazing Pine Nut Kale Salad with me the night before I ran a half marathon over the weekend!  I was thrilled to have some delicious, healthy food to eat besides the take-out pizza we also ate!  She also made some fabulous hummus AND a savory black rice dish!  Lucky me!

By the way, Kale is super healthy -- check it out!

I loved the Pine Nut Kale Salad so much that my mouth was watering for it until I made it again at home the next day!


Pine Nut and Kale Salad

a bunch of kale (stems removed)
lemon juice
~1/2 c pine nuts

Combine everything, and let sit as long as you can stand, and enjoy! NO COOKING! When I made it at home, I couldn't resist having a hefty serving right away. However, I did save a tiny bit for later, and leftovers the next day tasted even better! The greens and nuts beautifully soak up all that delicious Italian flavor!


In other Kale News, Kale Chips from Trader Joe's are super! (other yummy TJ's items!)


Note the AWESOME ingredients list!, and high fiber and protein content!

I almost never pay any attention to calories, instead making healthy choices, so calories aren't important.However, I thought I'd provide a quick word of caution that they are a bit steep in calories and fat.

The fat is GOOD fat, and the calories are GOOD calories, but if you're "watching" you might try making kale chips at home, so they can even be super low-calorie!  I haven't perfected the kale chip making process, but it's pretty easy if your up for it!


Don't worry too much -- the fiber and protein should make you full before you've eaten too many!

COMMENTS: How do you like your kale?  Any fun recipes for healthy greens?

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Practical Pesto!

As promised...


Super SIMPLE, delicious, healthy, and practical!

Ever had your pesto sauce go bad?  Reminds me of avocados: too expensive to let go to waste!  See how to ALWAYS EAT PERFECT AVOCADOS (#1 in Quick Kitchen Tips)!


Cranberry Pesto Pasta Salad

Remember this Pesto RATIO!

1/4 c pine nuts (or walnuts ... similar taste, less expensive, and more nutritious!) NUT BENEFITS
2 c fresh basil, packed

Blend these in a food processor until smooth.
Freeze in 1/2c or so portions.

Fill silicone cupcake holders OR scoop mixture on a cookie tray to freeze, and then fill a freezer bag with the portions.  SO convenient and lasts forever!

Freezing just these two ingredients a) maintains perfect taste and b) minimizes freezer space used!

Whenever you WANT, pull out a 1/2 c portion.

Use spoon (no food processor necessary) to combine with:

1 1/4 c water or low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 c nutritional yeast (click for benefits!)

Add pepper to taste (optional).

Try it out with Cranberry Pesto Pasta Salad!

ALSO try: Pesto Pizza!

COMMENTS: how do you like to eat your pesto?