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Kale Pesto Baked Zucchini

Spring time is just the best time for everything. Isn’t it? I spring to life myself and get excited about all sorts of little things, hanging laundry to dry in the fresh warm breeze, watch the leaves uncurl day by day, listen for the sweetest birdsongs I could ever imagine.

Spring cooking is also taking on a new and fresh boost of excitement. And even though our Canadian soil isn’t growing much just yet, (ok, it’s growing nothing.) I’m happy to see Spring foods popping up in my favourite grocery stores. There’s something so natural about eating more veggies in the spring making healthier eating even more accessible and simple.

This recipe for Kale Pesto Baked Zucchinis is one great dish that is both very healthy and surprisingly very simple to make and is nice to present even if it’s just a small family dinner or a spring party.

I am so excited to share this amazing dish with you! My husband is a really ‘nice’ guy and compliments a lot of my cooking, but this by far apparently exceeded his expectations. He couldn’t keep quiet about how amazing this dish was – (not his style at all, trust me!) So with the Mr.’s stamp of approval – the carnivore in the family – this is awesome! ;)

I often hear little tiny gasps when people hear vegan AND gluten-free cooking…. but you know I love vegan and gluten-free recipes. There’s so much variety and the recipes get so much more fun and inventive this way!

KALE PESTO BAKED ZUCCHINI

(vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut free
~ very allergen friendly + very healthy + delicious)

Ingredients:

2-3 large organic zucchinis/courgettes
2 large organic tomatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
fresh basil leaves for plating

Kale Pesto Ingredients:

2 leaves of organic kale
roughly 1/2 loosely packed basil leaves
1/3 cup mix of pine & brazil nuts (or just pine nuts for a more traditional taste)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + extra for pan and drizzling on top
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cloves of garlic
fresh cracked black pepper

Directions :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Clean and dry the zucchini and slice lengthwise in half. With a spoon or ice cream scoop (because that’s more fun!) scoop out the soft inner flesh. Oil all over and set aside. (place the scooped out zucchini into a large mixing dish for later.)

For the Kale Pesto, combine all ingredients : kale, nuts, olive oil, sea salt, garlic in a food processor. Mix for a few minutes to form a pesto, being sure to stop, turn off the mixer and scrape down the edges halfway in between mixing.

In a large mixing bowl, chop the zucchini flesh into small pieces add in diced tomatoes and kale pesto and mix with a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients together. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed. Fill the tops of zucchini with the mixture, sprinkle with bread crumbs and place in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve with a lentil pasta dish.  Yes, pasta from lentils ;) (That beautiful recipe is coming up soon!). Or another protein rich grain such as wild rice or quinoa.

Quick Version ~ skip the homemade pesto if you must and purchase a good quality organic vegan pesto and add 1 or 2 leaves of kale into the recipe, just be sure to chop it very fine.

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I love anything zucchini + pesto + kale and I had a feeling this would be yummy ~ try this combination of flavours and let me know what you think ;)

What spring-time food is your favourite ingredient to cook with?


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How to nourish your body and mind from within

May is just the most exciting, isn’t it?

I mean just look at all that life out there, isn’t it just beautiful the way it bursts to life?

How about you, are you bursting to life?

Maybe you wish you could feel a bit more energized, that you wouldn’t have to drag your butt off the bed this morning. Maybe you wish you didn’t rush so much or your kids and maybe you wish you could be less grumpy in the mornings, complain less and just live happier.

Maybe you wish…

Stop. Real life here. If you really ‘wished’ here on these things, it’s time to wake up from that fairytale and start taking action. A better life isn’t just going to happen on its own – a better life requires attention, commitment and nourishment.

Most people don’t even know how good their bodies are designed to feel. If you think coffee is the only way to get you out of bed – than you’ve brainwashed your head with caffeine too much.

Our bodies don’t need anything to get up. People, like all the living creatures out there wake up naturally, and they sing (well, not all ~ but wouldn’t it be nice to sing in the morning like the little happy birds out there…??) That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s sing! ;)

 

How to nourish your body and mind from within:

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones is to nourish yourself from within. And help them achieve the same with better quality food, real-food with lots of nutritious vegetables and fruits. You literally are what you eat – because foods form cells in your body. Healthier foods do not only fix health problems, healthy foods nourish your body for years to come all the way through old age when your great grandkids come to visit! ;)

“People now don’t live the longest, they die the slowest”.

- my husband’s uncle said this once, age 73, with numerous health problems, and it still hangs in my head all the time.

A truly powerful message how failing health can make us suffer for a long long time. Perhaps I had a slap in the face when my illness struck me down (literally), but I definitely see that you don’t need to wait to be sick to improve your health.

So, what CAN you do?

Simply start. Make the veggies the star of the meal instead of a boiled off side dish. Start to add more natural colour to your meals. Don’t buy food in boxes. Cook less. Eat more raw crispy fresh vegetables and fruit.

I personally find that this message, when said to yourself when faced with food decisions is a breakthrough: “Is it Nourishing? Eat it. No it’s not. Don’t.” ~ yes, it’s as simple as that.

May’s Green Challenge: One great way to kick off May is to join in on a fun challenge.

GREEN JUICE CHALLENGE :

Food Matters is doing a great 7 days in May Green Juice Challenge.

Great for weight loss and for boosting that vibrancy that’s already in you!

If you cannot juice for some reason, you don’t have a juicer  or your schedule doesn’t make it easy to juice ~ just eat lots of greens in a salad or just a snack you have on hand.

SALAD CHALLENGE:

I am a big salad eater, or smoothie drinker, not so much juicer, so I know there’s some people who may not be into juicing. No matter what your preference, the goal remains the same – eat/drink those greens! When making a salad, the type of ingredients play a huge role. Choose dark greens like kale and spinach over light greens, buy organic whenever possible. Add a great high quality oil as your dressing, such as hemp oil and voilà! It doesn’t have to be complicated – but just plan ahead and make one and eat it!

The best way to go about a new change is to really COMMIT! Otherwise you won’t know if you feel any better as nothing is a one day miracle. And remember - ”Is it Nourishing? Eat it. No it’s not. Don’t.”

Please do share how you plan to nourish your body and mind from within?

 


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this is your time to fly away and chase all your dreams

“This is your time to fly away and chase all your dreams, remember life is like a play, you must act each scene with passion–embracing and enjoying the part. If you should ever get lost along the way, look to the stars, take a deep breath and follow your heart.” 

These words speak to me so much right now…

I feel like this bird right now. Ready to follow my hear with passion….

but first, I will follow a path in the fresh outdoors. Fill my lungs with deep breaths, maybe swing my arms like they’re real wings. Maybe I’ll climb a tree and sit on a branch and take the world in with my full heart of passion and love. I’ll look to mother nature for inspiration to teach me to grow with patience and understanding that sometimes things don’t sway my way… and I’ll turn my head towards the sunshine because that is what will help me shine brighter.  The bright sun will make me smile and squint my face.. and I’ll come back home happy and maybe I’ll even sing… yes, I think I’ll sing… because that’s what you do when you feel free…

Maybe, I’ll just do that. Fly away and chase all my dreams…

How would you chase your dreams today?

Photo Credit: © Studio3ten * Art by Suzanne Millius www.etsy.com/shop/studio3ten

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pure happiness…

Pure happiness…

Finally true spring has come and I’m so grateful for this fresh burst of life all around me. We had a lovely weekend out by the lake, going out for fish and chips at our favourite place… it was pure happiness… (list below)

Here is my list of happiness right now…

warm weather
spring flowers bursting to life
you can’t ignore this beautiful transformation of mother nature
it’s just beautiful, isn’t it?

we kicked off the season with a little trip to our favourite fish and chips place by the lake
but our tradition isn’t just to go and eat the food and be done with it…
no, we like to take a blanket, grab all the food and walk right to the park
we pick the best spot to sit and look at the lake and have a great meal filled with great long talks (most initiated by the little one)
my two favourite people, laughter, sunshine and the lake is what I live for…

“this is the best day ever” my daughter said a few times ;)
and you just can’t argue with that statement ;)

Please do share what makes you happy right now….

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Coconut Vanilla Donuts : So Delicious *contest*

Are donuts on your mind? They are on mine ;) That’s because I never thought I could enjoy such a scrumptious treat ever again like donuts! ;)

And if you are like me, and ever dreamed of a donut being healthier, with better ingredients, without eggs, wheat and dairy – well, this recipe right here just answered your calling ;)

Speaking of yummy things, this recipe is now part of a great entry on the So Delicious 2013 Recipe Contest. I would love your support with a “LIKE” on this Pinterest board.

TO VOTE : CLICK HERE TO “LIKE” THIS RECIPE

1 LIKE = 1 VOTE
(you can repin too but only Likes are counted in the contest!) 

The recipe with the most likes wins!  Even if you don’t vote for my recipes, do go and check out all the recipes and vote on any other ones on the official voting Pinterest page anyway as they are all so deliciously good looking! (I definitely do see it’s hard to pick just one winner! ;)

 {the recipe for these delicious vegan and gluten-free donuts can be found here}

As always, thank you so much for all your support ;) I am grateful for each and everyone of you for visiting this blog and for cheering me on in everything I do. Thank YOU! ;)

Each and every little “Like” means so much to me!

Trust me, this recipe is a winner anyway even if it doesn’t win this contest!

Ella

 

ps. there’s four other recipes of mine in the contest – so yes, you can vote on all of them ;) 



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