It's been one of those unbelievably long weeks. As the years go on, it becomes more and more difficult to recover from a big weekend. Reality can be truly depressing. When I'm feeling a bit sluggish I turn to comfort food. I don't care what anyone says - we are all emotional eaters to a certain extent. For me, pasta is the ultimate comfort food - even after years of coming home drunk as a poor student and cooking up the biggest pot of tomato pasta you have ever seen, I still love it. I tend to cook slightly more healthy versions these days and more often than not it involves some sort of pesto. But not your ordinary store bought pesto - homemade pesto made with ingredients you generally wouldn't think to make pesto from. Broccoli pesto is my ultimate favourite. You steam the broccoli then put it in a food processor with lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic. So, so good. This week I made pumpkin seed pesto to have with my steamed broccoli and lemon spaghetti. You could get so creative with your pestos - for those in the southern hemisphere, try kale with almonds or walnuts for a lovely winter pesto.
So the pasta got me through to what is now Friday and I am so happy to be having a night in with Dave and a glass of red wine. Setting the tone for the rest of the weekend I hope. Tonight for dinner we had an aubergine, roasted beetroot, lentil and feta salad with yoghurt dressing. It's a variation on an earthy salad I make regularly with beetroot and lentils. Comforting but extremely good for you.
Here's to recovery weekends!
Pumpkin seed pesto
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
bunch of basil
Put pumpkin seeds, garlic, basil and water in a food processor and turn on. Gradually add the olive oil until you have the right consistency. Add more oil if need be.
Aubergine, beetroot, lentil and feta salad
2 aubergines sliced into rectangles
3 beetroot quartered
1/3 cup lentils
50 gm cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of baby spinach
zest and juice from half a lemon
3 tsp ground cumin
half packet of feta
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
mint
olive oil
s + p
Turn on oven to 180 degrees. Seal beetroot along with 1/4 cup water in tin foil and cook on a roasting tray for 45 mins. After half an hour, cook lentils in a pot of boiling water.
Coat aubergine with 2 tsp cumin and olive oil then cook in a frying pan.
Remove beets from foil and drain. Return to the roasting tray along with the aubergine and bake for a further 10 mins.
For the dressing, combine yoghurt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, lemon zest and juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients then pour over the dressing. Tear chunks of mint leaves and drop over the salad.
Serves 2 - 3
So the pasta got me through to what is now Friday and I am so happy to be having a night in with Dave and a glass of red wine. Setting the tone for the rest of the weekend I hope. Tonight for dinner we had an aubergine, roasted beetroot, lentil and feta salad with yoghurt dressing. It's a variation on an earthy salad I make regularly with beetroot and lentils. Comforting but extremely good for you.
Here's to recovery weekends!
Pumpkin seed pesto
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
bunch of basil
Put pumpkin seeds, garlic, basil and water in a food processor and turn on. Gradually add the olive oil until you have the right consistency. Add more oil if need be.
Aubergine, beetroot, lentil and feta salad
2 aubergines sliced into rectangles
3 beetroot quartered
1/3 cup lentils
50 gm cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of baby spinach
zest and juice from half a lemon
3 tsp ground cumin
half packet of feta
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
mint
olive oil
s + p
Turn on oven to 180 degrees. Seal beetroot along with 1/4 cup water in tin foil and cook on a roasting tray for 45 mins. After half an hour, cook lentils in a pot of boiling water.
Coat aubergine with 2 tsp cumin and olive oil then cook in a frying pan.
Remove beets from foil and drain. Return to the roasting tray along with the aubergine and bake for a further 10 mins.
For the dressing, combine yoghurt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, lemon zest and juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients then pour over the dressing. Tear chunks of mint leaves and drop over the salad.
Serves 2 - 3
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