Kale Pesto, Green Man Soup, Baked Salmon w/ Chickpeas & Greens, Roasted Curry Butternut Squash

Kale Pesto Pasta
First time I've ever made a pesto type pasta sauce.  Won't be the last.  This one is really tasty!

1/2 box of Rotini pasta or similar shape and size.
1/4 cup toasted Pine Nuts
4-5 Kale leaves
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
Pinch of Salt
1/3 cup EVOO
Optional -- a balance between kale and julienned basil leaves for flavor.

Cook the pasta to package directions, drain and return to the pot to keep it warm.

While the water is coming to a boil, stem the kale and rough chop it.  Add 1/8 cup water to a microwave safe glass bowl, toss in the kale, cover loosely and nuke for 1 minute to soften the leaves.  Take all the solids for a whirrrr in your food processor, and add a drizzle of EVOO as it spins until you get the desired consistency.  Bingo!  Instant pesto  -- about 1 cup.

Spoon the pesto over the pasta and serve with shredded or grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Green Man Soup
A Green Man is a medieval carved figure of a human face formed from leaves.  Popular in British cathedrals and other sites, the Green Man is found in many cultures abound the world.  Supposedly a pagan vegetation god, he is sometimes the masculine equivalent of the Mother Goddess.  In spite of the pagan origin he is found most frequently in church architectural decoration.

My Green Man is a soup made from almost all green vegetables -- broccoli stems, asparagus butts (I know you freeze and save them like I do), kale, lettuce and onion.

2 cups Broccoli Stem coins -- stems peeled and sliced 1/4" or less thin
2 cups Asparagus butts -- sliced into 1/4" rounds
2 cups (compressed) chopped, stemmed Kale
1 cup Lettuce, chopped, packed
1 cup diced Onion
6 cups Water
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 tsp each -- Rosemary, Sage, Oregano
1/2 tsp each Dill, Red Pepper flakes
Optional Toppings -- reserve some broccoli coins and asparagus bits and stir them in before serving.  Thin slice a nice large radish and garnish each bowl.  A dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt, or that Almond Sour Cream I wrote about a couple weeks ago would also make a great topping.

Simmer things on medium until the water is reduced to about 1 cup.  Ladle the greenery into your food processor and take it for a spin -- you want a nice smooth consistency.

Return the puree to the pot, add the evaporated milk, and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer for fifteen minutes to finish.  Ladle into bowls and garnish. 

Serve with buttered toast or a crusty loaf.


Baked Salmon with Chickpeas and Greens
Always looking for something special to do with salmon.  This dish is exceptional!

2 skinless Salmon filets
1-1/2 cups cooked Chickpeas
4 Leaves of Kale, stemmed and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp Cumin seed, crushed
1 Lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Honey
EVOO
S&P TT

Put the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and smash about half of them.  Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp of EVOO, sprinkle on the cumin seeds, a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper.  Toss to combine everything.  Lay the chickpea mixture on the bottom of a baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped kale, the chopped garlic, 1 Tbsp of honey and 1/4 cup water.  Toss to moisten the kale.  Then microwave, covered for about 1-1/2 minutes to wilt the leaves.  Spread the kale on top the chickpeas, then lay the salmon filets on top.  Dust the Salmon with a bit more black pepper.

Bake in a 250F preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

While the salmon bakes, stir together a simple vinaigrette-style topping with the juice of a lemon, a Tbsp of honey, and the Dijon mustard.   Drizzle the vinaigrette over the plated salmon on a bed of the chickpeas and greens.

Roasted Curry-Butternut Squash
with a Lemon-Yogurt Drizzle
Another good find this week.  How to make a side dish into a main course!

2 Butternut Squash peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 cup cooked Garbanzos
Curry Spice Blend
2/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt or Skyr
Juice of 1 good sized Lemon or Lime
1/3 cup Fresh Basil, chopped Julienne

Peel and cut the squash into 1" cubes.  I par cook the whole squash 3-4 minutes before slicing, peeling and cubing.   Toss the squash and beans with a splash of EVOO.  Dust with your favorite curry spice blend and toss again.  Bake in a 375F oven for 30-45 minutes until the squash cubes are fork tender.