Green leafy vegetables are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and feature heavily in my detox program. I love how easy they are to use in all kinds of dishes, as well as all the different varieties. It’s great to visit friends and family abroad and discover the types of green leafies available in their parts of the world. Where here in South West London, our local farmer’s market usually sells about 4 different varieties of cabbage, spinach and perhaps some Swiss chard, over in New England in the States, you can get all of those plus dandelion greens, collards, mustard greens, etc etc etc. If we’re lucky, we can find some bok choy and tatsoi, and in the summer of course we’ll get rocket (aka arugula), lamb’s lettuce (aka mache), and watercress.

That’s a lot of greens!

So, how do you incorporate all that leafy goodness into your daily meals? Here’s some suggestions:

• Green Smoothies. The sneakiest way to incorporate these veggies into your diet. Spinach is the default because its leaves are soft and sweet enough that the flavor won’t overpower any of the other ingredients in the smoothie.
• Salads. A no-brainer. But try stepping out of the lettuce department and into something a bit more daring. A massaged kale salad can be a wonderful thing and really forces you to practice chewing (something we tend to forget about when we’re hurrying through our meals).
• Stir Fries. One of the easiest meals to cook for yourself just got healthier – adding in a few leaves at the last minute takes no time. They wilt down so fast in a hot skillet that you’d barely notice they’re there. Try it next time you break out your wok.
• Soups. In much the same way that they can hide inside a smoothie, greens can go undetected in all sorts of soup. Of course, you can really go for it and prepare a totally green soup. Or you can simply stir through some shredded kale at the last minute.
• Wraps. For the more robust leafy greens, like collards and dinosaur kale, try using them as a wrap instead of a tortilla or pita bread. Best of all, they provide a crunchy edge to the wrap, making them a perfect compliment to softer fillings.
• Curries. One of my favorite simple Indian curry dishes, dal, always tastes better with a handful of spinach stirred through. So simple to do!
• Pesto. While basil is the classic leaf in pesto, you can create all sorts of alternatives using different herbs and green veggies. My spinach and walnut pesto is delicious, or you could try making a version using either parsley, mint, or cilantro. Plenty of options and all fantastically green.

So I prepared this simply sauteed dish using the purple broccoli, leaves and all. You could make this using any leafy greens you like – the flavors are divine.

okay, so it’s kind of tricky to make an almond milk mustache – it isn’t as thick as cow’s (or goat’s) milk. but i thought i’d just throw that in there for movember

but it is NOT that tricky to make your own almond milk! and if you don’t like almonds, you can pretty much make a milk out of any nut you fancy. how about hazelnuts? or macadamias? or cashews? or brazils? go nutty, nancy!

after searching around youtube for some how-to videos, and after ordering my very own nut milk bag, i felt confident enough to tackle it myself. unfortunately, i used a food processor instead of a blender, which created a nice river all over my countertop. so for future reference, this recipe is strictly BLENDER-ONLY! i can’t wait to own a vitamix one day….

anyway, while we can find nut milks in most stores nowadays (even mainstream grocery stores!), if you’re looking to save a little cash, or want to make the freshest, healthiest stuff possible – simply try making your own. there are tons of “recipes” out there – can we even really call them recipes? it is literally just nuts and water (although there is room for added extras, like dates, agave nectar, honey, vanilla, maple syrup….)

to make this almond milk, you’ll first need to soak one cup of almonds in water overnight. this will make the nuts much easier to blend when you’re ready. and by the way, soaking nuts isn’t just great for making nut milk; it is also a way to make nuts easier to digest for everyday snacking. sometimes, dry raw nuts aren’t exactly the smoothest to eat, so soaking them for an hour or longer in water (then draining of course!) will help you out on the digestion front. same goes for seeds.

this recipe makes about 2 cups (maybe slightly less) of milk – the photo above shows you the total amount i made the other day. i used half of that for my breakfast this morning, with a chopped apple, ground flaxseed, and some of my homemade muesli!

almond milk

makes 2 cups; keeps in the fridge 3-4 days

the particulars:

• 1 cup almonds (or any nuts or seeds), soaked overnight and rinsed until water runs clear
• 4 cups water
• optional: 3 dates or 2 tbsp agave nectar/maple syrup/honey or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. blitz all ingredients in a blender, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high.
2. drape a nut milk bag (or could use cheese cloth) over a wide-mouthed bowl or jug and pour the milk in. squeeze the milk out of the bag carefully – the leftover pulp can be used to make raw bread or when dried and pulsed even more (in a food processor this time) can be made into almond flour.

voila! no need for dairy

i’m handing over the keyboard to phil now, since he made these delectable snack bars and therefore is in a good position to guest post. i hope you enjoy!

hello people! don’t worry, there’ll be no acceptance speech intro from me. it’s about time i got a chance to introduce myself (i was recently referred to as ‘the vegetarian fiance’ in an email to ms particular).

so i’ve been trying to eat a lot more healthily since… well, the beginning of september. i over-indulged in the summer and put on some weight. so we (molly and i) stopped drinking alcohol for a while (you know that) and i started drinking herbal tea instead of sweet english breakfast in the mornings. this spread to me cutting out most of the caffeine and non-fruit sugars in my diet. which went well. but i missed desserts. i have such a sweet tooth, it’s a bit ridiculous. i’m always the first to have biscuits at break time at school, and i just love cheesecake, flapjack, creme brulee, cake… anything and everything with sugar, really.

so what if i’ve told myself i can’t have them? what if going to the gym makes me want to continue the good work rather than spoil it? if i’m going to indulge, whatever it is needs to be worth the calories.

unless you make healthy dessert! honey’s good for you, right? better than other sugar, yeah. and nuts? and fruit? and cereal? yes, yes, YES! then there’s only one thing for it: chewy sexy bars.

you’re probably wondering what’s sexy about them. well, what isn’t? they’re fun to make, taste amazing, and don’t give you a double chin. and you can add to them whatever you like. i adapted a recipe to include coconut and currants, just to add a little extra ‘chew’.

here’s a bar on a particularly nice plate: delish!

chewy sexy bars

makes 16-20 snack bars, depending on size; recipe based on mark bittman’s apricot-almond granola bars

the particulars:

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice krispies
• 1/2 cup cashews, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/3 cup currants
• 1/3 cup granola
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. heat up the almond butter and honey in a small saucepan for 2-3 minutes until melted and mixed.
2. combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands. (sexy)
3. line a rectangular baking dish (whatever size you have in your kitchen) with enough plastic wrap (chewy) to line the bottom and sides and excess on either side to wrap back across the top. spoon the mixture into the baking dish and spread out in an even layer. fold the plastic wrap over the top so it is fully covered and place in the fridge overnight.
4. when completely cooled, cut into bars – you pick the size – and enjoy!

so whilst i go and undo all my good work by eating all 16 bars for one dessert, i’ll leave you by thanking molly for letting me be the first guest on her awesome blog. ‘bye!

today has been a wonderful fake christmas day so far! phil and i decided to have our own mini christmas a few days early – so we have unwrapped most of our presents, and are going to have a wonderful feast tonight. and then watch love actually. total cheese.

anyway, major thank you to my dad for supplying the keyboard with which i am typing this lil blog post — that’s right, folks, i’m the proud owner of a brand new laptop! it is so pretty. i still need to think of a name. skye, a little help?

also, thank you to naomi of the gluttonous vegan! we met up for some delicious raw cake over the weekend, had a great chat, and i couldn’t be happier to have such a wonderful new friend in london. she graciously wrote a lil something about the particular kitchen on her blog, so now i must obviously do the same. go check it out – she is an amazing photographer and from the looks of it a wonderful cook!

and while we’re on the subject of new stuff, i got a haircut today and it is preeeeeeeeetty drastic. i generally don’t do boring haircuts, but since i’ve been to london, the mop hasn’t been too radical. but today i decided to throw caution to the wind and go for something slightly outrageous. so i’m a bit shorter, a bit brighter, and feeling shiny and new just in time for the holidays. woop!

food-wise, i made a delicious snack yesterday and have to give it a huge ringing endorsement. mama pea knows a thing or two about delicious grub.

pumpkin spice roasted chickpeas

check peas and thank you for the original recipe!

time to make the delicious feast. menu includes at least two recipes i learned at leith’s!

the particular kitchen just got a WHOLE lot healthier. my very generous grandma gave me a wonderful early christmas present (since it’s a little too big to bring to the states and then back to england again). A JUICER!

i’m so excited to start making my own juices (and coulis and cold soups and cocktails…) – so excited in fact that i made some fantastic stuff yesterday morning after making my weekly trip to the local farmer’s market. p.s. they have their own website finally – check out my beloved barnes farmer’s market!

i picked up a huge bag of apples and pears as well as some carrots and spinach, and immediately got juicing. phil and i decided to experiment by using 4 cox apples, 3 large carrots, and a couple of pieces of ginger (admittedly large pieces).

the result was a very orange and delicious juice, but i think the best part is the process of actually making the juice (the worst part is cleaning up all the leftover pulp GROSS). there is something weirdly satisfying about pressing the pieces of fruit and veg through the tube and watching it become a slow trickle of colourful juice into your cup. i can’t wait to start experimenting with different combinations. and eventually building up the courage to do green juices with spinach, kale, etc. and maybe even beetroot! ooh exciting!

all of this:

became this:

delish!

do you need more greens in your life? don’t we all. how about trying an extremely simple and tasty greens dish that takes mere minutes to make.

this comes to us from my step-mom’s cookbook that she made for me and her son a few christmases ago. the recipes are split up into the four seasons and all the pages have her own illustrations. it’s a beautiful little book and i love to try and make some of her dishes now and then.

today for lunch, i whipped up a nice big wok full of her greens recipe, with a couple of added extras. try it, you might like it!

elizabeth’s greens

the particulars:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• red onion, chopped
• piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped
• handful of raisins
• handful of pine nuts
• splash of rice vinegar
• any of the following greens: kale, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, spring greens

1. stir fry the onion, ginger, raisins, and pine nuts in the olive oil in a large wok until soft or caramelised.
2. chop up the greens coarsely, then thrown them in a strainer and quickly clean, shaking off excess water. leave some dampness on them which will help to cook/steam them in the stirfry quickly.
3. turn up the heat to high and add the greens, still damp from the strainer. stir them vigorously as they quickly cook and decrease in size. add the splash of vinegar once they have softened a little. do not cover, but continue to cook until they have wilted and everything is mixed together. serve hot, either as a side or main dish.

lesson learned: today i used good ol’ kale and something called “spring greens” – whatever they were, it was a delicious addition to my lunch (which also included goat’s cheese on toast and a few slices of tomato).

growing up, my family were strict meat eaters. to this day, i always get a nice fluttery feeling when i think about the impending holidays and all the turkey and roast beef. mmmm meat. so i guess i’ll never be a strict veg, but i’ve absolutely changed my ways since moving to london and living with one. you won’t find any meat in my kitchen (but that doesn’t mean i won’t order some when we’re at a restaurant).

every time i pick up a new cooking or food magazine, i always tear out the vegetarian recipes first. this one comes from olive and was colourful, beautiful, and delicious. all the herbs were fresh from the farmer’s market last weekend. how wonderful is the smell of fresh thyme? yummmm.

roasted butternut squash with goat’s cheese

based on this recipe from olive magazine, and halved.

the particulars:

• 1 small butternut squash
• garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• a pinch dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp thyme, chopped
• 1 courgette, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onions, chopped
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 25g pine nuts
• 50g goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1. heat the oven to 200C/gas 6. cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds then cut criss-cross patterns over the cut-side of each one. mix together the garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, chilli and thyme and brush this mixture over the flesh. bake for about 40 minutes until the flesh is tender.
2. to make the filling, put the courgette, pepper and onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. season and roast for about 20-25 minutes until tender and starting to brown at the edges. add the cherry tomatoes and pine nuts and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. mix the breadcrumbs, goat’s cheese, and parsley. arrange the roasted vegetables in the squash halves, scatter with the breadcrumb and cheese mix and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

lesson learned: the squash was a bit on the firm side, so could use maybe 10 more minutes in our little oven. other than that, the flavours were great and it was perfectly filling.

for no special reason, phil and i decided to have a sober september. i’ve never done a sober month before (he has) and i wanted to see if it would [a] be really difficult and [b] make a noticeable difference in my body and overall health.

we went on two vacations in the month of august, which meant more alcohol than normal (even though we’re not heavy drinkers — we usually stick to the 3 nights a week rule), and we had no major plans or parties to go to in september, which led to us getting on the wagon.

so far, it’s been pretty smooth sailing. i’ve only really MISSED having a drink a couple of times — out at a pub or at a friend’s house — but for the most part, my body got used to the lack of alcohol quickly. the difficulty factor came out early on, since london is a city built around pubs, bars, and off-licenses. you can’t walk down a street here without being confronted by the lure of a drink.

health-wise, i have more energy, feel better in the mornings (hangover or not), and don’t have that bloated blah feeling nearly as much.

it reminds me of how i felt once i stopped eating the foods i discovered i was allergic to. this may be a new leaf i’m turning over. i think i might cut back even more on the drinking once the month is over. and no, i’m not going to get hammered in october! but i can’t say no to a good glass of wine every once in a while.

[photo by phil, taken at john's pizzeria in nyc]