Kale and caramelized onion recipe

 

Warning: this is another super healthy post from Segur. This dish is delicious, I promise, but I realise I’ve posted two very green and healthy dishes sequentially, and for some of you that might be a little too much. So if you are looking for a sweet treat instead, perhaps try these blondies, or these muffins. But, if you fancy a hearty, simple earthy dish, with creamy and sweet elements, then this might just be for you.

So, a little background on this post - I’ve had a couple of kilograms of brown onions sitting in our kitchen for the last few weeks. I’ve been meaning to make caramelized onion chutney, to continue my preserving experiments, with my new preserving pan. But as is often the way, I seem to be continually distracted by other projects and activities. But I decided today was the day and the chutney, which I’ll post about in the next couple of days. Once it's finished simmering away, and slowly reducing on the stove.

As I was caramelizing onions anyway, I decided to put together a healthy lunch using some of the onions and a bunch of organic kale, which has been sitting in the fridge for a few days. I often steam kale, and toss it with soy, garlic and ginger. But today I thought I’d honour its Tuscan roots and go for a slightly richer dish. I added a couple of handfuls of chopped kale to oil in the frying pan and tossed it around a little. I then dropped in a couple of tablespoons of the caramelized onions and fried it off a little further, allowing the kale to soften and morph into an even brighter green. I added a little Turkish feta that was in the fridge, which finished the dish off with a rich creamy, slightly salty kick.

This is a really simple dish, and makes a fantastic midweek lunch. It would also be lovely served as a side dish, for dinner. You can also caramelize additional onions and they’ll keep in the fridge for at least a week. They are great on pizzas, or stirred into pasta. Here’s the recipe:

Recipe

(Serves one, scale up as required)

One onion (sliced)

Two large handfuls roughly chopped kale (any variety will do)

Dash of balsamic vinegar

30 grams feta, or any hard, crumbly cheese (a hard goat would also work)

Olive oil

Step One: Add the sliced onion to a pan, with a dash of oil. Move the onion around with a wooden spoon, allowing it to cook through and caramelize. After a few minutes add a dash of balsamic vinegar to the onion and fry it off a little more. You know the onion is caramelized when the colour has darkened. Set aside.

  

Step Two: Heat a dash of olive oil in a pan. Drop in the kale and toss. The colour will intensify quite quickly. When it does, stir through the onion, and toss again. Remove from heat, and crumble in the feta to serve. Enjoy!

Super healthy Romanesco salad recipe

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to come across a lovely head of Romanensco at a local market. An Italian vegetable by origin, it seems someone has an eye for its sculptural and slightly futuristic beauty, or perhaps it’s subtly nutty flavour, here in France.

Apparently Romanesco, a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, was developed through selective cultivation in 16th century Italy. Appearance wise, it may well be the most stunning vegetable you ever meet. Its strong geometric form and lime-green colouring must have appeared as otherworldly 500 years ago, as it does today.    

The Romanesco is made up of intricate, repetitive swirls. Each floret is comprised of countless smaller conical florets. The incredibly symmetrical fractal pattern, is described by mathematicians as logarithmic, by Creationists as evidence of “God’s great work” despite it being recorded historically as a cultivated variety, and by gardeners and chefs alike quite simply, as beautiful.      

As well as being gorgeous to look at Romanesco is packed with nutrients, and easy to prepare. You can eat it raw, with hummus, or steam it for a few minutes as I did. It’s got a sweet creamy and slightly flavour. This recipe with a simple dressing, fresh goats cheese and sundried tomatoes, is simple, and allows the full taste of the Romanesco to shine through. I hope you like it!

Recipe

(serves two as a main dish)

One head of Romanesco

10 chopped sundried tomatoes (chopped)

 2 tablespoons chopped/crumbled Fromage Frais (or soft goats cheese)

Three table spoons olive oil

Juice of one lemon

Two tea spoons wholegrain mustard

Ground black pepper

Step One: Chop the Romanesco into florets and steam until al dente.

Step Two: Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and some ground black pepper in a jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake.

Step 3: In a large bowl mix the Romanesco, sundried tomatoes, fromage frais and dressing. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 

Quick and Healthy – Sautéed Rainbow Chard with Sumac

I’m trying to make the most of my January resolution to eat a little healthier. In addition to my staples, of steamed broccoli and kale, I’ve been taking the time to browse the market for new contenders. 

This week I came across mountains of brightly coloured rainbow chard. With its fabulous leaves of burnt yellow, fluorescent orange, deep green, and burgundy, I snapped it up. Surely it will make me healthier. Gosh I felt energised just looking at it.

In an effort to keep my taste buds interested in my resolution, I’ve spending some time perusing blogs focused on simple healthy foods, such as Scandie Foodie (also known as seriously healthy - no dairy, no sugar), for inspiration. My feeling is that Scandi Foodie would probably insert my bunch of rainbow chard directly into her juicer. Although I love vegetable juices, and am totally sold on their health benefits, I really don’t enjoy cleaning the juicer. I actually avoid it at all costs. The resulting odour leads to a certain level of domestic discontent, so the juicer tends to live a quiet life in the cupboard.  

The next healthiest way to eat chard is probably raw. And while I’m keen to increase the proportion of raw foods in my diet this January, it’ freezing here. So a hot lunch was in order. As such I decided to sauté the chard with smoked garlic, shallots and sumac. At the last minute I added some chilli pickle for an extra kick – both because chilli is said to speed up one’s metabolism, and because I love the flavour.

This dish is incredibly simple to make. The whole process from fridge to plate took less than ten minutes. It makes a tasty midweek lunch, and would also make an impressive colourful side dish.      

I hope you like it! Here’s the recipe.

 Recipe

Olive oil

2 loves Smoked garlic (minced)

2 Shallots (chopped)

Sumac (2 tea spoons)

Bunch of chopped rainbow chard

Chilli Pickle (to taste – I used 2 tea spoons)

 

Step 1: Chop the chard. Keep the stalks and the leaves separate. 

Step 2: In a pan, heat a glug of oil, the minced garlic and the finely chopped shallots. Once these are fragrant add the chard stalks.

Step 3: Once the stalks are tender, add the sumac and then the chard leaves. Add the chilli pickle and sauté for two minutes.   

Step 4: Et voila! Enjoy

Any other suggestions on ways to prepare chard? There’s plenty available at the moment and it seems to be almost always organic.

Healthy and delicious broccoli and feta salad

I heart broccoli. It’s true. It’s green, good for me, and I often crave it. Broccoli is apparently one of the healthiest foods around, a “nutritional powerhouse.” Eating it makes me feel quite virtuous. I prefer broccoli steamed, to retain the powerhouse of nutrients, and because to me it tastes better. 

This salad is super simple, extremely tasty and takes less than ten minutes to make. I often have it for lunch on a weekday, but it’s also attractive enough to serve as a warm side dish at a dinner party. This salad also chills well and makes an excellent, colourful and nutritious addition to any BBQ. At this time of year though, I prefer my broccoli warm and straight from the steamer.

When buying broccoli make sure it’s crisp and bright. Avoid any broccoli that is a little saggy, or has lost its vibrant colour. And if you can, buy organic. Here’s the recipe.

Recipe

(Serves one hungry person, or two as a side dish)

One large head of broccoli

25grams Greek feta cheese

One small red pepper

15 black Greek olives

Juice of one lemon

Glug of olive oil

Ground black pepper 

Step 1 – Bring a medium size saucepan to the boil, and cover with a steamer. Chop the broccoli into florets and drop into the steamer. Using a pair of tongs, move the broccoli around every minute or so to ensure all of the florets are steamed. You’ll see the broccoli change colour from a dark green to a vibrant green. After five or so minutes taste a floret. When the broccoli is ready, it will taste crisp, but not raw. 

Step 2 – While the broccoli is steaming, chop the feta and slice the peppers. Mix the lemon juice with a glug of olive oil.

Step 3 – Transfer the steamed broccoli to a bowl. Stir in the peppers, feta and olives. Pour over the olive oil and lemon juice mixture and add ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!