This is one of my family’s favorite side veggie dish – Cavolo Nero with Garlic, Hazelnuts and Beans! I’m not sure how I got my kids to enjoy something so healthy but I am super chuffed when they enjoy any green vegetable beyond the humble cucumber! 😉

Cavolo Nero also goes by the more familiar names of black leaf kale, Tuscan cabbage or Tuscan kale. It is a beautiful, dark green, nutrient dense cabbage which is believed to have originated in Tuscany. It is very much a winter vegetable and extremely versatile when you need to bump up those nutrients during the winter time. Slightly sweet but slightly bitter at the same time while its earthy flavour means you really don’t need to do too much to it to enjoy its rustic flavour. The green leaves can also be chopped up into soups and stews to increase your veggie intake with ease.

Adding the creamy cannellini beans and the crunchy hazelnuts compliment the bitter greens so beautifully. The real punch of the dish comes from the dressings in a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of rich extra virgin olive oil.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Given my Italian background, I am kind of obsessed with polenta. Growing up in South Africa in an Italian family, I remember my mum using this wonderful ingredient to accompany meat dishes cooked in tomato based sauces. Polenta is a common dish in Northern Italy (where my mum’s family is from), thus coining Northern Italians the name ‘polentoni’ – big polenta’s. A nostalgic dish, which I remember in particular, was Italian sausages cooked in a tomato and onion based sauce, served over a bed of oozy, creamy, polenta and a good grating of parmesan cheese. This hearty meal is a fond memory of food that takes me back to my roots and my childhood. Hence, I am always keen to use it, like here where I fry the left over polenta to make polenta chips. If you haven’t tried these, you need to do so with the left overs from this dish! It’s a bit naughty but totally delightful! 😉

Inspired, last week, by the talented folk at Pinch of Yum, I was quick to act in making a similar dish that used my beloved polenta. What I love about this dish is that it can be easily eaten on its own as a vegetarian meal, packed with nutrient dense veggies OR, as a side dish to accompany a roast dinner or meat of any kind. I quite easily could have eaten it on its own, my husband however, being the meat-eating cave man he is, enjoyed it with some oven roasted, beef eye fillet.

By sautéeing such simple veggies in a little bit of butter and garlic, completely changes their flavour profile. Yes you can reduce the butter content in the entire dish, however, I think that’s what makes this dish so hearty and satisfying to eat on its own, not to mention totally yummy!

Please, what ever you do, do NOT buy the already made, packaged polenta. That stuff is, in nice terms, horrid! You can buy ‘quick cook’ polenta meal at any grocery store near the dried pulses, couscous etc… It is super easy and fast to make! Cooked in salted boiling water or stock, as per packet instructions and you have a great replica of traditional polenta in a matter of minutes.  Traditional polenta takes up to an hour of slow cooking to really release the starch. You can read a great article about the art of cooking polenta here if you’re interested. But for everyday cooking, the ‘quick cook’ stuff is just fine!

To me, this meal seemed to emulate a hearty roast dinner with a bit of a twist. It most certainly left us very content. I hope you enjoy my Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes and Sautéed Veggies. I would love to hear about a family meal you had as a child that triggers fond memories for you!

xxx

I have to introduce you to one of my current favorite veggie dishes! Welcome my beautiful, whole roasted butternut squash, stuffed with rocket, pea shoots, goats cheese and sprinkled with pine nuts. It looks and sounds impressive but the taste is even more incredible. Butternut is an earthy, sweet, nutrient rich, flavourful vegetable. In saying that, it is a battle for me to get my family to enjoy this beautiful superfood, not even my husband has a liking for it. This dish changed his mind as well as a couple of the kids and trust me, I’ve tried many times! The addition of cheese and nuts will have them willing to taste anything.;) The goats cheese adds a beautiful salty, creaminess to the dish, while the salad leaves and nuts add the cheeky crunch factor. You can easily substitute goats cheese with feta and pine nuts with any other nut of your choice. The salad is super flexible to your imagination.

What I love so much about this veggie dish is that it takes very little effort to cook and put together, however, the flavours are so hearty that it feels like you have been cooking all day. You can forget about it in the oven while it’s roasting and assemble the salad components as you’re dishing up. It works wonderfully as a side to a wintry meal, however, I also think the butternut will taste delicious, cold, the next day, combined with a fresh assembly of salad. Perfect for a quick and healthy lunch at work or at home. I hope this recipe helps to convert some of your fussiest eaters…OR, just enjoy its deliciousness all for yourself! 😉

xxx

This is by far the easiest, quickest, freshest salad you will ever make. Not at all your traditional ‘coleslaw’ salad smothered in mayonnaise and goodness knows what else. Its a pet hate of mine when at a restaurant and I am served with coleslaw hiding inside a cup of mayonnaise. After trying this salad, I am certain you will fell the same! Its fresh, light, and so versatile with so many dishes. Perfect as a side salad to almost any dish and even as the veg component to your favourite burger or taco. Personally, I make it at least once a week. With just a few simple, fresh and tasty ingredients, its a synch to put together and a little ingredient seems to go a long way!

I hope you enjoy this refreshing take on an old favourite.

xxx