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Vegan Carrot Green Pesto with Walnuts

Healthy Girl — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:23:37 +0000

What up! Long time no see, darling readers. I’m back…with pesto!

I hope you’ve all been visiting your local farmers markets now that it’s that time of year! If you pick up fresh, whole carrots, pesto-izing the greens is a fantastic way to use all of your precious veggies (not to mention minimize waste and whip up dinner in no time!)

When I make pesto, I like to keep the greens to nut & oil ratio higher than usual in order to maximize the vitamin content and keep things moving through those arteries. Carrot greens provide a nutritious base for this yummy and versatile dip/sauce/sandwich spread, as the greens contain cancer-fighting chlorophyll. They also have antiseptic properties, which may help counter the effects of all that garlic on yo’ breath

Walnuts infuse this pesto with omega-3s, those heart-healthy fats that are all too absent in Americans’ diets. A little lemon adds the antioxidant vitamin C. This version contains nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese, making it friendly for vegans and the anti-lactose crowd alike. Nutritional yeast is chock full of B vitamins, iron, fiber, and minerals like zinc and selenium. You can find this magical powder in the bulk section of your health food store and get creative with it–try sprinkling the yeast on popcorn, or have it on avocado toast.

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

1 large bunch carrot greens
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP walnut pieces
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the first six ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. FYI, if you leave your stems on, your pesto have a slightly stringy quality. Spread the finished product on crackers or pita chips, toss with whole wheat pasta, use as a base for a veggie wrap, or brush over a chicken breast, then serve atop mixed greens. Enjoy!

HGC + Glamour Magazine 4eva

Healthy Girl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:17:37 +0000

Check it out y’all! Glamour’s February issue features a one-week gentle dietary cleanse that is nearly identical to the one HGC featured last summer. Props to Glamour for rejecting post-holiday guilt trips and unhealthy quick fix schems (ahem, Master Cleanse) in favour of body-friendly ways of getting back on track.

Also in this month’s issue, Glamour makes good on its promise to feature more models with real bodies in its fashion spreads. Way to go, Glam!

What I did on my Winter Vacation

Healthy Girl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:02:15 +0000

Sup yiz’all! HGC is back from Spain, where I chilled mad hard with mi familia for the last three weeks. I was hoping to bring some ideas back with me for the kitchen–you know, some healthified Spanish eats to share with my dear readers–but it turns out that Spain didn’t work with me much to that end. “Ensalada” seems to be Spanish for “ham and cheese drenched in olive oil”. We did manage to find a few vegetarian restaurants in Madrid and Toledo, which were the only spots where we found our holy grail, the Leafy Green Vegetable. In fact, at Madre Tierra in Toledo (where we ate two nights in a row cause we couldn’t get enough!), I had an incredible spinach salad topped with–are you ready?–artesanal goat cheese ICE CREAM!

Anyway, happy new year everybody! I’m looking forward to catching up with my bad self in the kitchen, and excited to share some new recipes with you, so stay tuned!