Stir-fried broccoli and kale with pesto butter-bean mash

As my husband is english he reads the newspaper The Times every day, and last Saturday in their weekend magazine, they had an interesting article showing that more and more people in the UK are becoming "weekday vegans". Hurray, that is fantastic news!! (probably thanks to inspirational people such as Deliciously Ella).

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Being a "weekday vegan" is a great way to start getting into healthier eating habits; in with plant-foods and out with animal foods Monday to Friday, boom. This way you get all the benefits of trying new and delicious healthy meals during the week, but still can enjoy your regular meals and not need to feel like you give up something. Think how amazing it would be for peoples health, if everyone ate only plant-based foods five (or at least four) days out of seven, and what a huge positive impact that would have on the climate! I really really hope this trend is coming to stay. 

 

In the same article they shared some easy to cook plant-based recipes and we decided to try one. The Stir-fried broccoli and kale with pesto butter-bean mash, it was delicious! And it felt very substantial, with the the bean mash giving you plenty of plant-protein and fibers. The only thing I made different, was that I made my own pesto simply because we didn't have pesto at home. I just used my blender and mixed lots of fresh basil with olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon and some nutritional yeast, and used that instead. (PS: last time I cooked this I didn't even do the pesto separate, I just added the ingredients for the pesto straight into the bean mix. This saved me one step and it worked just as well!) .

 

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

  • 300g tenderstem broccoli (or about 1,5 head)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp chopped garlic

  • Salt and pepper

  • 100g curly kale

  • Roasted pine nuts to sprinkle on top

  • 2 x 400g tin cannellini beans or butter beans (one tin per person)

  • 1/2 tbsp veg bouillon diluted in 2 tbsp boiling water

  • 2 tsp vegan pesto (or your home made one, recipe below)

Add this to the bean mix if you don't have store bought pesto:

  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 3-4 tbsp pine nuts

  • 1/2 lemon squeezed

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast

Directions:


1. Remove the woody ends from the broccoli and slice the stalks diagonally into pieces. If any chunks are particularly thick, slice them in half lengthways.


2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the broccoli and garlic. Season well and fry on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.


3. Meanwhile, remove any woody stalks from the curly kale and roughly chop the leaves. Toss these into the pan and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until both broccoli and kale are crisp and golden.


4. Drain and rinse the butter beans and put them in a food processor with the vegetable boullion and boiling water. Add the pesto or all ingredients for the pesto. Blend to a smooth purée. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and seasoning if necessary. 


5. Divide between two dishes and top with the broccoli and kale. Sprinkle pine nuts on top and serve. 

 

Original recipe found in: Vegan in 15: Delicious plant-based recipes you can cook in 15 minutes or less, by Kate Ford. 

RecipesAubrey Moller