Ingredients:
Kale Pesto:
- 2 cups of de-ribbed kale leaves
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ½ cup of cold pressed olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of unrefined sea salt
- 1 clove of garlic
- Juice of one lemon
Cucumber spaghetti
- 1 large cucumber
OPTIONAL: Nutritional yeast flakes – sprinkle on top just before serving. Also use whatever nuts or seeds you have or prefer. You could also add fresh parsley or coriander for added cleansing benefits.
Directions:
- In your food processor, add the kale, sunflower seeds, salt, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and pulse until smooth.
- For the spaghetti, wash the cucumber if you are keeping the skin on, or peel if you prefer it without the skin.
- Cut the ends off the cucumber.
- Use a spiraliser to make your strings of cucumber spaghetti.
OR use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of cucumber.
OR turn a box grater on it’s side with the largest grating holes facing upwards. Then grate the cucumber lengthwise for long thin strings of cucumber spaghetti. - Combine cucumber spaghetti with kale pesto.
This is a great one for the lunch box, especially if you experience a dip in energy in the middle of day or work in a high stress environment — leafy greens tend to be high in the B vitamins and minerals that nourish the nervous system.
Cucumber and kale health benefits:
Cucumbers are composed primarily of water and fibre, two ingredients that are essential for proper stool formation. Most fresh cucumbers are over 90% water filtered by nature to help cleanse the kidneys of uric acid. They are high in potassium and low in sodium which is good if you are worried about your blood pressure. Cucumbers also provide us with moderate amounts of antioxidants and significant amounts of vitamin K which helps to build bone mass.¹
Kale, like all dark leafy green vegetables is a healing food full of nutrition. It is known to be anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants that are known to be anti-carcinogenic. Kale is an excellent source of Vitamins K, C, A, B6, B1, B2, E, B3 and minerals, including potassium, magnesium and iron.²
Related posts: Cucumber and dill salad
References
(1) Cucumber nutrition facts. Online article. Available at: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cucumber.html (accessed 20 March 2017)
(2) Kale. Online article. Available at: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38(accessed 20 March 2017)