Recipe Round-Up: Greenilicious

I was lucky enough to test for my friend Leigh Drew's cookbook Greenilicious. I was super busy at the time, so didn't get to test as much as I would have liked, but I did make almost all of the amazing green smoothies that she created as well as a few other things. But there is far more to this book than green smoothies, it is packed full of delicious and clever recipes using all sorts of greens! Chapters are divided based on the family of green used in the recipes, with a final chapter about green smoothies. But back to those smoothies, they are worth the price of the book alone. Testing turned me into a die hard green smoothie fan, and Leigh's smoothie recipes are still the most fun and delicious smoothies I've ever come across!

A note, most of these recipes I made during the testing phase, so I will mention if there have been any changes in the ingredients or recipe between testing and publication.

Stuffed Baby Bok Choy: This is a cute and fun recipe. The recipe calls for 8 baby bok choy (approx 150g each), but I had three large ones that were all that would fit into my steamer and also took most of the filling. I left out the chili because of not liking things too spicy. The stuffing is based on grated tempeh, which is ridiculously mince like, how did I not grate tempeh for so long? The published recipe calls for an extra 50g of tempeh compared to the tester recipe, so you will end up with some more filling.
Rating: :)



Citrus-Glazed Pumpkin over Garlic Sesame Wilted Choy Sum: This is a lovely dish, using either Jap or Grey pumpkin (I used Jap). It makes quite a lot of pumpkin! After baking, leftover marinade can be heated a little to thicken, and then drizzled over the pumpkin when served. The published recipe calls for almost double the amount of choy sum, and more greens is always a good thing. I served mine over some red rice.
Rating: :)



Cauliflower and Fennel Pate: This is super yum, I devoured most of this over one afternoon because I just couldn't stop going back for more. It is quite soft, but that doesn't matter too much when you are scooping it up and shoveling it in to your mouth. The vegetables are roasted before being pureed into the pate, so you know it is extra special.
Rating: :D



Creamy Artichoke and Spinach Dip: Creamy and yummy, it is great warm out of the oven served with veggie sticks and crackers, but I also had fun stuffing leftovers into baked potatoes. The recipe calls for 450g artichoke hearts, which is what came out of two 400g tins of hearts once I drained them. I didn't use the full amount of crumbs, as I prefer a thinner crumb layer.
Rating: :)





Celery Stuffed with Walnut Cheese: This is a super cute party food. In testing, I noted that the cheese was a but too strong with lime juice, and there is now less lime and more nooch in the published recipe. It makes a lot of cheese! As well as walnuts, the cheese is based on either pumpkin or sunflower seeds, I used sunflower.
Rating: :)



Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Tempeh Croutons: This is a satisfying soup on a cold day. I really like the addition of the tempeh croutons, but don't expect them to get super crispy. This soup is also lovely cold, or with nooch mixed in to make a cheesy cauliflower soup.
Rating: :)



Sherbet Lemon Green Smoothie: This is a really nice but very intensely flavoured green smoothie. Leigh's recipes all say they make two large or four small, but I often drank most or all of a smoothie in one sitting. I think this would be one to share. It has a beautiful, jewel green colour! It also separates quickly, so is not a good one to store for later.
Rating: :)



Peanut Butter Caramel Green Smoothie: This is a beautiful, rich, almost dessert-like smoothie. I loved this! It is based on spinach and kale, though I used a bit more spinach than kale. This would not be out of place as a decadent but healthy way to finish off the end of your day! Smoothie for dessert? Heck yes!
Rating: :D



Strawberry Shortcake Green Smoothie: aka My Favourite Green Smoothie in the History of Smoothies. I can't really explain how amazing this smoothie is, and when I tell people it has bok choy in it they look at me funny. But for reals, do it! This smoothie does has a little bit of coconut sugar and agave in it, though I can leave these out and go with the sweetness of the fruit. But for reals, best ever smoothie. Buy the book for this alone. Make it all the time!
Rating: :D :D :D (yes!)



Blueberry Pancake Green Smoothie: I found this smoothie a bit bitter on first tasting, but if you let it sit for five or ten minuites it mellows out and is lovely. Just drink it all at once, because it will separate on standing. And don't try and freeze it, it turns into sludge (I was experimenting with different methods of storing smoothies).
Rating: :)



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Leigh loves cats, and she loves both my girls, but she has a particular adoration for Sahara. Here is Sahara. At the time I took this photo, I had gotten home late for her afternoon tea. I was greeted by this very unimpressed face!