Green The Colour Of Love

The beauty of Green.  As found at the Springs Preserve Butterfly exhibit. 

Exactly what’s so great about eating Green?  While it has almost become a bit of a cliché, evidently, there are a lot of great things about Green.  Not only is Green the colour of the 4^th Chakra, the Anahata, meaning “unstuck,” it is designated as our Heart Chakra or Anahata responsible for moving love through our lives.  If you think about it, we Tree-Huggers and Naturalists are lovers of Nature, and when I conjure up images of nature in my head, I tend to think trees, green trees.  Ever wonder why someone is referred to as “green with envy,” when their heart experiences jealousy? 

But that’s another Blog for another day. 

The definition of eating Green continues to hold up in the realm of good nutrition, healthy lifestyles and smart food choices.  Though, to be honest, those murky green smoothies I subsisted on for several months a couple years back, didn’t really do much for me.  Remember Cheryl and Megan?  I was sick with colds and flu more that particular year than any other in recent past.  Obviously, the ingredients I used weren’t exactly the right ones.  Likely too much banana and peanut butter.  Those tend to be my smoothie staples.

However, Green eating isn’t limited to just thick algae-like beverages and the salad bar.  A plant-based diet offer us an abundance of positive outcomes and is offered to us in a variety of styles.  I don’t want to imply that eating Green is inclusive of only shades of green.  We would all be better served thinking in terms of rainbows.  And I don’t mean Fruit Loops or Fruity Pebbles.  More like, Red – apples, strawberries, cherries, and turnips.  Yellow – of course, my bananas, pattypan and summer squash, grapefruit (Ugli fruit), and those stunning little yellow tomatoes.  Blue – blueberries, blue-purple fingerling potatoes and bluemilk mushrooms (look them up, they’re beautiful), Orange – oranges, butternut squash, carrots, and mangos. 

Because most of us eat with our eyes first, creating a masterpiece of colour and texture on a platter or in a vibrant serving bowl has the potential to draw in even the most loyal of fast-food eaters. 

A Bursting Rainbow of Flavor in a Garden Pot. Forget those itty-bitty offerings, Go Big!

While some of us can jump right in and make drastic changes in our eating behaviors, I certainly am not one of them.  And for those of you, who like me, can subsist on bread and wine or wine and M & M’s, easing into a wholesome diet is a bit of a process.  The benefits of plant-based eating has so many benefits, many of which you already know, but they bear repeating.  With a weekly menu primarily rooted (pun intended) in plant-based foods we will see our blood pressure go down, our cholesterol go down, improve our blood sugar levels, and even lose a little weigh and those excess pounds related maladies. 

One of my recent endeavors has been involved playing around with hummus and pesto.  I love traditional pesto prepared with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and good olive oil (uncooked by the way, when it is best for your body), and hummus.  Hummus while not green offers a healthy dose of protein and fiber.  When prepared with some forethought can be lower in fat than commercially prepared brands. 

To get started with that first small step I prepared some garden sweet pea pesto, which can be consumed like pesto or hummus.  Meaning you can eat it as is by simply dipping in some fresh crudités.  Or you can use it traditional pesto, as a condiment on top of a poached chicken breast or other protein. 

Here’s how:

Here I garnished with lemon zest, fresh mint and a bit more grated Gruyere. 

Garden Sweet Pea Pesto

Ingredients

4 cups fresh (or frozen-thawed) garden peas                     ½ cup grated Gruyere cheese

4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts                                             2-3 cloves fresh garlic – peeled

1 teaspoon salt + pepper to taste                                           1 teaspoon fresh mint + leaves for garnish

1/3 – ½ cup good olive oil                                                         zest of one lemon

Process

Using your food processor or a good blender, place peas, grated cheese, pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper 1 teaspoon of the mint leaves and half the zest of the lemon.  Blend ingredients until partially combined.  With machine running on low, drizzle olive oil through top or feed tube until desired consistency is reached.  Some people like their pesto thicker than others.  But don’t over-blend mixture to a state of runniness.  You may need to stop the machine (especially if you’re using a blender) to scrape down sides of bowl/container.  Taste for additional seasoning. 

Using a rubber spatula, scoop pesto into a large serving bowl and garnish with remaining lemon zest and a few mint leaves.  Use as a dip for your fresh crudités or some veggie chips or even a condiment on chicken or other proteins of your choosing.