OMG. Who thought that healthy could be so tasty?! I made this greens salad and ate it every day like two weeks in a row. It goes well with everything! Fish (if you eat fish), pasta or just plain. You can add tofu if you would like more plant protein.

What makes this greens salad so delicious?

Well, first, it’s simply the fresh vegetables. Not over or undercooked. Second, it’s the light pesto sauce. I will share the recipe in a separate post, but all and all it’s simply made from a generous handful of basil, 3 garlic cloves, about 1/2 cup olive oil and a bit of salt.

Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

Greens

We could probably all use more green vegetables in our gut. No matter what diet you are on – Paleo, Keto, vegan, vegetarian, they all share one thing in common – eat your greens! the more the merrier!

Green vegetables were linked to healthy gut, improved brain activity, life endurance, Alzheimer prevention. One interesting book that I recommend reading in this context is Genius Foods written by Max Lugavera.

Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

This recipe also includes other greens – olive oil which helps the vitamins and minerals in the greens absorb and is a strong antioxidant. Pumpkin seeds which are rich with protein, iron and help prevent having gut issues like parasites. Avocado which is a super food, full of healthy fats and omega-6. Hemp seeds which are rich in amino-acids, protein, omega-3 and more… Omega-3 and 6 are important for our optimal brain function. I also add Brazil nuts which although not green but give the perfect crunchiness to the recipe.

Recipe ingredients

The greens I used for this recipe are: Arabic or Romanian lettuce, zucchini my love, fennel and kale. You can replace them with other greens them or add other greens that would fit well in this recipe like celery, broccoli, cabbage and green beans.

This recipe is made of:

  • Lettuce
  • Zucchini
  • Fennel
  • Kale
  • Avocado
  • Pesto sauce
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Hemp seeds
  • Pistachios
  • Brazil nuts
Ingredients for Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

How to make

I wash the lettuce well and select a few leaves. I let them dry and place them as base in a medium size bowl. In the meantime, I cut the fennel, kale and zucchini to medium slices – bite size.

Preperations for Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

I add about 1cm of hot water to a hot, add the fennel, zucchini and kale, cover with the lid, and let it steam for about 7 minutes. When you steam, not to open the lid before, so that the steam won’t come out. I then check the veggies. How do I know that they are ready? They should be “el-dente” – soften but not completely soft – so we don’t want mushy veggies – we want to keep their freshness, vitamins and other essentials.

Preperations for Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

Once the steamed veggies are ready, we move them to a bowl and mix them with 3 tablespoons of pesto and mix well. We now place them on top of the lettuce.

Preperations for Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

I cut the avocado to slices and place on top. Now for the fun part. we cut the pistachios and Brazil nuts (or any other nuts of choice) small. We now sprinkle the nuts, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds over the salad and Viola! The perfect combo!

Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

All-Greens, Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce

This salad is rich with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, iron, antioxidants. It's the perfect addition to your daily menu, it is easy and fast to make and suits all diets – vegan, vegetarian, vegan, paleo.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian
Cuisine Global, Israeli

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium zucchinis*
  • a handful of kale
  • 1 medium fennel
  • 8-10 lettuce leaves Romanian or Arabic is best
  • ⅓ medium avocado
  • 3 tbsp pesto sauce**
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp crushed pistachios***
  • 2 crushed Brazil nuts
  • 1 tsp hemp seeds
  • salt (based on personal preference)

Instructions
 

  • Wash the lettuce well and cut it roughly with your hands. Place it in a medium serving bowl.
  • Cut the zucchini, kale and fennel to medium, bite-size pieces.
  • Add 1cm of hot water to a heating pot and add the zucchini, kale and fennel. Cover the pot with a lid and let the vegetables steam for about 5-7 minutes. Try to avoid opening the lid, so that the steam will not come out. Check the veggies – they should be 'el dente' – slightly cooked and softened, but not overcooked or too soft. This help remain their nutritional values.
  • Once the vegetables are ready, take them out of the pot into a bowl and mix them with the pesto sauce.
  • Cut the avocado to slices and place on top
  • Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds, crushed pistachios and Brazil nuts and hemp seeds on top.
  • Fix the salt and dressing if needed and Enjoy! You gut will like it for sure 😉

Notes

*You can replace the vegetables with other green vegetables that may fit such as celery, broccoli, green beans, cabbage and cauliflower (although white :))
**I make pesto by blending 1/2 cup olive oil with 3 garlic cloves and a generous handful of basil. If you don’t have a blender or basil, you can mix 2-3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 minced garlic clove and a bit of salt (fix the saltiness after you mix the sauce with the vegetables). If you have basil leaves – you can add a few fresh leaves to the salad.
***You can reduce or replace any of the nuts and seeds in the recipe.
Keyword Amino-acids, dairy free, Greens, healthy, iron, lactose free, Nutrients, Plant based, preservatives free, sugar free, vegan, vegetarian
Greens Healthy Steamed Salad in Pesto Sauce