Twice baked potatoes: kale & hazelnut pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 100g hazelnuts, parmigiano, 1 lemon, 20g basil, basil oil, 1 small onion.

Preparation: 2 hours

Cooking the perfect baked potato is an art form, and filling it is an exercise in creativity that I never get tired of. Twice baked potatoes are glorious - a crispy shell filled with fluffy potato overlaid with gungey, creamy swirls of yumminess. Kale pesto alone is unbelievably satisfying, but adding onion really gives it an extra dimension.

1) To make the perfect baked potato.

2) Fold the kale leaves in half, slice away the stalk and discard. 

3) Add the hazelnuts into your food processor and pulse until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the parmigiano and onion (peeled and sliced into quarters), then add the kale and basil leaves bit by bit until everything is thoroughly pureed. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste.

4) Add the kale mixture to a pan along with the basil oil and stir on a low heat until the kale is soft and the onions are cooked. (Raw kale is wonderfully springy, by the time the onions are cooked, this quality should no longer be present)

5) Slice open the potato and scoop out as much of the potato as possible without compromising the integrity of the structure. (Oh yes, I went there!).

6) Stir the potato in with the kale pesto, then spoon back into the potato shells and bake for a further 10-15 minutes before serving.

Gnocchi with kale & artichoke pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 artichoke, olive oil, gruyere, 1 potato, 3oz pasta flour.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour

This serving suggestion for my kale and artichoke pesto is one of the lightest gnocchis that I have ever made, as I usually associate gnocchi with heavy cream sauces. I concocted this recently for a vegan friend (minus the gruyere for her of course!) and it turned out beautifully. Give it a try!

1) To make kale & artichoke pesto.

2) To make gnocchi: Bake a small potato and allow it to cool. Remove the skin and add to the blender along with the pasta flour. Blitz through and roll the mixture into balls.

3) Roll the balls in flour, score with a fork, then drop in boiling, salted water. Once the dumplings float to the surface (about 2 minutes) they're ready.

4) Drain the pan of gnocchi and stir in the pesto and grated gruyere. Serve hot

Kale & artichoke pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 artichoke, olive oil.

Preparation: 40 minutes

Pesto is a regular favourite with me, and so versatile. From the Italian classic basil/pine nut/garlic/lemon/parmigiano combination to the French classic pistou (using almonds) there are few variations of nuts and herbs that I have yet to grind up in my mortar and pestle and share on this blog. The combination of scrummy kale and fabulous artichoke makes this pesto one of my best yet.

1) Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready!.

2) Blanche the kale then drain and dry thoroughly. 

3) Slice the artichoke leaves and add to the blender along with a generous glug of olive oil, a tablespoon of almond butter and the kale. Blitz until a soft puree has formed. Stir into pasta, spread onto sandwiches or why not try my gnocchi recipe?

Kale Pesto Caprese Pancake Cannelloni

Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, 100g pine nuts, 1 lemon, 30g parmigiano, mozzarella, tomato, Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt, Cheddar

Serves: 4 Preparation: 45 minutes

I adore making pancakes. There's something so soothing about the ritualistic rolling of batter in a pan. When I created my recipe for kale pesto, I instantly envisioned it in contrast to oozing cheese and pasta. But then after using it as a pancake filling, I couldn't resist making cannelloni using my leftover pancake batter and borrowing the incredible yoghurt sauce that I created for enchiladas to smother my stuffed pancakes with. It's a delicious, yet light dish... coming soon kale pesto pasta. Om nom nom. 

1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.

2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.

3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.

4) To make the pesto - Add the basil leaves to a mortar bowl along with a pinch of salt and the pine nuts. Grind thoroughly, adding a squeeze of lemon juice and grated parmigiano to taste. Tear the leaves of the kale from the woody stalks and add to a blender along with the pesto. Blend thoroughly, drizzling oil at the same time until the desired consistency has been reached.

5) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!

6) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!

7) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, repeat until you have 6 pancakes. Spread the kale pesto onto the pancakes and add a line of mozzarella in the centre. Roll up the pancakes and set them in an ovenproof dish.

8) To make the sauce, grate the cheddar into the yoghurt and spread over the pancakes. Top with an extra layer of cheese and bake for 15 minutes.

Pancakes - kale pesto caprese

La	Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, 30g basil, 200g kale, 100g pine nuts, 1 lemon, 30g parmigiano, mozzarella, tomato, olive oil

Serves: 6 Preparation: 20 minutes

I adore making pancakes. There's something so soothing about the ritualistic rolling of batter in a pan and who says that pancakes have to be sweet? When I  created my recipe for kale pesto, I knew that I wanted to make a warm version of a caprese salad (basil, tomato and mozzarella) and with pancake day coming up... what better way to serve it?! 

1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.

2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.

3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.

4) To make the pesto - Add the basil leaves to a mortar bowl along with a pinch of salt and the pine nuts. Grind thoroughly, adding a squeeze of lemon juice and grated parmigiano to taste. Tear the leaves of the kale from the woody stalks and add to a blender along with the pesto. Blend thoroughly, drizzling oil at the same time until the desired consistency has been reached.

5) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!

6) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!

7) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, serve filled with slices of mozzarella, tomato and the pesto.

Kale crisps

Ingredients Kale, olive oil, salt

Preparation: 10 minutes


When a dear friend of mine, Ashley mentioned she had been craving these ever since she'd tried them, I had to give it a go. I must admit that they were a little salty for me but they were a big hit with The Boy who adored them. The second batch I made I omitted salt and used pepper instead which suited my tastebuds much more! Give them a try and let me know what you think.


1) Toss the kale leaves in a drizzle of oil and spread out on a baking tray.


2) Season with salt/pepper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes on 220.


3) Serve! I found them too fragile to dunk in anything but I really enjoyed using them as croutons for my Spinach & goji berry broth.

Creamed Kale with pork balls

Ingredients Kale, sausage meat, double cream, butter, 1 whisked egg, parmigiano, linguine

This makes a great side dish but it's also fantastic if you stir through some linguine or spaghetti and have it as a main course. 

1) Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan and stir through the kale.

2) Form the sausage meat into small meatballs and add into the pan

3) Stir through, adding cream as the kale begins to soften and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. I like to also add a little whisked egg to thicken the sauce and sprinkle with parmeggian.

Salmon en papillote

Ingredients    Salmon fillet,curly kale, lemon, butter, thyme, garlic, chilli, ginger

1) halve and de-seed a chilli, peel and slice a knob of ginger and add into a pan with a generous knob of butter. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and add some thyme. 


2) Remove the chilli and ginger, then add in 3 crushed garlic cloves. Once the garlic has sizzled, remove from the heat and sieve out the thyme and garlic.


3) Tear off a sheet of tin foil big enough to completely enclose your fish. Add a generous handful of curly kale and rest the fish on top of the kale. Spoon on some of the flavoured butter and draw the foil closed like a cornish pasty.


4) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes and serve - I served with boiled exquisa potatoes with a knob of butter.

Cod en Papillote with beetroot & ginger salsa

Ingredients cod fillet, kale, soured cream, butter.

Following on from my beetroot and ginger salsa recipe, as promised this is an additional serving suggestion.

1) Tear a square sheet of tin foil and lay a handful of kale leaves to the centre.

2) Add the fillet of cod and spoon the beetroot and ginger salsa over the top.

3) Add a knob of butter and pinch the foil closed like a cornish pasty, ensuring that the fish is completely encased with no gaps or holes in the foil.

4) Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, slide out of the foil and top with a dollop of soured cream.