Courgette and butter bean pesto salad recipe

Ankie Niesing, owner of Wooden spoon kitchen, supplied us with this Courgette and butter bean pesto salad recipe.

I am a total foodie, cooking school owner, food stylist and food consultant. I have been on a clean eating diet journey the last few years and I have learned so much about nutrition and the power of eating healing foods. I do not want to put my diet in a specific box but I would say I am leaning to a paleo diet but the most important principles of eating clean for me are eating loads of fruit and vegetables, no sugar or processed foods and to go lightly on dairy, grains and meat. I hope you enjoy this beautiful salad.

Courgette and butter bean pesto salad recipe

6 portions

Courgette spaghetti is really the greatest food invention of the century and any real foodie or health connoisseur will know that it has opened endless possibilities to transform your meals from carb-loaded to carb-free. Think courgette spaghetti with a creamy carbonara sauce, beautiful raw salads, buddha-bowls full of colour and interesting textures, ramen soups and even veggie burgers.

Quinoa [Keen-wah] is a great protein rich grain, but can be tricky to cook and even harder to pronounce. I developed this recipe for a cooking class and it has proven to be a firm favourite as a meal or side dish. A great salad needs an epic dressing or sauce to bring it all together. And this pesto has it all. For some crunchiness and nutty flavours add toasted pumpkin seeds to finish it off.

Ingredients

• 3 Large baby marrows made into spaghetti with spiralizer
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup greens (peas, steamed asparagus or broccoli)
• 1 tin butter beans
• 2 tbs toasted pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup feta cheese
• Fresh basil and mint
• 2 cups of stock (A Vogel Plantaforce Low Sodium Stock works well)

Method

1. Measure 1 cup of quinoa and place into a sieve. Rinse thoroughly with cool water for about 2 minutes. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Drain. This is to get rid of the bitter taste.
2. Bring 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Let it stand another 5 minutes to steam and then fluff with a fork.
3. Use a spiralizer to make courgette spaghetti or buy ribbons from a supermarket.
4. Roast pumpkin seeds in dry frying pan until they start to pop and crack.
5. Make pesto to serve on the side as a salad dressing.
6. Place cooled quinoa on a large platter, then the courgettes, greens and butter beans. Garnish with feta, pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs.

Pesto recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup Basil
• 1/2 cup mint and coriander
• 1/2 cup parmesan or avocado
• 1/3 cup cashew nuts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup olive oil

Method
Place all the ingredients in a Nutribullet or food processor. Don’t over blend, you still want a bit of texture. Store in glass jar for at least three days.

Image: Marsel Roothman Photography

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