Green apple & kale salad

For ➍
3 cups ribbed & chopped kale or borecole
handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cooked black lentils
1 green apple, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup shaved Parmigiano, or feta or goat cheese
dressing
one clove garlic
1 tbs honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
salt &pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.
For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more cheese if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

Thai fish soup

For ➍
1 tbs cooking oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 ts fresh ginger, grated
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
½ red chilli pepper, sliced (optional)
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom stalk only, bruised (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
40 cl can coconut milk
2 dl vegetable broth
juice of ½ lime
1 tbs fish sauce
175 g shrimps, peeled & deveined
220 g salmon, cut into 2.5 cm chunks
assorted vegetables, such as spinach, snow peas, kale, tomatoes, bell pepper, etc.
1 tbs minced cilantro/coriander

In a wok or soup pot over medium high heat, add cooking oil and swirl to coat. When hot, add in the garlic, ginger, red onion, chilli pepper, lemongrass, kaffir and gently cook for about 2 m to release the aromas and flavors.
Pour in the coconut milk and broth and let simmer for 15 m. Remove the lemongrass, kaffir (or the lemon/lime peel if using)* and discard. Season broth with fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
Add shrimp, salmon, vegetables and cilantro. Cook for 3-4 m or until the shrimp and salmon is cooked through.
Add 250 g cooked dried rice noodles to turn the soup into a light dish.

*When substituting with the peel of a lemon or lime, use a vegetable peeler to get thin strips of peel  and give each strip a good bruising or twist to release the oils.
**Eventually, add some fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese vegetable pancakes / Japanese 'pizza')

For ➍ large or ➓ small pancakes
½ small head cabbage, very thinly sliced on mandoline (500 g)
4 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons*
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 ts kosher salt
60 g all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
canola, safflower or peanut oil for frying

Toss cabbage, carrot, kale, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.
To make a large pancake, add ¼ of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1.5 cm thick pancake (of about 25-30 cm width). Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges beging to brown, about 3 m. 30 s to 1 m later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet.) Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).
To make small pancakes, form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.
Keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 100°C until needed.
Serve pancakes with okonomiyaki sauce. And other fixings like Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Extra pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple days, or can be spread on a tray in the freezer until frozen, then combined in a freezer bag to be stored until needed. Reheat on a baking sheet in a hot oven until crisp again.

*use broccoli or cavalo nero instead

Okonomiyaki (meaning 'cooked as you wish') are sometimes called 'Japanese pizza' and can be as varied with different ingredients. For some suggestions, visit okonomiyaki world.
Okonomiyaki are traditionally served with a generous criss-cross of Japanese mayonnaise (made with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar and a small amount of MSG, instead of distilled vinegar) and a okonomiyaki sauce, tangy-sweet-salty mixture. Pancakes are then sprinkled with bonito flakes, seaweed flakes or even pickled ginger. Or just with a finely slivered scallion and toasted sesame seeds.
Read about Japanese fluffy pancakes for breakfast or dessert.
Illustration from 'Ukyo' manga.

Miso & mushroom omelet with kale salad

For ➍
1 tbs miso paste
4 eggs
1 tbs olive oil
200 g mushrooms, chopped
200 g kale, chopped, tough stems discarded (2 x volume of mushrooms)*
½ ts kosher salt
25 g unsalted chopped raw pecans or walnuts
75 g grated pecorino Romano cheese
for the vinaigrette*
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ ts kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ts chile oil or chile sauce (optional)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 ts Dijon mustard
2 ts honey

Make the salad dressing by combining the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to combine. Taste and add more salt as needed.
Whisk the miso paste with the eggs. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and swirl in the olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and sauté for 2 m, or until mushrooms softened. Add in the egg and turn the heat to medium. Let cook for 2 m. Cover and let cook for an additional 1-2 m or until eggs are set.
While eggs are cooking, place the kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Using massaging motion, rub the kale leaves together to break up and soften the kale.
When ready to serve, slice omelet in strips. Toss kale with some of the dressing, chopped nuts and pecorino Romano cheese. Serve with omelet.

*use broccoli or cavalo nero instead

**use about ¼

Shakshuka with kale & goat cheese

For ➍
6 cl olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 heaping cup chopped kale*
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 ts ground cumin
1 ts chipotle powder (or dried red pepper)
900 g can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
sea salt to taste
4 eggs
50 g goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs parsley, chopped
1 tbs basil, chopped

Heat oil in a 20 cm cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chopped onions, kale and garlic and stir until soft. Add cumin, chipotle powder and stir for another m. Add tomatoes and their liquid to the skillet. Reduce heat, simmer for 15 m. Add a little water, if necessary: the mixture should have a sauce-like consistency.
When the tomato mixture has thickened slightly, stir in a dash of salt.
[Move to small individual skillets].
Make a little hole in the sauce with a wooden spoon and crack egg into the cleavage, repeating three more times with the remaining eggs across the surface of the sauce**. Cover the skillet(s) and cook for 4–5 ms, depending on how runny you like your yolks.*** Remove from heat and finish with goat cheese and herbs.
Serve with buttered toast.

*use broccoli or cavalo nero instead. 
**or mix the eggs through the mixture instead of poaching the eggs.
***or cook the eggs longer on very low fire for 10-12 m. When in doubt about the freshness, or to avoid salmonella risk, cook on low fire for 20 m.

Shakshouka means 'mixture' in Arabic slang. [3] It is likely that it was first known as chakchouka, a Berber word meaning a vegetable ragout. It is a staple of Egyptian, Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan cuisines traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with bread to mop up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel, where it was introduced by Tunisian Jews.
Tunisian cooks added artichoke hearts, potatoes and broad beans to the dish. According to some food historians, the dish was invented in the Ottoman Empire, spreading throughout the Middle East and Spain, where it is often served with spicy sausage. Another belief is that it hails from Yemen, where it is served with zhug, a hot green paste. Some versions include salty cheeses.
It is similar to the Turkish dish menemen, and the Mexican breakfast dish huevos rancheros. In Turkish cuisine, there is also şakşuka, which is more like a ratatouille. Shakshouka is also similar to Spanish pisto manchego, a traditional La Mancha dish from southeast Spain, usually also accompanied by a fried egg.
This fusion version is built around healthy kale (or borecole, derived from the Dutch 'boerenkool'), of the same cabbage range as broccoli.

tip: steaming vegetables

spinach, arugula: 3 m
peas: 3 m
broccoli & cauliflower florets, green beans: 5 to 7 m
carrots, potatoes, turnips, squash: 8 to 20 m
kale, collard: 10 m

tip: steaming vegetables

approximate steaming times

• Artichokes Steam whole artichokes 25-40 m Season with extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest
• Asparagus Whole spears, thick spears peeled lightly 7-13 m Serve with quince jam, cranberry jam, olive oil combined with lemon zest, or olive oil combined with sesame seeds
• Asparagus Cut into 2-inch pieces 4-7 m Season with olive oil combined with lemon zest or sesame seeds
• Green beans, Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Wax beans, wax Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Beetroot, small or medium-sized Whole, unpeeled beets scrubbed clean; peel off the skins after steaming 35-50 m Season with fresh thyme
• Beet greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 7-9 m Drizzle with olive oil
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks 8-12 m Season with olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks split in half or florets 5-7 m Extra-virgin olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Brussels sprouts Whole, trimmed 8-15 m Season with fresh thyme
• Brussels sprouts Trimmed and halved 6-8 m Season with fresh thyme
• Cabbage Cut in wedges 6-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Carrots Cut into 0.5 cm thick slices 7-10 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Carrots, baby Whole baby carrots 10-12 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Cauliflower Florets 5-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Celeriac Cut into 0.5 cm thick matchsticks 5-7 m
• Celery stalks Cut into 1,2 cm thick slices 4-9 m Season with seeds
• Corn on the cob Whole, husks removed 7-10 m Homemade chicken or vegetable stock
• Daikon radishes Peeled and cut into chunks 8-12 m Season with fresh herbs
• Endives Cut in half lengthwise 5-10 m Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice
• Fennel bulbs Cut crosswise into 1,2 cm slices 8-10 m Season with olive oil and basil (or lemon)
• Jerusalem artichokes Peeled or scrubbed; sliced 5-8 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Jerusalem artichokes Whole tubers, peeled or scrubbed 20-25 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Kale Trimmed 4-7 m Drizzle with olive oil and crushed garlic
• Kohlrabi Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm cubes 5-8 m Toss with parsley and olive oil
• Leeks Trimmed, cut in half 5-8 m Season with your favorite vinaigrette
• Okra Fresh whole okra, trimmed 6-8 m Season with lemon/lime juice and parsley, or with sauteed scallions
• Onions, pearl Whole onions, peeled 8-12 m
• Parsnips Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm slices 7-10 m Season with fresh herbs such as oregano or parsley
• Peas, green Fresh, shelled peas 2-4 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Peas, sugar snap Whole pea pods, trimmed 5-6 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Potatoes, all Peeled or scrubbed clean, cut into 1,2 cm slices 8-12 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill
• Potatoes, new Whole, scrubbed clean 15-20 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill, or with chopped red onions
• Radishes Whole radishes, trimmed 7-14 m Season with chopped scallions or chives
• Scallions Cut into ½-inch slices 3-5 m
• Spinach Cleaned, whole leaves 3-5 m Season with olive oil and garlic, or sesame seeds
• Squash, butternut Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 7-10 m Season with honey, lemon juice, and rosemary
• Turnips Cut into 1/2-inch cubes 8-12 m Season with olive oil and fresh herbs
• Turnip greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 4-6 m Season with olive oil and garlic
• Sweet potatoes Cut into large chunks 8-12 m Season with honey and lemon juice
• Swiss chard Coarsely chopped leaves 3-5 m Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, olive oil and pepper
• Zucchini Cut into 2.5 cm slices 5-8 m Season with olive oil, lemon/lime juice, and fresh herbs (such as thyme or rosemary)

It is also possible to steam bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomatillos, and garlic; however, other cooking methods, such as roasting, may be better suited to retain their texture and/or bring out their flavor.