Avocado Pesto with Dandelion Greens & Pasta

What do you do when your home city is struck by a senseless act of violence?
Try a new recipe and get back to blogging, of course.

At some point I'll use a real camera, but for now
food pics from the phone will have to do!

This one's inspired by Chef Chloe's recipe, but I made some tweaks.  Soooooo Good!  This is some of the creamiest, richest pesto I've ever tried.




2 Avocados
1 bunch fresh Basil
1/2 cup pecans (mine were roasted an salted, but raw ones would have worked fine)
2 fresh lemons
1/2c (plus enough for to saute the greens) olive oil
1 bunch dandelion greens
1 handful grated salty cheese, like parmesan or asiago (optional if you are going vegan)
1/2-3/4 lb of pasta (I used gluten free pasta, but any kind would work)


Boil the pasta in sea-salted water.

Meanwhile, cut open the avocados and mash them up.  Cut open one of the lemons and squeeze all the juice into the avocados.  Blend in the olive oil, basil, pecans, salt and pepper with a food processor or immersion blender.

Saute the dandelion greens in olive oil.  Dandelion gets really bitter, even when cooked, unless you use something to take away the acidity.   The other juiced lemon, salt, pepper, and handful of cheese will help cut the bitterness.

Drain the pasta, add the greens, and toss with the rich and delicious pesto.  Fab!

Sunny-Side-Up and Greens over Flatbread

Inspired by my most recent post about eggs, here's an easy recipe inspired by one I found in whole living magazine. (Thanks, Martha Stewart!)  Collards can be bitter, but the lemon juice cuts through the bitterness and instead makes this recipe zesty and delish.

2 medium sized whole wheat pita or flat bread
4 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cups thinly sliced greens.  I used collards, but kale or chard would also work.
1/2 an onion, sliced
a handful of chives
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste.  I used sage, thyme, basil, and red pepper.
4 farm-fresh, pastured eggs


Heat the oven to 425.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Brush both sides of pita with olive oil.  Mix greens, onion, and chives in a bowl.  Add the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice, and the seasoning to the bowl of greens.  Toss them all in the bowl until evenly coated.  Mound the mixture onto the pita and bake for 5 minutes.  Then, pull the pan out of the oven, crack the eggs over the greens, and bake until the eggs are set, about 6-7 minutes.