From the beginning to the end of each day food is always on my mind. I guess it just the way I’ve been taught. Back home skipping lunch was simply a no-no, unless we were feeling sick. Grandma always used to say; You must always eat your lunch. Otherwise, you'll faint and end up in hospital! Yes, that's how short, sweet and (a bit) extreme Grandma’s thoughts and feelings were about lunch. From where I come from lunch is the most important meal of the day! And breakfast is not as important as lunch.
And so lunch was always part of my life (except a few times) this has never been something that I needed to overthink. It just comes naturally to me. I have to have my lunch.
So when I moved overseas, I was a bit amazed to see what lunch meant for other people and cultures. I mean, I was raised in 'Argentina' and we 'Argentinians' are very particular about food and culture. But while away from my homeland I’ve seen many beautiful ways of cooking. And how differently food impacts the lifestyle in other cultures. The one thing that I first learned was that breakfast is also as important as lunch. And that having a good bowl of granola with fresh fruits is much better than having croissants with dulce de leche in the morning like I used to back home.So I could say that now I can’t live without either of those meals and that I love breakfast as much as I love lunch.
Although I might have skipped lunch a few times, I’ve never fainted, like Grandma used to predict. But I have surely didn't feel my best at all! Not having a proper lunch and being on an empty stomach made me feel awfully irritable. My body was with a complete absence of energy, and my head felt like a balloon. And that’s not a great feeling, believe me. So one thing I can be sure about what Grandma used to say; You must always eat your lunch!
And here is one of our favorites for lunch; 'Pasta with Sautéed Greens, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Parmesan'. This is something that we quite enjoy. Is super delicious, wholesome and incredibly effortless! And can be easily made in minutes.I created two versions; one version has sautéed kale like in the photograph above and in (my very homemade) video tutorial you'll find version number two, made with sautéed silverbeet!
If you want to make a vegan version of this just skip the parmesan cheese and used nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan. Ooh, by the way the song I used in the video was one of my Grandma's favorites. So I couldn't resist to put it in the video!
I hope you enjoy making this sautéed green pasta! Do you have a favorite pasta dish?...
SAUTEED GREEN PASTA WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS AND PARMESAN (VEGETARIAN)
Green Leaves
Pasta
Pasta
Olive oil
Salt
Nutmeg
Pepper, optional
Parmesan
Preparation:
Trim and clean green leaves. Cut into strips. In a medium pan add olive oil and green leaves. Cook until golden (about 6-8 minutes). Add salt, nutmeg and set aside.
Cook the pasta. When ready reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water from the pasta and then drain the pasta.
Pour pasta over sauteed green leaves, add the reserved water from the pasta. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil, parmesan cheese and the toasted pumpkin seeds. Toss well and serve with extra cheese. Enjoy!