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Posts Tagged ‘Kale’

Cripsy Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Apple and Pomegranate

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

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Oh, December. The month where it’s sort of ok to start your morning off with peppermint hot chocolate, have three desserts during the day, go to a Christmas party for dinner and then come home and have a candy cane as your watching TV at night.

It’s a little insane. I mean, I love it, but it’s a little insane.

So, to help balance out the complete excess of sugar, I tried to prep something health for dinner this week. I mean, I still wanted it to be sorta festive because, hello, it’s December. I would be the uncool blog on the block if I didn’t provide you with something festive each and every post, but seriously. There is more to life then cookies.

I mean, not much else because cookies rock but a bit more.

So here is a kale salad. It has green stuff and it has red stuff so you know, when you combine it, it’s festive. This totally counts as a holiday post now, right? I have holiday colors… How about you  turn on some holiday tunes while your reading the rest to make up for the fact that there is no sugar in this.

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Crispy Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Pomagranite
slightly modified from How Sweet Eats
serves 2

ingredients:

1 large bunch of kale, torn from stems and torn into pieces
2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted, or olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh apple cider
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Field Roast vegan sausage, Smoked Apple Sage
1 shallot, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small sweet potato, diced small
1 honeycrisp apple, diced small
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup pomegranate arils

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place kale in a large bowl and massage oil, apple cider, nutmeg, pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt  for 1-2 minutes. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Toss well and roast for 5-10 minutes more, until slightly crispy but not golden.

While kale is roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook until heated through and turning golden. Set aside. Add the shallot, garlic, sweet potatoes and apples to the skillet, tossing with remaining salt and cinnamon. You want the sweet potato and apple finely diced, only slightly larger than the pom arils. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

In a small saucepan, add pecans and toast over low heat for 5-6 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Set aside.

Combine kale with apples and sweet potatoes, pecans, sausage and pom arils. Jessica at How Sweet Eats was correct when she said you don’t need dressing for this salad. The sauteed sweet potato and apple, combined with the oil/vinegar mix on the kale makes it plenty flavorful.

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Now that I have given you a healthy recipe, I feel less guilty about planning on giving you a cookie recipe for tomorrow. It will be chocolate-y and peppermint-y and booze-y and you will love it. I promise. I will then most likely follow that up with about 800 other chocolate peppermint recipes because, seriously, I’m obsessed with that flavor combo this season. More on that tomorrow, though.

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Butternut Squash Kale Rice Bowls

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on October 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Hello everyone! Sorry there was no Weekend Things post for you yesterday. Um, it was my birthday and birthdays = no work. Also…I sorta can’t figure out how to transfer pictures from my fancy new cellphone to my computer soooo you may have a Wednesday Things…or a Thursday Things…or A Whenever-the-hell-I-can-figure-out-my-phone Things.

So until then, you are stuck with my rambling and more fall recipes. Today, I will be rambling about some of  my favorite things (be lucky you are on the other side of the computer and can’t hear me singing). 1. Halloween Sprinkles. Seriously…they make everything better! Ice cream, birthday cupcakes (coming soon), peanut butter toast, oatmeal, lattes, you name it! I’m pretty much obsessed!

2. Pumpkin Beer- I have to put the kabosh on this obsession. I’ve been having pumpkin beer every. single. day. and that’s WAY more then I usually drink. Plus, beer isn’t exactly a healthy food to be obsessed with…I mean, neither is sprinkles but at least sprinkles come in fun shapes and colors!

3. Dexter. I’ve watched the show but I decided to tackle the book for Halloween. Last year I read Salem’s Lot around this time because I love me a good vampire story. This year, I thought I’d tackle the serial killer series. So far, I have not been disappointed!

and last but not least, 4. Butternut Squash. I’ve had this at least 5 times a week and when I made up my weekly meal plan, I snuck another recipe in. I can’t help it! I keep having leftovers. This recipe was thought up because I had leftover roasted squash from my Black Bean Butternut Squash Burritos. I promise I’ll try another vegetable…maybe…

Butternut Squash Kale Rice Bowls
servings 1

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 c. cubed butternut squash, roasted

1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 c. Kale, finely sliced ( I used frozen for this recipe)

1/2 c. brown basmati rice

1/4 c. apple cider

pepita seeds (optional)

Butternut squash: Peel your squash and slice into 1″ cubes. Put into a glass pan, lined with tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and toss until squash is coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until fork tender.

While the squash is roasting away, prepare the rice. Rince 1/2 c. under water. Place in a medium size pan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Once your squash and rice are ready, heat some olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, or 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Saute until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the mushrooms have begun to turn golden, add the squash and the kale. Mix together really well and add 1/2 c. cooked rice and apple cider. Reduce heat to medium low and let the mixture simmer together, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the apple cider has mostly evaporated.

Serve hot in a big bowl, sprinkled with pepita seeds.

I love this recipe because it’s SUPER versatile. I used everything that I already had in my house but you could add sautéed or caramelized onions, serve with quinoa instead of rice or omit the grain and have as a side. All would be delicious.

I had this for dinner almost every night last week and I’m not sick of it at all. In fact, the more butternut squash I have, the more I seem to crave it. This is a problem… especially since we don’t have sharp knives in our kitchen anymore and I risk my fingers every time I try and peel one. It’s so worth it though!

I have not tried this with halloween sprinkles but I’m pretty certain black and purple bat sprinkles would only make it more amazing. Like, 90% certain…

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Sweet Corn and Kale Rice Bowl with Miso Dressing

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on September 18, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Back when I was growing up, we very rarely went out to dinner. It was a treat that was reserved for special occasions. My mom cooked dinner almost every night and we always sat down together at the table for dinner.  I didn’t really realize there was another way until high school when my then boyfriend’s family had dinner out almost every night.  Every time I went over, they had take-out from a different place. I had more Chinese food over at their house in the year I was in that relationship then I ever had with my family…or probably since then. I thought it was awesome!

Now that I live on my own and have support myself (what a pain that is!), I still rarely eat out. I try and cook most of my meals at home, which helps me eat healthier and budget better.

With that said, though, I seriously LOVE eating out!  Especially when I get to try a new restaurant. A few weeks ago, two of my friends, on two separate occasions, told me that I need to try this restaurant called Life Alive. It’s super hippie-granola and has tons of vegan choices. I was game! The first time I went, I was so overwhelmed. There are never a lot of vegan options to choose from so having a whole menus worth, well, I didn’t know where to start. So I got a salad and a smoothie. BOR-ING!

I redeemed myself the second time around by ordering their Emperor bowl. It was so good! I’m not even sure if I came up for air during the process of shoveling it in my face.  Actually, I’m pretty sure I came up at least once to tell the person  I was with, “I could totally make this for Wicked Vegan!” And so I have. It’s not exact but I think it hits the spot!

My goal for this recipe was to let the veggies shine. I cooked them for a bit, but mostly until just hot, never until super soft, and kept the dressing  light enough where I felt the veggies were still the focal point

Sweet Corn and Kale Rice Bowl with Miso Dressing
inspired by Life Alive’s Emperor Bowl
makes 4 servings

         Miso Dressing:
         from 101cookbooks.com

  • 2 tablespoons miso
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard (whatever kind you have around, I used Dijon)
  • 2 tablespoons honey or agave
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar (recipe calls for brown but I had regular and it worked fine)
  • 1/3 cup mild flavored extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure toasted sesame oil (optional)

Make the dressing by whisking the miso, mustard, and honey/agave together. Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it’s smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil. Two pinches of salt. Taste and make any adjustments if needed. Make dressing ahead of time and set aside. I prefer to let this sit overnight because it thickens up and gives the dish a really creamy texture. Feel free to use it right away, though. It will still taste great.

Rice Bowl:

  • 1 cup of brown basmati rice, uncooked
  • olive oil or cooking spray to coat the pan (I used coconut oil cooking spray to reduce oil, sesame oil would be delicious though!)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 bunch of Kale (I used curly)
  • 2 Carrots, shredded
  • 2 Ears of Corn, cooked in  your preferred method (I boiled mine)
  • 1 TBSP of soy sauce
  • 1 block of pressed tofu
  • 2 cups of sun dried tomatoes (NOT packed in oil)
  • sesame seeds

Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for 15-30 minutes or until soft. Once soft, slice into thin strips or dice, depending on preference. Set aside.

Prepare your basmati rice according to the package and set aside. I cook mine differently every time but usually I put 1 cup rice and 2 cups of water in a pot, bring to a boil uncovered, then reduce heat to simmer, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. I find it depends on the brand, though.

Coat the pan in oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant. Add the kale and toss until hot and a little bit wilted but not soggy. I would say about 5-8 minutes depending on your preference. Set aside.

Coat the pan again with a little more cooking spray, if needed. Add shredded carrots and corn with a splash of soy sauce. Again, cook until hot. Set aside.

Crumble the tofu in the same pan you used for the corn and carrots and cook until golden brown, stirring only occasionally. Set aside.

To assemble your rice bowl, you should have 1 cup of kale, 1/2 c. of rice, 1/2 cup of the corn/carrot mixture, 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes,  1/4 of the tofu, salad dressing to taste and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

To reheat or store leftovers, I really wanted to keep the measurements of this dish intact because it follows the Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth food pyramid. So I stored everything in separate containers. Then, to reheat, I would portion everything out, dump it in a pan on the stove, and reheat everything together. If the portions don’t bother you, store everything in one large container and just reheat however much you want on the stove top.

This is one of those meals that takes some steps but it’s SO yummy when it comes together. I love it because it sounds and feels fancy but, especially during this season when corn is 50 cents per ear (if not less), it ends up being a relatively inexpensive dish that tastes so fresh! I was able to buy all my veggies at the farmers market and already had rice in bulk. My biggest purchase was the miso paste, which you can find in the cold section of your grocery store near the tofu or in an asian grocery store.

Shoveling this unceremoniously into your mouth is pretty much the only way to eat it, just so you know!

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Red Bean, Potato and Kale Soup

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on May 8, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Remember when I was super excited to go to the Cinco de Mayo party my friend, Rachel, was having on Saturday?

Remember when I was just thinking it was an excuse to drink excessive amounts of margaritas and an unhealthy amount of guac, aka mashed up avocado, aka my favorite things ever?

Well…that didn’t happen. I’m starting to feel like if I post something on here that is suppose to happen, it won’t.

Instead, I woke up Saturday with an ear infection, on top of the no-voice situation I’d been rocking since Thursday. So, instead of yummy party food and booze, I made soup. Bor-ing.

It should also be noted that it wasn’t particularly warm this weekend and we are looking at a week of rain so this soup is perfect for New England. I understand it’s warmer elsewhere so don’t think I’m weird for posting soup in May.

Red Bean, Potato and Kale Soup
roughly based off of Red Chard,Potato and White Bean Ragout 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), sliced
  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about two or three potatoes)
  • 3 cups vegetable, 3 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 TBSP nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup- 1 cup frozen kale (I used 365 frozen blue curly kale. It’s great! or you can use about a pound of fresh)*
  • 1 can red beans
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 to 2 TBS chopped parsley (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a big soup pot over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stir together. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water, a bay leave, nutritional  yeast and thyme leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Salt to taste.

2. Add the kale, beans and another 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of water to the pot**, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The kale should be very tender. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste and the parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve.

* If you are using fresh kale, remove the leaves from the stem. Saute the stems in with the onions in the first step and then wait to add the kale leaves until step 2.

**When I’m sick, I like my soup broth-y. I feel like the healing properties are in the broth, not the actual food. So, I added more broth/water since it had cooked down significantly. If you like less broth, feel free to leave out the additional 2 cups of liquid at the end but keep a close eye on your red beans. You’ll most likely only have to cook them for 5-10 minutes until they are hot. You don’t want to over cook them or they will burst and make your soup sort of gritty. Trust me…I know…

yummm…this soup was just what the vegan doctor ordered. I curled up with it in my oversized North Conway mug and read for a good portion of the weekend. It also gave me enough energy to clean my room between naps! You should see it…it’s so clean!! Clearly, I should get sick more often if it means time to clean. Who knew?

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A Fresh take on Pizza and Chips

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »

True story: I like the idea of going out to eat but I very rarely do it because I can  never make up my mind where to go. Melinda was crashing at my apartment a few weekends ago and we decided we were just too lazy to make dinner and I had no food in the house. So we decided to get take out. 45 minutes later, surrounded by take out menus and coupons, we hadn’t committed to anything yet. We couldn’t decide what we were in the mood for. We couldn’t decide whether we wanted delivery or to go get it. We couldn’t decide on anything.

Basically, we just wanted someone to deliver us the best food ever without us having to decide on the food and, we wanted it to be free.

We were sort of pathetic.

This is what happens to me at least once a weekend, though, when I’m too wiped out to make dinner. I always think, “Pizza can be delivered to me in no time!” and then I see all the other options that are out there and nothing gets ordered.

But not this weekend! This weekend, I’m ready! I have this delicious autumn pizza waiting for me in my fridge. Win for me!

Autumn Apple Sage Pizza
inspired by How Sweet Eats

Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (the original recipe called for 1 c. whole wheat flour and 3/4 c. of all-purpose but I was out of whole wheat)
1 tablespoon honey (see my comments on honey and veganism here)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of your electric mixer with an attached dough hook, combine warm water, yeast, honey and oil and mix with a spoon. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix on low speed until just combined, then turn to medium speed to knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. If it seems to sticky, add a bit more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Brush a separate bowl with olive oil, add dough, turning once, then set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. Cover with a towel.

While your dough is rising, you can start your pesto sauce…

Sage Pesto:
adapted from the book Skinny Bitch in the Kitch  by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
(makes approx. 1 cup)

1/4 cup whole almonds
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for storing
1 cup fresh sage leaves
1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

*The original recipe called for 1/4 c. vegan cream cheese but I couldn’t find any. Feel free to include it but it wasn’t necessary

Pulse the ingredients in a food processor in the order given. Scrape down the sides as necessary and continue pulsing to achieve a uniform consistency.

If desired, place sage pesto in a container and top off with olive oil to store.

Pizza Toppings:

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 TBS olive oil

1 large apple, very thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 c. vegan mozzarella cheese (I used Daiya)

3/4 cup vegan cheddar cheese ( I used Daiya)

Vegan Bacon (optional)

Preheat your oven 375 degrees. Spray your pizza pan lightly with cooking spray. I prefer round pizzas to square but all I had available was a square cookie sheet. (I’m sure a pizza stone would work great for this too but I’m not fancy enough for one of those!)

15 minutes for dough is ready, slice onions. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, then add onions with a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carmelized. In the last minute, add garlic and cook for 60 seconds, then set aside off heat.

When your dough is ready, remove from the bowl and place on your greased pizza pan. Stretch out evenly in pan. Top with sage pesto ( I used about half of what I made). Sprinkle with nutmeg. Add mozzarella cheese. Slice apples (a mandolin slicer would be perfect for this…but I’m not fancy enough for one of those, either) and layer on top of pesto and cheese, then add your onion/garlic mixture. Cover with cheddar cheese. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. If you are using vegan bacon, cook in the microwave for about a minute, slice and add to pizza 5 minutes before its finished. I did this with my first round and I didn’t think the vegan bacon added much to the recipe.

But what would a pizza be without chip??

BBQ Kale Chip
from Healthful Pursuits

1 head kale

1/3 cup cashews

2-3 tbsp water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp smoked paprika + more for sprinkling

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp herbamare

dash of cayenne

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and take out a cookie sheet. No oiling/greasing needed.
  2. Drop all ingredients but kale in a blender and process until smooth. (I used a food processor because I had it out from the pesto. It didn’t really work well and my BBQ has cashew bits in it. It was still good though)
  3. Wash kale and remove stem – I  just rip it from the stem. Place kale in a large bowl and cover with 1/4 cup of the paprika mixture. Stir to coat before laying out on prepared cookie sheet.
  4. Sprinkle kale with extra smoked paprika and bake for 14-17 minutes (I cooked mine for 14 but it definitely could have used more time)

This was my first go-around with kale. I’ve always avoided it because the ruffles kind of creep me out. I’m not a ruffles girl. Pyramid studs- yes. Ruffles- not so much. I was pleased with the results, though! The BBQ sauce definitely had a kick to it but it had really good flavor! Unfortunately, my kale didn’t get chip-like . The edges got kind of crispy but overall, the kale was still soft. It still had great flavor, though.  I’ll cook it for a bit longer next time.

I’m a huge fan of this meal. Then again, I’m a huge fan of pizza and BBQ so I could I not be?? The pizza was light and the apples and nutmeg adds such a great fall feeling. The BBQ sauce on the kale chips was delicious. It created a great new way to eat greens!

PS. Save that extra BBQ sauce. I have a yummy way to use that leftovers that I’ll post on Weds

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