Have we exhausted the topic of raw kale salad? Perhaps. The quest for tasty and interesting preparations for healthy food, however, is a noble one, and raw kale is a king amongst nutritious food. This version features a hearty tahini dressing and was based off this recipe from the blog "live natural." I liked that it is hearty and, depending on what you add, could be a stand-alone meal. I feel like the dressing could use some tweaking--depending on whether you prefer a tangier flavor or a sweeter one, you could add garlic or honey.
Of the lessons I've learned with all this kale-perimentation, it's most important to remember: 1) remove the stems, 2) chop the kale finely, 3) allow the kale to marinate for a while before eating, 4) consume the kale within 3 days or so of preparing, and, last but not least, 5) the quality/freshness of the kale truly makes a difference.
Make dressing:
Whisk together 3T tahini, 1T EVOO, 2T lemon juice, 1T soy sauce, 1T apple cider vinegar.
Make salad:
Remove the stems from 1 bunch of kale
Process in the food processor to small pieces
Add 1 handful raisins or 1 chopt apple, 2 grated carrots
Toss with dressing. Allow to sit for at least 30 min prior to nomming to allow the kale to tenderize
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Festivities
So, pagan that I am, when easter hit the west coast this year I was in a bar playing pool with Laura and some guy who introduced himself as Jesus. Turns out his real name is Sky Strong (names like these are the sad enduring legacy of your generation, mom). Sky was appropriately hustled at the pool table, but the faith is strong in Laura, and I was forced to remain at the Missouri lounge dancing with to old school hip hop with L. And yes, we were pretty much the only ones dancing. Amazingly, I did this all very sober because I wanted to wake up and going running this morning before I had brunch with Liz Kelley.
Liz and I have a bit of an easter brunch tradition going. This year it was just me and her, which was completely lovely and relaxing. She came over to my place. I had a major bakery fail when I tried to buy hot crossed buns at La Farine. Despite having a huge sign out front saying "Easter special! Hot crossed buns" when I finally got to the front of the line I was denied. They were out, which would have been totally fine, but the lady at the counter was annoyed that I even asked for them, as if I should some kind of spidey sense which would alert me to the fact that they were sold out. Anyways, I left with some other random buns which turned out to be tasty. I also made scrambled eggs (props to Emina's chickens) with leeks and mushrooms in them. Liz brought some fruit and juice and everything was delicious. Liz also brought me some homemade granola which looks amazing. Praise the lord.
Liz and I have a bit of an easter brunch tradition going. This year it was just me and her, which was completely lovely and relaxing. She came over to my place. I had a major bakery fail when I tried to buy hot crossed buns at La Farine. Despite having a huge sign out front saying "Easter special! Hot crossed buns" when I finally got to the front of the line I was denied. They were out, which would have been totally fine, but the lady at the counter was annoyed that I even asked for them, as if I should some kind of spidey sense which would alert me to the fact that they were sold out. Anyways, I left with some other random buns which turned out to be tasty. I also made scrambled eggs (props to Emina's chickens) with leeks and mushrooms in them. Liz brought some fruit and juice and everything was delicious. Liz also brought me some homemade granola which looks amazing. Praise the lord.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Irish (Potato) Nachos
Sometimes I make myself nachos for dinner. I feel kinda bad about this, because are chips really a meal? Not so much. But can potatoes and beans be a meal? Indeed!
Tonight, Potato Nachos came to the rescue for the funky potatoes in my fridge, the old beans in my freezer, and myself, a very hungry lady. I based them off of this recipe. Don't be thrown off by the website--the blinking graphics, the Suzy (ha) Homemaker language and the Potato Council propaganda belie the tastiness of the dish. This would make a fabulous dish for football watching, Cinco de Mayo celebrating, and comfort eating. The version below should serve two (for me, it served one). Basically, you bake some spicy potato wedges, top with nacho fixins, melt it all together.
Preheat oven to 425.
Scrub 2 baking potatoes (I have no idea what kind I used) and cut into thin wedges.
Place potatoes in a casserole dish or rimmed baking sheet.
Coat with 1-2 capfuls of EVOO.
Toss in 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1/2 onion (sliced).
Season with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and salt.
Bake for 25-30 min until soft on the inside and, if you're lucky, crisp on the outside. Stir occasionally.
Top with a handful of black beans, ~1/2 can of tomatoes (or 1 diced tomato), 1 sliced jalapeno, and cheese (I used cheddar and pepper jack). Green onions, olives are optional.
Place back into oven for 5 min or until the cheese is melted.
Serve with cilantro and hot sauce.
For everybody?
No, just for you:
(pictured above with kale. Kale out of that glorious, <$4, 2lb bag of kale I get from Walmart.)
Tonight, Potato Nachos came to the rescue for the funky potatoes in my fridge, the old beans in my freezer, and myself, a very hungry lady. I based them off of this recipe. Don't be thrown off by the website--the blinking graphics, the Suzy (ha) Homemaker language and the Potato Council propaganda belie the tastiness of the dish. This would make a fabulous dish for football watching, Cinco de Mayo celebrating, and comfort eating. The version below should serve two (for me, it served one). Basically, you bake some spicy potato wedges, top with nacho fixins, melt it all together.
Preheat oven to 425.
Scrub 2 baking potatoes (I have no idea what kind I used) and cut into thin wedges.
Place potatoes in a casserole dish or rimmed baking sheet.
Coat with 1-2 capfuls of EVOO.
Toss in 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1/2 onion (sliced).
Season with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and salt.
Bake for 25-30 min until soft on the inside and, if you're lucky, crisp on the outside. Stir occasionally.
Top with a handful of black beans, ~1/2 can of tomatoes (or 1 diced tomato), 1 sliced jalapeno, and cheese (I used cheddar and pepper jack). Green onions, olives are optional.
Place back into oven for 5 min or until the cheese is melted.
Serve with cilantro and hot sauce.
For everybody?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Vegetarian Tamale Pie
I have fond memories of the beef tamale pie that Mom made us as children (yes, there was a time when Mom cooked beef!) Thick, meaty filling with a crispy corn bread topping. In continuance of my quest to find filling, tasty vegetarian meals, I decided to try to recreate this dish without meat. Turns out plenty of other folks on the internets have tried this before. I used this recipe from the blog "eggs on sunday" as a jumping off point. Basically, I used her topping/baking instructions but riffed on the filling a little. Here's what I used:
Heat 2T EVOO
Add 1 chopt onion, saute ~5 min until soft
Add a handful of frozen peppers or one chopt pepper and a chopt jalapeno, seeds removed.
Saute a few more minutes to allow the peppers to melt and soften.
Add 1/2 package soyrizo and additional EVOO if needed.
Sprinkle 1T chili powder, 2t cumin, and 1/2t cinnamon. Allow the spices to toast for a minute or two.
Stir in 1c tomato sauce, 1/2c water, 1c corn, 2c black beans, and a sprinkle of salt (next time I might use tomato paste & water for a stronger flavor, or also add 1 can chopt tomatoes).
Bring to a low boil. Add 1/2 pkg spinach, torn, and cover to allow the spinach to wilt.
Uncover and stir in 1/3c chopt cilantro.
Top with 1c grated cheddar and 1c monterey jack.
Top with cornbread mixture as described in the link above.
Enjoy with additional cilantro and hot sauce.
Serves 4-6. We ate about 2/3 in one night, which may have been ill-advised.
A note about the topping: perhaps we didn't bake it long enough, but our topping ended up being more of a soft polenta than a crispy cornbread. I liked it that way (A LOT), but it was not very cornbready. I might try cooking it longer or changing recipes if I wanted more of a cornbread texture next time.
Heat 2T EVOO
Add 1 chopt onion, saute ~5 min until soft
Add a handful of frozen peppers or one chopt pepper and a chopt jalapeno, seeds removed.
Saute a few more minutes to allow the peppers to melt and soften.
Add 1/2 package soyrizo and additional EVOO if needed.
Sprinkle 1T chili powder, 2t cumin, and 1/2t cinnamon. Allow the spices to toast for a minute or two.
Stir in 1c tomato sauce, 1/2c water, 1c corn, 2c black beans, and a sprinkle of salt (next time I might use tomato paste & water for a stronger flavor, or also add 1 can chopt tomatoes).
Bring to a low boil. Add 1/2 pkg spinach, torn, and cover to allow the spinach to wilt.
Uncover and stir in 1/3c chopt cilantro.
Top with 1c grated cheddar and 1c monterey jack.
Top with cornbread mixture as described in the link above.
Enjoy with additional cilantro and hot sauce.
Serves 4-6. We ate about 2/3 in one night, which may have been ill-advised.
A note about the topping: perhaps we didn't bake it long enough, but our topping ended up being more of a soft polenta than a crispy cornbread. I liked it that way (A LOT), but it was not very cornbready. I might try cooking it longer or changing recipes if I wanted more of a cornbread texture next time.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Baked Oatmeal
I have been doing a lot of cooking lately. I tried this baked oatmeal recipe from Heidi Swanson's new book, Super Natural Cooking via the adorable blog Lottie + Doof. It was so tasty! I'm posting it because I think it'd be a great dish to put on a brunch spread--a more elegant way to serve goatmeal. You could mix it up with all kinds of fruit, nuts, spices, whatever. Truthfully, I can't imagine myself making it on a regular basis because it only tastes a little better than basic oatmeal but takes much longer to prepare. Still, a good recipe to have in one's back pocket for leisurely weekend brunches.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Generously spread a ~8x8" casserole dish with butter (oh fine, use nut or canola oil)
Cover the bottom with sliced bananas. 2 should do it.
Sprinkle 1c frozen or fresh blueberries (or any other fruit)
In a bowl, mix together 2c oats, 1/2c nuts (if you have them), 1t baking powder, 1.5t cinnamon, and 1/2t salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
Then, in that same ol' bowl, whisk together 2c milk (I used almond), 1 egg, 2T melted butter (optional), and 2t vanilla. Pour this into the casserole dish on top of everything else.
Give the dish a little shake to settle it all out.
Dot with 1T butter (optional).
Bake for 35-40 min until the oatmeal is cooked through and it gets crispy on top.
Serves 4.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Generously spread a ~8x8" casserole dish with butter (oh fine, use nut or canola oil)
Cover the bottom with sliced bananas. 2 should do it.
Sprinkle 1c frozen or fresh blueberries (or any other fruit)
In a bowl, mix together 2c oats, 1/2c nuts (if you have them), 1t baking powder, 1.5t cinnamon, and 1/2t salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit.
Then, in that same ol' bowl, whisk together 2c milk (I used almond), 1 egg, 2T melted butter (optional), and 2t vanilla. Pour this into the casserole dish on top of everything else.
Give the dish a little shake to settle it all out.
Dot with 1T butter (optional).
Bake for 35-40 min until the oatmeal is cooked through and it gets crispy on top.
Serves 4.
Slow Cooker Lentil Bolognese Sauce
I wasn't going to post this recipe at first, but it really grew on me. I do believe I have eaten it five times during the past week. I make vegetarian tomato-based pasta sauce regularly, but this one stuck out as particularly hearty. Mom, this one would be great to make for Dad. It's thick, smoky, and filling.
Adapted from "Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson
Heat 2T EVOO in a large skillet
Add 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery, and 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used a food processor)
Cook until softened, ~10 min. Add 1/2 cup cheap (dry?) white wine and simmer for 2 min.
Transfer to a slow cooker. Add a 28-oz can of crushed tomato, ~1c tomato sauce (or 2T tomato paste in 1c hot water), 1c dried brown lentils, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and season w/ salt, pepper, and oregano.
Cover and cook on low for 8h.
While the lentil sauce is cooking, blend 1/2c white beans (I used Lima) +/- 1/4c milk.
Just before serving, add white beans, 1/2t liquid sauce, and 2T minced parsley leaves (if you have them).
Serve over whole wheat pasta (I liked it with rotini) and top with cheddar cheese.
I used a generous 1/2 cup of sauce to one serving of pasta.
One caveat about this recipe: even with the sauce cooked through thoroughly, the lentils still came out a little crunchy. If you like your lentils really soft, I might precook them a little (maybe ~15 min).
Adapted from "Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson
Heat 2T EVOO in a large skillet
Add 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery, and 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used a food processor)
Cook until softened, ~10 min. Add 1/2 cup cheap (dry?) white wine and simmer for 2 min.
Transfer to a slow cooker. Add a 28-oz can of crushed tomato, ~1c tomato sauce (or 2T tomato paste in 1c hot water), 1c dried brown lentils, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and season w/ salt, pepper, and oregano.
Cover and cook on low for 8h.
While the lentil sauce is cooking, blend 1/2c white beans (I used Lima) +/- 1/4c milk.
Just before serving, add white beans, 1/2t liquid sauce, and 2T minced parsley leaves (if you have them).
Serve over whole wheat pasta (I liked it with rotini) and top with cheddar cheese.
I used a generous 1/2 cup of sauce to one serving of pasta.
One caveat about this recipe: even with the sauce cooked through thoroughly, the lentils still came out a little crunchy. If you like your lentils really soft, I might precook them a little (maybe ~15 min).
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