Crunchy Kale Chips
September 1, 2012 § 4 Comments
Last week I ate a gallon ziploc big of kale chips that packed a balsamic vinegar punch. K-chips with chile/adobo powder are an extremely good idea. A couple days ago I read an article about chocolate kale chips (I’m not holding my breath on that one). This three-ingredient version is my favorite.
This recipe has undergone seven trials in the past two weeks; each time, I’ve whittled away at a list of ingredients that was, at one time, double in length. But as I reduced and tasted, I felt that this simple-dimple blend was just as good as the previous versions touting extra spices and peppery add-ins. (Okay, with a caveat: If you’re a garlic lover, go ahead and add a few minced cloves to this recipe — it’s terrific.) But rest assured, this combination below is simple and good, no garlic or spicy-heat necessary.
There are only three things to keep in mind when setting out to bake a batch of crispy kale chips: (1) Make sure the kale leaves are completely dry. If they’re at all wet, they’ll steam instead of crisp. (2) Don’t be tempted to pile kale onto the sheet pan. Spread the kale in a single layer and when making a large batch, use two or three sheet pans. (3) Keep a close eye on the chips during the remaining 3-5 minutes of baking. They crisp-up quickly and can burn easily.
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, stemmed and ripped into large pieces
3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
sea salt, to taste
few teaspoons olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stem kale leaves and rip into large pieces. Wash and spin until dry; pile in a large bowl. Toss with a few teaspoons of olive oil to coat, nutritional yeast and sea salt to taste (be generous).
2. Spread kale leaves in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-22 minutes, tossing half way through, until crunchy and slightly golden-brown around the edges.
Diet Notes: SCD-safe, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan
DIY: Toasted Pepitas
July 19, 2012 § 1 Comment
Many store-bought, pre-toasted and -salted nuts and seeds are processed and coated with starches to help salt/spices adhere to the nuts/seeds. If you are steering away from added starches in your diet, or if you simply would like to have more control over the ingredients in the food that you eat, try buying the raw materials and then dressing them up yourself — it’s a resourceful, creative alternative to what’s commonly available in a standard supermarket.
I like to roast/salt/season big batches of nuts and seeds at a time. They’re wonderfully shelf-stable and then I have them at-the-ready. Included below is the simplest recipe for roasting pepitas (pumpkin seeds), but feel free to dabble. You can try roasting them with a little tamari (or soy sauce) or toss them with dill and nutritional yeast. I enjoy pepitas out-of-hand, a-top mammoth leafy salads, soups and pasta or brown rice dishes.
Ingredients:
raw pepitas
sea salt, to taste
a few teaspoons olive oil
spices, to taste (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss pepitas with a little olive oil – just enough to cover all the surfaces. Sprinkle with salt (and spices) to taste.
2. Bake for 15 minutes; stop and stir half-way. Cool completely before packaging.
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, SCD-safe, nut-free, vegan
Cilantro-flecked Chickpea-Quinoa Balls with Tahini-Citrus Dressing
January 21, 2012 § Leave a Comment
When I set forth to make this wrap, I combined a hodgepodge of recipes and aimed to make a falafel-like ball with crunch and Mediterranean flavor. Instead of relying on dried coriander and cumin to amp up the taste, I wanted to use garden-fresh cilantro and scallion. I wanted to see what would happen when I incorporated a whole grain into the mix (quinoa) and fresh vegetables (spinach) for nutrients and eye-popping color.
Before supper one night, I happened upon Green Kitchen Stories saffron-falafel recipe. I liked their idea of using flappy cabbage leaves as a wrap (a pita would be good, too) and tahini as the base for a bright dressing. I experimented with a few simple four-ingredient tahini dressings. The one below was my favorite.
Ingredients for the Chickpea-Quinoa Balls:
1 cup quinoa, cooked
2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked
2 cups spinach, fresh
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup scallion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon flax meal
4 tablespoons brown rice flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 tablespoons water (if necessary to thin)
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees on convection (or 400, standard). In a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until pureed. The mixture should be sticky, but not so sticky that it doesn’t hold a form or stay together. (In the event that there is too much liquid, add extra brown rice flour, a little bit at a time. If too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.) Scoop into balls, uniform in size, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip over and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Tahini Sauce
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
generous pinch sea salt, pepper
2 tablespoons water, to thin
Method:
Whisk together and drizzle on top of wrap.
Diet Notes: gluten-free, vegan, nut-free
Socca To Me: The New Friday Night Pizza
August 19, 2011 § Leave a Comment
It’s Friday and it’s pizza night! While five-minute-pizza dough most certainly has its merits, if you have a hankering a gluten-free pizza alternative, grind up some beans (or buy ‘um ground) and whip up a socca tonight.
Soccas are like pancakes on MiracleGro, except they’re in the savory camp and don’t necessitate maple syrup dredging. They require only a couple of ingredients: ground up garbanzo beans (garbanzo bean flour), salt, a splash of olive oil and water. I’ve been adding dried herbs from our garden, too. While soccas are great plain, hot out of the skillet, they also make a toothsome base for a pizza. Our favorite toppings include garden zucchini, caramelized onion and fresh-picked cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients:
1 + 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian spice blend (rosemary, sage, parsley, basil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water, cold
Method:
1. Grease oven-safe skillet. Place in cold oven. Preheat oven & skillet to 350 degrees (or 325 on convection).
2. In a bowl, whisk together garbanzo bean flour, salt and spices. Add olive oil and water and whisk vigorously until all clumps dissolve.
3. When oven is preheated, carefully remove skillet from oven and add batter to skillet slowly. Be mindful of hot, splattering batter. Place back in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and slightly brown around the edges. The sides will receede slightly from the edges of the cast iron.
4. Remove from skillet and place on baking stone or sheet pan. Top with favorite pizza add-on’s. Bake five additional minutes and one minute (keep a close eye) under the broiler to make the cheese bubble.
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, vegan, nut-free
A Really Good Shmear: Roasted Eggplant, Pepper and Onion
July 1, 2011 § 1 Comment
I’m big on shmears. I like whizzing black beans around in a food processor and adding cumin and cilantro, or pulverizing garbanzos with the predictable hit of lemon and garlic, or, come wintertime, blending-up roasted butternut squash and lentils or — one of my favs — mashing a couple cups of freshly-shelled green peas, roasted garlic scapes (garlic cloves work too), basil and a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
As versatile as shmears are on sandwiches, scooped up in lettuce wraps and so on, they can also stand alone and do so marvelously. The aforementioned pea spread was my favorite dip of 2009; this sucker is my favorite of 2011. It ushers summer into the kitchen with roasted bell peppers and eggplants and a little bite of lemon. I like eating it plain, scooped on pitas and raw veggies.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
1 bell pepper
1 medium red onion
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt, pepper
1.5 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut bell pepper, red onion and eggplant into large, 1″ cubes. Cover with olive oil, chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste and toss. Bake in oven until soft in the middle and slightly browned around the edges, stirring half way through. (Approximately 30-40 minutes.)
2. When vegetables are cooked, remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Add to food processor with tahini and lemon juice and blend until smooth. (Be careful; veggies are still hot!) Taste and adjust seasoning; I often add a few teaspoons of additional lemon juice and a dash of extra salt.
Diet Notes: SCD-safe, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan
A Simple Side: Slivers of Summer Tomato and Onion Bake
June 16, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I normally crow that it’s “positively criminal!” to cook tomatoes before July. In fact, I usually eat them only out of hand for the first three or four weeks of harvest season before I venture to put them into salad-y dishes like quinoa tabouleh.
Well, I’m getting off my high horse. This week (it’s only Thursday, mind you) we’ve picked over two dozen gigantic, heirloom globes from our seven tomato plants. (I was a bit overenthusiastic during planting season.) Yesterday I hacked up a dozen tomatoes and made a sauce for a veggified lasagna. (Instead of noodles, I thinly sliced a zucchini the size of a baseball bat. See Exhibit A, below.)
Exhibit A
The day before I made this dish, below. It was a breeze to prep. The tomatoes overlap slightly sweet red onions and then they bake together. Sprinkled with only heirloom garlic chunks, salt, pepper and a drizzle of fruity olive oil, this dish is mostly hands-off. My family of three polished off this 9×13″ pan in about twenty minutes. My only suggestion: Before serving, leave on the counter for seven or eight minutes to take away the initial bite of heat. It’s miserable to burn your tongue on a hot tomato and you can taste the veggies better when they’re not quite so hot.
P.S. Thanks to “Everyday Food” for recipe inspiration.
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, preferably heirloom
1 large red onion
4-6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
sea salt, pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a 9×13″ pan with olive oil and spread around the edges so the pan is well-greased.
2. Slice tomatoes and onions in 1/3″ slices. Overlap on top of one another in the baking dish. Layer with roughly chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until slightly crisp around the edges.
3. Remove from oven and set on the counter for 7-10 minutes to cool, just slightly, before serving warm.
Diet Notes: SCD-safe, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan
Fiesta Salad: Roasted Tomatoes, Corn and Mango
May 24, 2011 § 1 Comment
The saying goes, “Knee high by the fourth of July,” but blog-o chums, just two hours South of my Saguaro-ville home, corn has grown past the thighs. Harvest season, in the hotsy-totsy southern parts, has begun. It occurs to me that unless you live in Arizona, south of the border or in Florida, none of the three star ingredients in this salad (see title) will be seasonal. But for the smattering (read: four of you?) that live in these parts, I wanted to share a salad I’m smitten with. I’ve made it two times in three days and I intended to make it again tomorrow, but my third mango was ripe for peeling tonight.
Ingredients:
8 cups leafy greens
2 early onions, chopped (including scallion-like green part)
1 large mango, cut in slivers
2 ears corn, cut from the cob
2 cups cherry tomatoes, preferably heirloom
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the Dressing — approximations
Juice from one large orange (~ 1/3 cup)
few glugs of white balsamic vinegar (~ 2 tablespoons)
small spoonful dijon mustard (~1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon)
pinch sea salt (at least 1/4 teaspoon)
10 cracks pepper
2 teaspoons maple syrup (real-deal)
1.5-2 tablespoons olive oil
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop tomatoes in half. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic and sea salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Bake for a remaining 15 minutes until carmalized and slightly browned/blackened around a few edges.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Cut corn kernals from cob. Boil in salted water for 2 minutes, ridding the kernals of a raw-corn taste. Blanch in cold water (or rinse thoroughly under cold tap water) and set aside.
3. Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients in the salad dressing, save the olive oil. When thoroughly combined, begin adding in a slow stream of olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
4. When tomatoes are finished, remove from oven and cool for ten minutes. Assemble salad. Toss with dressing just before serving.
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, vegan, nut-free
A Simple (Tangy) Side: Avocado Grapefruit Salad
March 17, 2011 § 4 Comments
When I first told my folks I was going to make them an avocado and grapefruit salad, I received two shifty glances and prolonged, dubious stares. But after serving this for brunch along side an herbed omelet and fresh sourdough bread, my pops — lover of grilled cheese and tomato soup — requested that we stick this salad in our recipe repertoire! I’ve since whipped this together many times with different dressing tweaks and alterations. The ingredients below are my favorite combo. (Cool note: My neighbor and friend, Marcia, makes a similar recipe, subbing the Meyer lemon juice with grapefruit juice and nixing the mustard. Her favorite way to eat this salad is over a bed of peppery arugula.)
Guys, this side dish couldn’t be simpler: The two primary ingredients — grapefruit and avocado — are tossed together as soon as they’re cut, in a tangy, mustard dressing. This dish has got to be eaten as soon as you make it. Mind you, it will last in the fridge until the next day should you find yourself with leftovers (even the avocado will still be green; thank you, citrus juice), but it shines at room temperature, as soon as the fruits are picked from the trees and scraped off the cutting board.
Ingredients:
2 Ruby Red grapefruit
2 small Hass avocados
juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon (approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup*
generous pinch sea salt
cracked pepper
*For SCD-diet: omit maple syrup and swap with honey.
Method:
1. Whisk dressing, taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Supreme grapefruits: Slice bottom and top off grapefruit so fruit can stand upright on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut away the peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit with a knife. Cut the grapefruit segments out of their membranes over a bowl, allowing the juices to catch. When finished, remove grapefruit segments from juice and place in a separate bowl. (Sip grapefruit juice; snack for the cook!)
3. Cut avocado into thick, 1/2″ slices. Dunk in dressing to prevent browning. In a bowl, gently toss grapefruit and avocado slices with dressing. Serve immediately at room temperature.
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, SCD-safe (see asterisk), nut free, vegan
Make It Yourself: Coconut Butter
March 4, 2011 § 1 Comment
Before you throw up your hands and say, “Coconut Butter!? Doesn’t that stuff knock years off your life!?” please read Melissa Clark’s kick-tush Good Appetite article this week titled, “Coconut Oil — From Villain to Health Food.” Then buy a huge tub of unsweeteend coconut flakes.
For years I thought I hated coconut. I’d nibble around the edges of holiday macaroons, white shards jetting out around the edges, inevitably giving the germed-up cookie to my obliging dad. Turns out, there are two types of coconut: real coconut and sweetened grass clippings.
Folks, if you think you’re a fellow coconut-hater, let me make a hearty recommendation: Zip out to your grocery store this afternoon, pick up a cheap-cheap tub of unsweetened coconut flakes (found in stores with good bulk bins), and give them a try. Better yet, stick them in a blender/food processor for about seven minutes (make the time pass quickly by watching my favorite YouTube video twice) and taste the drippy coconut butter with a long spoon. You may be a convert.
Coconut butter can be used in a multitude of ways: Try it as an oil replacer (ie. roast butternut squash/sweet potatoes with a coconut oil coating). Drizzle it over smoothies with granola on top and it makes a hardened topping that is out-of-this-world-good. Better yet, make these cookies and tell me if that doesn’t win you over.
Coconut butter hardens at room temperature, but don’t let that deter you. I love Faith’s way of tackling this problem: After she makes coconut butter, she takes a spoonful of the liquid butter and lets it harden into individual mini (reusable) muffin cups. The end result is a single-serving coconut butter disc. Try putting a coconut butter disc on top of your hot oatmeal and let it melt into the oats — it’s positively killer. If you don’t do the mini-muffin method, fill up a glass mason jar (or other durable glass jar that can withstand heat). To remove the hardened butter from a large container I do one of two things: Hack away at the dry coconut butter and stick a big blob in a pan on low heat until it melts (be watchful; it can brown (delicious!) or burn (yuck!) quickly). Alternatively, create a water bath to melt the butter. Check out how Kath does that at her blog, KathEats.com.
Ingredients:
3 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 glass mason jar
Methods:
Place coconut flakes in a food processor and blend for 7-8 minutes. The coconut flakes will break down, turning into a fine powder. Then, as the oil is released, it will start to clump together. Keep whizzing. It may look like it’s never going to turn into a liquidy butter — I promise, it will. After five minutes, scrape down the edges every minute or so. Don’t stop until it drips!
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, SCD-safe, vegan, nut-free
Heart-Swooning Peanut Sauce with Seasonal Veggies and Rice Noodles
February 11, 2011 § 4 Comments
If you were to take a peek in my recycling bin on any given day, you’d likely see a few glass tea bottles, a cardboard box or two and at least half a dozen empty jars of chunky, all-natural peanut butter. I can’t think of a day in the last eight months when I haven’t eaten PB scooped on top of oatmeal, shmeared on a muffin or scooped from the jar via spoon (favorite). I’m a peanut butter fanatic. As such, I’ve been tweaking one of my all-time favorite sauces: you got it! PEANUT SAUCE. This recipe has been four months in-the-making and I’m grinning at this very moment, because I’m awfully exited to finally share it.
Side note: I’m not a vegan, but if you’re trying to convert your loved one to veganism, good heavens — start with warm noodles and veggies, dredged in peanut sauce. This dish is hearty, healthy, gluten-free, comforting and delicious. After the photo shoot (above), I served my mom this plate and between bites she smiled and said, “Reg! I just don’t want it to end!”
Before we begin, a couple recipe notes:
(1) There are few foods on earth that I truly cannot stand, but ginger and green peppers are two of them. The later is irrelevant, but ginger is often a used in peanut sauce recipes. If you can’t live without ginger, go ahead and throw in a minced teaspoon or two.
(2) After whisking the peanut sauce, should you stick it in the refrigerator (or even if your house is a little chilly) it might thicken a bit. To reconstitute it, simply add hot water to the sauce a tablespoon at a time. I generally have to add between 3 and 6 tablespoons of hot water during the making of the sauce or just before serving it.
(3) To me, the very best salads not only offer great flavor, but fun textures, too. Keep this in mind when portioning the toppings: Don’t skimp. Second, depending on what veggies are in season, you may want to roast rather than stir-fry. (To me, roasted veggies pack the best flavor.) I roasted the broccoli and chopped green beans and sauteed the shredded Brussels sprouts. By combining roasted and sauteed veggies, this noodle salad offered different veggie sizes and textures in each bite.
(4) I’m a Meyer lemon nut and hunt for them every winter. Check out your local farmers’ market to see if they’ve got ‘um — but if you don’t have them at your disposal, not to worry: Try using half lemon juice, half orange juice whenever the recipe calls for Meyer lemon juice.
Ingredients for the Heart-Swoon Sauce:
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup chunky, all-natural peanut butter (salted)
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 teaspoons maple syrup
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
3+ tablespoons hot water, to loosen
1/4+ teaspoon sea salt (or more, to taste)
cracked pepper
Ingredients for the Dish:
8 oz. rice noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts (about 12 sprouts)
juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 large handful arugula
sea salt, pepper
2 cups broccoli, chopped, bite-size
1 cup green beans, chopped, bite-size
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt, pepper
Ingredients for Toppings:
1/3 cup scallions, chopped on diagonal
1/3 cup salted peanuts (chopped or not chopped, depending on your preference)
3-4 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted preferred)
few tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prep veggies. Wash broccoli and green beans; chop in bite-sized pieces. Wash arugula and rinse and shred brussels sprouts. On a large sheet pan with a rim, combine green beans and broccoli with a generous pinch of sea salt, cracked pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until al dente and slightly charred around the edges — about 20-25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook according to package instructions. (Note: I find that 7-8 oz. of noodles is a good amount for four or five generous servings of this salad.)
3. Prepare sauce: Whisk together all ingredients. Add hot water to loosen sauce as needed. Set aside.
4. In a large sauce pan on the stove, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute shredded Brussels sprouts with a pinch of sea salt and pepper until wilted and slightly carmazelized around the edges. Add juice of half a Meyer lemon and washed arugula and cook until the arugula has wilted and most of the lemon juice has evaporated — about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Prep toppings.
5. When rice noodles are cooked al dente, drain and add 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce to the hot noodles to allow them to soak in the flavor. Toss noodles with shredded sprouts, arugula, broccoli & green beans. Add additional sauce as needed, reserving a few tablespoons for individual dishes. Garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds, salted peanuts, scallions and a drizzle of extra sauce.
Diet Notes: Gluten-free, vegan
