Loving Our Greens!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays and Pennywise Platter Thursdays.

I told you yesterday how I tried and failed with rainbow chard, now let me share with you some great ways of getting your green on using kale and spinach!

I had read about Kale Chips and I thought, "My family would never even go near something like that."  However, my daughter is on an eating plan right now that requires two meals a day to have at least two servings of green vegetables.  After burning out on the usual suspects, it was time to venture into new territory.  When I told my daughter what I was making she said, "NO!  Don't make kale!  I hate kale!"  After I assured her that she didn't have to like it, she just had to be open minded and try it, she calmed down.  And when she actually did try it, she loved it.  She now asks for kale chips everyday!  The taste is similar to popcorn or if you use spinach I think it tastes like pumpkin seeds.  If you use spinach and kale both, do them in different batches or use separate trays because of the different cooking times.

Kale (or Spinach) Chips
1 bunch kale (or spinach) I use a half a bunch each time
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 350.  You're going to need to de-vein the kale: just run a sharp knife along either side of the main stem & remove.  Tear the leaves into bite size pieces (about 2" square or smaller) and place in colander (or salad spinner) to wash.

Wash & dry kale, then place in single layer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  I used a kitchen oil spritzer to evenly distribute oil on the kale (mine is from Pampered Chef but you can find similar items here or here on Amazon).  I took about a teaspoon of sea salt in my hand and rubbed my hands together all over the kale to evenly salt it.

Place in the oven and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until crisp (if using spinach you will need to cook it for closer to 15 minutes).  Watch carefully when it's getting close to time- burnt ones don't taste good!

Eat them up!  (about 2 - 4 servings depending on if you eat them like I do or my daughter does!)

My parchment paper is a little dark because I was reusing a sheet I had made something else on previously (cookies I believe).  Here is a great tip for you: because I used half of the bunch of kale, I saved the parchment paper & reused it the next day to make the second batch with the other half of the kale.  Now, wait- don't throw the paper away yet!  Make yourself a batch of Sourdough Cracker dough and roll it right out onto the parchment paper.  You see, after a couple of batches the paper has the perfect amount of extra oil & salt on it for your crackers.  I wanted to use up more of my spinach (I had several bunches) so before I rolled it out I tore some spinach into pieces & incorporated it into the dough.

If you were making these for your family you would probably want to chop it a little more finely- but these were for me & I didn't mind (plus I'm lazy- ha!).  Bake as normal- the crackers are salted from underneath!  These were great!

I didn't stop there though.  Last time I had a bag of basil I had more than I was ready to use then, so I measured out the amount of leaves needed for a batch of Spinach Basil Pesto and put it in bags right into the freezer.  I was ready to make pesto this week so a day or two earlier I got a bag of basil out of the freezer to thaw & then put those leaves right into the food processor.  They don't look pretty then, but once everything mixes together you can't tell anything is different.  I didn't have any pine nuts for my pesto, so I decided to use pecan pieces instead.  I may do that from now on- have you seen how expensive pine nuts are?  Wow!

Those spinach crackers taste awesome dipped in Spinach Basil Pesto- yum!  Now I'm really getting my green on- but wait, I'm not done yet!  (It's fun to sound like an infomercial sometimes...)

Don't forget about throwing a few fresh spinach leaves into your smoothies.  If you've got some spinach or kale that is about to go bad you can do this: lightly steam them, while still hot put them in the blender along with a few tablespoons of coconut oil (the heat from the leaves melts the oil) and a little bit of milk just to help things move around.

Puree until smooth, pour into an ice cube tray, and place in the freezer.  Once they're frozen solid you can put them in a bag in the freezer.  Throw one or two into your smoothies for a boost of healthy greens & healthy fat too!

OK, whew!  Now I'm done!  Did I wear you out too?

Have some fun with greens this week!
Enjoy!
Lisa

P.S.  Do you know about the US Wellness Meats Giveaway at Nourishing Days blog?  You can enter for a chance to win an $85 gift certificate- yeah & yum!

Pudding & Other Things

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

I have tried out several new recipes in the past week & while I won't share all of them with you now, I will be soon!  The first one was Andrea's Coconut Milk Vanilla Pudding.  I'm normally not one to make pudding because it requires standing & stirring over the stove: I'm too much of a multi-tasker to stand for that!  (Translation: I walk away from the stove & it burns or curdles.)  But for the sake of my son, who loves vanilla pudding, I gave it a go.

First you combine 3 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. arrowroot, and a dash of salt in a small pan.  Whisk in 1 can of regular coconut milk and one egg yolk.
You bring it to a simmer, stirring & scraping constantly, over medium high heat, then reduce to medium and continue cooking & stirring til pudding "coats the back of a spoon" (I never can tell what that means, but since she also said "two minutes" I just did that).

I think I stopped cooking mine too soon because it never did thicken up (I thought it would set up in the fridge).  It was very tasty, but my son rejected it because of the coconut flavor.  Oh well, more for me!  It was quite sweet & next time I will try dropping the amount of honey down to 2 Tbsp.

Makes 4 servings.  Now if I was really cool these would have been in matching containers, but since I was behind on the dishes then you get what you get!

I have also been trying out some new recipes for different greens this week: kale, spinach, even rainbow chard (which I had never tasted or bought before in my life).

 I didn't buy that much- just once bunch. Photo credit to Alex (eflon)

I ordered the greens from our produce co-op and went right over to allrecipes.com to see what I could find.  I tried two different highly rated recipes with the chard and have to tell you that both of those were rejects- no more chard!  But I found a way of cooking kale (or spinach) that my daughter loves & now she is actually asking me to cook kale everyday- seriously!  Who would have thought?  I will share more of our "green" adventures tomorrow.

For my final Tuesday Twister thought, I'd like to share a picture with you that I will entitle "I thought it wouldn't happen to me"

This picture was taken in my freezer.  This is my chicken broth.  Do you see the little shards of glass next to the container?  Yes, I thought it wouldn't happen to me.  I had heard stories of glass shattering in the freezer, but I thought if I left enough room for expansion everything would be fine...  Maybe I didn't leave enough room this time.  This could be interesting, I imagine when I thaw it I will put it in a fine strainer & catch any glass shards?  Or do you think it's not worth it?

Here's hoping you enjoy your kitchen adventures this week!
Lisa

P.S.  You'll notice over on the right hand side of my blog is a white box that says "Feeling Overwhelmed?" and it links to the ecourse at GNOWFGLINS.  This is different than the Online Cooking Class from the Nourished Kitchen, whose banner is running at the top of my blog.

Wardeh (of GNOWFGLINS) has felt compelled to offer her ecourse on a donation only basis.  This is a step of faith that I highly respect, and I hope that everyone who takes her course realizes the hours and hours of her time that she has put into the curriculum.  Blessings Wardeh!

Tortilla Beef Skillet

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday.
And Pennywise Platter Thursday

I'm sharing with you a simple recipe, tasty, as well as being another great way to use up failed or funky tortillas.  Sorry, no pictures because we dug into it too fast & the leftovers just did not take a pretty picture- but this recipe is a real family pleaser anyways!

Tortilla Beef Skillet
1 lb. ground beef (could reduce to 3/4 lb. & increase beans to economize)
2 c. kidney beans (preferably dried, soaked, cooked, but 1 can would work too)
3/4 c. salsa (can increase depending on how spicy your family likes it)
1 c. water
4 flour tortillas, torn into 1" pieces
1 c. shredded cheese
optional: 1/3 c. sour cream, 1/3 c. chopped green onions, chopped avocado or tomatoes

Brown meat in large skillet, drain grease (I never need to do this anymore- is it the cast iron or the grass fed beef?)
Stir in beans, salsa and water.  Bring to boil & simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in tortillas & top with cheese.  Since I used a cast iron pan I turned on the oven to broil and put the pan in for a few minutes so the cheese would have a nice toasted look.  Add optional toppings either before serving or on individual plates.

You can serve this as is, or on a bed of shredded lettuce, similar to a taco salad.  Now that would probably have been a pretty picture!  :)

Enjoy!
Lisa

Dressing & Sauce

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

I'd like to share with you a couple of things that have been twisting in my kitchen this week.  First of all, I finally found a homemade "Ranch" type dressing that I like.  Before I went all "real food" there was always a bottle of Ranch salad dressing in our refrigerator.  The whole family preferred it over anything else.  That is, until I discovered all the nasty stuff they put in there (even organic ones).  I've tried to make my own a few times with less than stellar reviews, but this time I combined the elements from different dressing recipes & I was very satisfied with the results.

Creamy Ranch Style Dressing
1/2 c. plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream
1/3 c. buttermilk
3 T. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried chives (or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix ingredients together in a bowl with a fork and then whisk to combine completely.  Lasts about one week.

I also made another batch of my Homemade Barbecue Sauce.

The first time I had made it using soy sauce, and this time I used apple cider vinegar.  It is really good either way.  Even my ultra-picky 11 year old said it was yummy & wanted extra for dipping in.  It could be a little less sweet, so next time I may try decreasing the honey & see how we like it.  Even though my directions suggest making it 24 hours ahead of time, I had not planned ahead so I made it moments before I put it on top of some organic chicken legs & tossed them in the oven to bake.  No problem!  I'm using the rest of it today to marinate some steaks.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Your Own Real Food Tutor!

Did you see the latest update from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?  Watch his video update & notice he closes it by saying, "The one thing that makes a tangible real difference is food education and knowing how to cook real food.  It will change your life." 

Have you heard the buzz about several real food e-courses that are opening up right now?  I wanted to let you know about "How to Cook Real Food" from the Nourished Kitchen. 

Jenny, of the Nourished Kitchen, says this: It seems simple enough. Eat real food. Cook from scratch. Shop locally. But how do you make it happen in your own kitchen? Especially those of us who never learned how to cook — we were raised on microwave suppers, boxed cereals and toaster pastries. We all face the challenges of a modern life – balancing work and parenthood, all the while trying to feed our families healthier meals.
 

Jenny is going to walk you step by step through several things.  You can see a list what the classes will cover here.  She will cover things like: making your own bread, fermenting vegetables, giving up white sugar (!), and other great skills to advance you in your kitchen.  By the way, all the pictures in this post are taken from The Nourished Kitchen- so beautiful!

"How to Cook Real Food" is only $120 if you pay in advance- that's less than $10 per class! Or you can choose to pay in 4 payments of $35 each.  Classes start June 1st, so enrollment is only available until May 31st- hello, that's less than 2 weeks away- so don't put this off!

Click here to see the promotional video.  Then be sure to click back to sign up for the course from my blog (if you would like to help support my blogging: I get a commission when you enroll).  Click here to sign up for the e-course "How to Cook Real Food" from the Nourished Kitchen.

Next week I will let you know more about Wardeh's upcoming e-courses at GNOWFGLIN's.

Enjoy!
Lisa

When Life Gives You Bad Apples...

My kids have absolutely no interest in apples that are soft, puckered skin, or with blemishes- oh, how we are spoiled now aren't we?  We are so used to the "perfect" food presented in the grocery store that we really will tolerate nothing less. But I digress!  When life gives you bad apples... make applesauce!  It really was so easy- you should try it!

Applesauce
makes about 4 cups of applesauce, you can adjust to recipe to make more or less!
about 6 apples
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (depending on how sweet your apples are, or how sweet you like it)
sprinkle of cinnamon

Put water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cinnamon in your cooking pot, stir.  Chop the apples into about 1" pieces (I did not peel them, you may, but you might be surprised how easily those peels blend into the finished sauce- so try it without).  As you chop each apple, toss it into the cooking pot & stir to coat the pieces (the lemon juice will keep them from turning brown as you chop more).
Heat to boiling, them reduce to simmer for a few hours, or until very, very soft.  (Yummy smells in your kitchen!)  Remove from heat & allow to cool slightly.  Toss it all into your food processor (or blender) and blend to desired texture.

Can you see any apple peel in there?  Nope! 

I found a few more apples that were less-than-perfect and I decided to make Apple Oven Pancakes.  I am not sure where I printed this recipe from, but I have adjusted it to include soaking of the flour.  If you want to shorten your morning prep time (like I did) and don't mind heating your oven twice, you can cook the apples the day before.  I also combined the remaining batter ingredients in a jar, shook it up to mix, and put it in the fridge to make my morning even quicker!

Apple Oven Pancakes

about 6 servings

1 c. buttermilk (or plain yogurt thinned with milk)

2/3 c. whole wheat flour

*12-24 hours before baking, combine buttermilk & flour in blender (gently).  Let soak til ready to cook.

4 Tbsp. butter

2 apples, sliced very thin (peeling optional)

Preheat oven to 425.  While oven is heating place butter in 9x13 pan & put in oven to melt.  Once melted, place apple slices evenly across bottom of pan.  Bake in oven for about 10 minutes.

4 large eggs

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. raw sugar (if using tart apples)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Add these ingredients to the flour/buttermilk mixture in the blender and blend to combine.  Pour over apples in dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Pancake will be very tall & puffed up when you first remove it from the oven, but will collapse back down after cooling slightly.  Slice & serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

Hmm, not the most flattering picture, but we were headed on a train trip that day & I didn't have time to make a pretty picture!  If you plan ahead you only need to spend 5 minutes in the morning on this (plus oven preheat time & bake time- but you can be getting ready then) plus you get more protein than a regular pancake too.

And just for fun, here's a picture from our trip to Seattle that day.  My son trying to get a good view from the top of the Space Needle- using the telescope backwards of course. ;)

Enjoy!

Lisa

This post is a part of The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Foodie Blogroll

Hooray!  This blog has been approved for the Foodie Blogroll- another way of letting people know my blog is out there & helping readers find more "foodie" blogs.  Check out the new little widget on the bottom right of my blog.  Makes me happy!  :)