Sauteed Kale with Balsamic and Bacon

AKA, "My New Favorite Way to Eat Kale."

Well, hello there!  Things have kind of reached a fever-pitch at home, and I'm currently a chaotic mix of crazed cleaning frenzy and trying to find my inner piece.  I'll let you guess which is winning?

Really, tho, I'm getting surgery this Friday to remove a fibroid, and it's got me in a bit of a tailspin.  I've never had surgery before - other than getting my wisdom teeth removed - so I'm trying to prepare myself, but really, I'm very nervous about the whole thing.  So, I'm feeling more than a little spastic and unsettled and of course, I most likely won't be able to blog recipes for a few weeks.  (But you can bet that I'll have worn holes in the pages of my Food Network magazine while I'm forced to be way less mobile than I'm used to.)

Hollyhock Yeast Dressing

I know.  Another salad dressing.  When will she stop with the salad  dressing  recipes?

But, in my defense, this can be used for soooo much more than salad.  For instance: It's amazing when you dunk salad rolls into it (and this time I filled my salad rolls with the Lettuce Wrap chicken).  And I used it to marinate chicken last night and as a sauce for the fried rice we had on the side.  It's pretty much endless what you can do with this savory, slightly zingy sauce that's just jammed with flavor.  When I first read that everyone was proclaiming it their favorite dressing in the whole world, I thought - sure, ok.  But then after I started eating (nay, slurping?) it, I realized that they all spoke the truth.  I. Love. This. Dressing. 

Thai Stir-Fried Greens

(When will she ever tire of recipes for dang greens?!)

Here!  A "Happy St. Patrick's Day" bouquet for you! :) 

This recipe is basically a Thai-style way of cooking greens.  You could use just about any green, but the original recipe called for Chinese broccoli, or rapini, so I went with that.  It's been years since I last had rapini, and I'm starting to tire of the kale and spinach that I eat my way through every week.  (Of course, I type this as I'm sucking down my daily green smoothie.)

I love me a good Asian-style sauce for cooking veggies, because it makes eating vegetables so easy, yummy, and healthy.  This green side would work well with our Vietnamese Chicken from last week, but I think it would be best on its own, with some protein added to it.  The greens have a strong flavor, and I'd hate to overpower the chicken because it was just so fantastically delicious.  In the future, I plan to make this recipe with some diced chicken breast and mushrooms added.  With some chili garlic sauce thrown in for good measure.  Yummmm....



I promise that my next recipe with have zero green in it!

Still Asleep,

         

Thai Stir-Fried Greens
adapted from The Kitchn

1 bunch Chinese broccoli, rapini, or other sturdy green
2-3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Wash the broccoli and shake off excess water. (You want some water still clinging to the leaves, as that will help with the cooking process.) Chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Chop the leaves into bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce, water, fish sauce, and sugar.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Swirl in the oil. Add the garlic and stir briefly, until sizzling and fragrant. If the stalks are very thick, add them to the pan first, stirring for 1-2 minutes before adding the leaves. Otherwise, add both stalks and leaves to the pan, followed by the sauce. Stir and toss the vegetables frequently until the leaves are wilted and the stalks are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Makes 2-3 servings.

Additional Notes:
• You can add a protein like shrimp, chicken or tofu to the stir-fry. Increase the amount of sauce and stir-fry the protein for a few minutes before adding the garlic.

• Although this recipe is fantastic with dark green, leafy, slightly bitter vegetables, the sauce will work with virtually any sturdy vegetable (cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc.), so feel free to mix it up.

         

Ingredient Lineup:

Note:  Not what a Southerner has in mind when they say "big ol' mess a'greens":

Two minutes later:  Lil' ol' mess a'greens.

"Hi, my name is Rory.  And I follow Sara around the house, begging for these oyster greens things.  They're so yum that I'll do ridiculous tricks and pose for photos just to get my paws on some scraps."

Tropical Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Coconut Dressing

Did you know that massaging raw kale gives it a slightly wilted texture, so that it's softer?  Neither did I!  I bumped into a whole new world of kale salads and learned that the die hards rub some dressing into the kale and let it marinate before eating.  Crazy town!

But let's get back to this salad.  I've started calling it "scurvy salad" because of its healthy dose of Vitamin C while we're still seeing chilly winter weather outside.  It's basically an island vacation on a plate.  Coconut, lime, pineapple, mangoes, banana.... I'm telling you - it's the cheapest tropical vacation you'll ever take.

And we're bringing back those Chia Seeds again.  This time, not only do they add some fiber and omegas to your dressing, they also serve as a thickener.  This recipe takes advantage of how Chia Seeds absorb liquid and create a gel, and use that to thicken the dressing naturally.  I love it!

And a secret?  That dressing is pretty delicious when drizzled over coconut milk ice cream.  I may or may not be stuffing my face with it as I write...

I Feel A Tan Coming On,


p.s.  Happy Leap Year!

         

Tropical Kale Salad with Creamy Pineapple Coconut Dressing
adapted from Oh She Glows

For the dressing:
1 c. chopped pineapple *
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
3/4 c. coconut milk
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
pinch kosher salt
1 Tbsp. honey (if using unsweetened coconut milk)

For the salad:
3 c. packed kale, stems removed and roughly torn
2 c. butter or romaine lettuce
1/2 c. chopped pineapple *
1 c. chopped mango *
1/2 large banana, sliced
1 Tbsp. shredded dried coconut
1/4 c. roughly chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

In a blender, blend all dressing ingredients until smooth.

Then, prepare the kale by adding about 1/2 of the dressing to the kale and massage it in with your fingers. While the kale marinates, chop the fruit.  Toss everything together and top with coconut and nuts and additional dressing as desired.

* Note: I used frozen and thawed chopped pineapple and mango to save on costs, and this recipe turned out great.

         

Dressing Ingredient Lineup:

Salad Ingredient Lineup:

Food Rule 21 and Green Smoothies

(Lest you think I've gone off the deep end with my treats consumption, ha!)

I'm going to throw down some honesty here today.  That up there?  That's my breakfast every day.  Yep.  A huge green smoothie that I suck down while I'm sitting in traffic, on my way to work.  Why?  Obviously I'm capable of making other, more traditional items to eat.  But why am I eating 3 overflowing cups of kale and spinach for breakfast?

Because I'm waging a war on my acne.  There you have it.  My skin has the ability to go from allllmost clear to a disaster within a matter of a couple of days.  It's 90% of the reason I avoid dairy.  Dairy hormones and sugars make my acne (and body hormones) fly out of control, resulting in painful red bumps and cysts on my face.  Which then turn into dark scars.  It's not exactly a great way for a girl to go out in the world, especially considering that wearing a bag over my head isn't something I've been able to pull off.  (Yet.)

Now, I'm a firm believer in healing my body from the inside.  I've done just about everything for eliminating external irritating detergents and fabric softeners and body washes.  So, when my skin flares up, I know that something isn't happy on the inside.  After reading a bit about alkalinity and watching this video, I really felt compelled to get more greens in my diet.  Which is perfect for another Food Rule:

I've raved about greens in the past, but short of throwing them into every single dinner, I couldn't figure out a way to get more into my diet.  Until I started seeing Green Smoothies pop up everywhere.  They sound iffy at best - Spinach for breakfast?  Raw?  And you drink it??  Yes, indeedy, my friends.  And they taste really, really good.  Throw in a banana and some other fruit, close your eyes, and you don't even know it's loaded with leafy green vegetables.  I swear.

I follow this basic recipe for my breakfasts each morning:

Some Chia Seeds for omegas, fiber, protein, and energy
3 huge handfuls of greens - usually kale or spinach
1 fruit to make things sweet - a ripe banana or an apple
1-2 other fruits for flavors - raspberries and mango together are really good!

Note: If you add red or blue berries, your smoothie color won't be as vibrant green.  Because red + green = kinda brown in color.  Which equals disgusting photos, lol.  I didn't want to scare you away any more than I already might be, so I left the fruit for this recipe pale in color so that all you see is that gorgeous green!

What do you all think??

Are you already a Green Smoothie aficionado?

Tempted to come over to the vibrant green side of the fence?

With Bo in thinking that my breakfast is too whack to even consider? :)

My Hippy Roots are Showing,

         

Green Smoothie

2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 c. water
3 c. kale, chopped with stems removed
1 c. frozen peach slices (unsweetened)
1 banana, sliced and frozen

Soak Chia seeds in water for at least 5 minutes, as you gather the remaining ingredients. Add ingredients to blender in this order: Water with soaked Chia seeds, kale, banana, and peach slices. Blend until smooth.  Makes one 24oz. smoothie.

       

Seriously, check this out.  These are the numbers for my recipe above:

It's a pretty great way to start the morning, am I right?!

Food Rule 25 and Green Eggs, No Ham

Drum roll, please!  Introducing, our next Food Rule:

One of the things I love about this food rule is that it instantly makes you start mentally scrolling through all the fruits and vegetables you can think of that might have leaves worth eating.  Here's an easy and delicious idea - Greens!*  As you remember, I've already raved about kale and two of my favorite soup recipes call for collards or other greens.  And I'm forever tossing collards and kale into stir fries and anywhere else that could use some extra vitamins.  I'm learning that they're way more versatile than the typical way people serve them here in the South (stewed all day with bacon fat and served as a faded green soppy pile with hot sauce - delicious, but not terribly nutritious).

This recipe is yet another way you can toss greens into something basic and give yourself an extra punch of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.  And what better time than at breakfast?  This recipe has absolutely made its way into my morning routine, and I'm so excited to have found another way to cook with such a healthy vegetable.

Your turn - Have you tried out any new ways to get more green into your diet?  We'd all love to hear!

Green Machine,


p.s.  Everyone talks about how bitter greens are, and I was afraid to try them for that very reason.  But I was totally surprised to find that they really aren't bitter at all.  In fact, I think that both kale and collards are way less bitter than spinach!  Greens just need a little broth for cooking and some salt to finish.  Mmmmm... tasty.


* AKA: Collards, Kale, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Dandelion Greens, or any of the family of green, leafy vegetables used for salad!

          

Green Eggs, No Ham
adapted from Cookus Interruptus

3 handfuls rinsed and chopped collards or kale
approx. 1/3 c. low-sodium broth or water
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. oil or butter
your favorite seasoning salt, to taste
3 tsp. grated cheese, like Romano or Parmesan

Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add enough broth or water to cover the bottom of the skillet and add the greens.  Let greens cook down until wilted and moisture is absorbed, stirring occasionally.  Continue cooking until greens start to toast, then remove greens from skillet and set aside.

Lower heat to medium.  Add oil or butter to skillet.  Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl until combined, then pour into skillet over hot butter.  Gently stir eggs as they cook, lifting egg layer up from the bottom of the pan.  When eggs are nearly cooked, add the greens to the pan and season with your favorite seasoning salt (I used Old Bay).  Remove the pan from heat when eggs appear light and fluffy, but still shiny and wet.  Serve immediately, sprinkling grated cheese over the top.  Serves 2.

         

Add enough broth or water to a skillet over medium-high heat to cover the bottom of the pan.

Toss in greens and let cook down until wilted, stirring occasionally.

Continue cooking greens until moisture is absorbed and greens are soft and just starting to toast.

Serve with a sprinkling of grated Romano or Parmesan and a thick slice of toasted wheat bread.

(Leftover) Turkey Lentil Soup

Oh boy.  Who's still full from yesterday?  And who ate way too much dessert and not enough veggies?  Just me?  I suppose that's not terribly surprising :)

This recipe is a yum-yummy way to use up some leftover turkey (or roast chicken) while getting in a bunch of vegetables and lentils for antioxidants and fiber.  It leaves you feeling nice and cozy, but not heavy or sleepy.  And doesn't it feel so good to scoop up all those brightly colored veggies after a day of Thanksgiving feasting?

Spending Today in My Fleeze PJ Pants (Not Shopping),

Turkey Lentil Soup
adapted from Allrecipes

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. lentils, rinsed
16 oz. salsa
2 c. cooked turkey, diced
6 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
5 oz. spinach or collards or kale
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until celery is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender, about another 3 minutes.  Add lentils, salsa, turkey, and broth and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in spinach or collards and simmer 5-10 more minutes, until greens are softened.

         

        

Ingredient Lineup: