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.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Hey, look.  Yet another salad dressing recipe.  (Here's one and another and another and another and another and three more.)  But the thing is, I eat a lot of salad.  For a while there, I was packing some kind of huge salad in my lunch every day.  So you can bet that I quickly grow tired of the same ingredients and the same dressings.  Add to that the fact that bought salad dressing is so iffy on flavor, and buying a whole bottle of something new is an expensive taste-test.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

So, basically, when I found this recipe, I nearly jumped for joy.  While I love drinking my green smoothies for breakfast (they seriously make me more alert than any cup of coffee), the thought of swapping them out for pumpkin that looks like a milkshake wasn't even worth pausing to consider.  Done.  Let's drink them every day through the end of the year, shall we?

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. 

Tangy Cucumber and Avocado Salad

Oh, I'd forgotten how yummy this recipe is!  I went digging through my cooking notebook (which is just shy of completely falling apart), and rediscovered this recipe I had saved four years ago.  Whoops!  And now, I'm wondering what other amazing recipes are in there that I'd forgotten about?

Asian Salmon with Forbidden Rice

I thought I'd center this week's recipes around my new favorite food - black rice, aka Forbidden Rice.

Now, if you find yourself in the rice aisle at Whole Foods, you'll be overwhelmed by just how many different varieties of rice there are (who knew?!!).  But I first read about black rice a couple of months ago, and of course, the fact that it's healthier than brown rice even made it shoot to the top of my grocery list.

How healthy?  If you compare it cup for cup to brown rice, they are fairly similar in nutrition, until you get to the phytochemical content.  Just like you've heard for years - opt for the food with more vibrant and/or darker colors.  In this case, the black rice.  A spoonful of cooked black rice actually has more anthocyanin than a spoonful of blueberries.  Crazy huh.  So, when you're looking for a carb side for your meal, and rice is on your mind, you might grab black rice to add some variety and extra phytochemicals to your diet.

Charred Green Beans

Happy Good Friday!

I've been on a huge roasted vegetables kick lately.  I don't know if it's because it seems like less work to toss a pan of veggies into the oven while I'm working on the main course or if it's because roasting veggies brings out new flavors.  

Apricot Glazed Carrots

I have to admit - the idea of a glaze on cooked carrots didn't immediately appeal to me.  But I kept bumping into recipes and commenters who raved about how much their kids loved the recipes.  So I figured, if kids love it, it can't be too far out there in the Fancy Food Galaxy, right?

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 28 and 100 Flower Blossoms

Happy Chinese New Year!  Today marks the start of the Year of the Dragon, and I thought it'd be fun to pair a Chinese dish with our new food rule:

I picked this particular recipe, because, if I'm being honest, I can't remember the last time I ate cauliflower.  I love a million different vegetables, but I always skip over cauliflower.  Maybe because I've only ever had it raw (yuck!) or smothered in goopy cheese (yuck! plus, I stay away from dairy).  But in a light sauce, with some garlic and salt, it's pretty tasty.  I'm going to try incorporating more of this little powerhouse vegetable into my rotation.  It's high in fiber, vitamin C, and anti-cancer phytochemicals, and those are definitely welcome in my diet.

Enjoy!
ssssssss*

* My Chinese sign is a Snake :)  What's yours??

         

100 Flower Blossoms
adapted from Steamy Kitchen

8 oz. cauliflower florets
6 oz. broccoli florets
6 oz. sliced carrots
salt to taste
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup vegetable broth
6 oz. crab meat, optional
1 egg white

In a large pot of salted water, boil the cauliflower florets for 1 1/2 minutes. Without removing the cauliflower, add the broccoli florets and the carrot slices to the same pot and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes, until fork tender at the stem. Rinse the vegetables with cool water to stop the cooking and drain. Lightly salt the vegetables.

In a small bowl or cup, stir together the cornstarch and the water to make a cornstarch slurry. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic. Fry 15-30 seconds until fragrant, but do not burn. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the salt to taste. Let broth come to a boil.

Stir the cornstarch slurry one more time, and then pour into the broth. Stir and let simmer for 30 seconds until broth has thickened. Stir in optional crab meat. Slowly pour in the egg white and use a fork or chopsticks to gently swirl in one direction to create long tails. Immediately turn off the heat. Taste the broth, and add additional salt if needed. Pour mixture over the vegetables and serve.

         

Ingredient Lineup:

Food Rule 45 and Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

This has got to be my one of favorite rules in the entire book:

Uh, hello!  I love to cook, and who doesn't love to indulge in fatty, salty, or sweet foods?  This is pretty much a done deal for me!

This recipe for Sweet Potato Fries deviates from your standard slice-em-and-bake-em recipe in that it turns out Crispy.  Giving the sweet potato sticks a light coating of corn starch allows them to bake up with a barely-there coating (similar to the way that our Baked Coconut Shrimp crisp up).  And, there are definitely no deep fryers involved here!  Go on, and zoom in on a photo or two, if it's not too early to be scoping out french fries.  No steamy, slimy outer layers in sight!  Just a slight crisp without a greasy mess.

Ok, so I didn't go full blown junky junk food on you with this recipe (I honestly can't bring myself to deep fry anything at home), but these are still very much in the delicious category.  As I was editing the photos last night, Bo commented, "Yeah, those were good." 

We ate them dipped in a spicy mayo: About 1/2 cup mayo mixed with a teaspoon of chili sauce, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, and a pinch of salt.  Feel free to change up the amounts to your liking.  I just threw things into a bowl and tasted as I went.

Enjoy!

         

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
adapted from The Art of Doing Stuff

1 large sweet potato
1/3 c. corn starch
seasoning salt
2 Tbsp. canola oil

Cut the sweet potato into even sticks.  (No need to peel the potato first, because you can trim the skin as you cut the potato into sticks).  Soak the sticks in water for an hour or more.  Drain the potato sticks, but do not blot dry.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a baking rack onto a cookie sheet and lightly spray the rack with oil.  (Note: You can skip the rack and just use a cookie sheet, but you'll need to flip the fries over midway through cooking in order to get all sides crisped.)

Working in batches, add a tablespoon of corn starch and a shake of seasoning salt to a plastic bag.    Add in a small handful of sweet potato sticks (about 6 or 7) and close the top of the bag, making sure there is air inside to create a balloon shape.  Shake the bag to completely coat the sweet potato sticks.  Remove the sweet potatoes, shaking the excess corn starch off, and set aside.  After all sticks have been lightly coated with corn starch, drizzle oil over all the sticks and use your hands to make sure the sticks have a light coating and then place onto prepared baking rack.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until sweet potato sticks are fork-tender.  Increase oven temperature to Low Broil and continue baking for a few more minutes, until fries begin to crisp.  Makes 2 servings.

         

Ingredient Lineup: