Red Kale, Asparagus and Mushrooms with Romano Cheese Polenta

I know, I know. I have literally been absent for months. I would come up with an amazing excuse....but I think it is just winter wearing on me. I only have so many hours of good lighting to take pictures with, and if I am not feeling the cooking vibe...well I think you know what happens. But now Spring is just around the corner. It stays light until almot 7:00pm! Despite the fact that there is a snow storm looming on the horizon because I live in Antarctica.... I mean northern Canada.... it seems like I can almost taste summer coming.  But since the first day of spring here.....is very different than the rest of the world I am doing a warm and cozy recipe with mushrooms and hot polenta.  A little asparagus in this recipe is just the spring I need to hold me over, until real spring gets here

Red Kale, Asparagus, and Mushrooms with Romano Cheese Polenta

2-3 cups purple kale, torn into bite sized pieces

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms*

1 cup asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 cup hot water

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup corn meal

1 cup mushroom or chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup shredded romano cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you don't have dried mushrooms (and mushroom broth) , just used your favorite fresh mushrooms and chicken broth. I used a combination of dried and fresh. 

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl. Pour 1 cup of hot water, or enough to cover mushrooms in bowl. Set aside.

In a large pan heat olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes until softened. Drain mushrooms, and reserve liquid for polenta. Add mushrooms and kale, along with a splash of mushroom liquid, stir reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale has begun to soften. Add asparagus, cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a medium pot,  bring mushroom liquid and broth to a boil. Whisk in cornmeal and milk and reduce to a simmer. Continue to whisk for 5-10 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, until melted. Immeditely plate and top with the kale and mushrooms. Sprinkle with chopped chives and some extra cheese.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Kale Salad

I am borderline psychotic in need of a nap so without further ado..... a recipe full of winter veggies and roasted seeds. BAM.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Kale Salad

1 spaghetti squash

2 cups kale, torn into small pieces

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides, setting the seeds aside. Place skin side down on a pan along with the onion and brush with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 35-45 minutes until flesh of the squash is tender. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool. While squash is cooling place seeds in a bowl, and toss with olive oil and sea salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside. 

In a large bowl add kale and a little olive oil. Massage the oil into the kale leaves for about 2 minutes until they begin to soften. You could alternately sautee the leaves if you didn't feel up to giving a plant a rub down. After leaves have softened, use a fork to remove the flesh of the squash from the skin and add to the large bowl. Chop cooked and cooled onion and add to bowl along with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Top with toasted squash seeds.

Coconut-Carrot Tahini Soup

So can we just talk about "it" foods real quick? This past year it was quinoa, goji berries,  and butternut squash. More recently the "it" food is kale. You literally cannot read an article on the good ol' in-tro-net without someone telling you how kale will make you skinny, have glowing skin, and your babies will be born with a full head of hair. K maybe I stretched that last one a bit. All I am saying is that people go through fads with food almost as frequently as the next hot diet or exercise craze. (P90X, Zumba, or Crossfit anyone?) The point of this rant is.... you should really be eating these "it" foods all the time,  because Gweneth Paltrow does they are always good for you! 

When my parents visited a few weeks ago they made so delicious carrot ginger soup. Fairly simple but so so so good. I thought I could add a few item to their original (i.e. spices and tahini)......mainly because lately I am using tahini like a sesame addict. It is my new "it" food. After I found out they are a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids....I basically put that ish on everything. 

Coconut-Carrot Tahini Soup

1 pound washed and peeled carrots (6-7 large carrots)

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

4 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2  teaspoon corriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1/3 cup tahini

Cilantro for garnish

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Roughly chop onions and carrots and add to pot. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent. Add minced garlic, ginger, spices, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute until spices are fragrant. Add vegetable broth, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until carrot are very soft. 

Remove from heat. Using and immersion blender (or regular blender if you don't have one) blend until smooth. Add coconut milk and blend until incorporated. Let cool for about 5 minutes, add tahini, and blend again for about 30 seconds. Serve with a few sprigs of cilantro on top. 

Carrot and Sweet Potato Lasagna with Basil Tomato Cashew Cheese Sauce

After my first experience with cashews used as a sauce, my mind was overflowing with ideas on how to change creamy sauces (which I usually hate) to something healthy and delicious. I love, love, love lasagna. It can be made vegetarian without meat eaters batting an eyelash. You can add any type of meat, vegetable, or cheese and usually you will get an amazing result.

My veggie friend Lacey made me some yummy vegetarian lasagna the other day, which included carrots and I loved it so much a had to expand on it. Carrots add a great texture that lasagna is usually missing. So then I thought..... why not substitute the ricotta with some sort of cashew cream sauce? The textures are similar enough....and like I said.... pretty hard to mess up....hopefully :)

Carrot and Sweet Potato Lasagna with Basil Tomato Cashew  Sauce

1 medium sweet potato*

2-3 large carrots

1.5 cups Basil Tomato Cashew Sauce (recipe below)

2 cups Roasted Tomato Sauce (recipe below)

* Next time I may just use carrots. The sweet potatoes make this dish a little too sweet for my liking. 

Basil Tomato Cashew "Cheese" Sauce

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

1/2 cup water

Soak cashews in water for 4 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and add to a blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary. IT should be about the same consistency of ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

3 cups tomatoes  ( I used assorted cherry & roma)

1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, peeled

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss tomatoes and onion in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a food processor along with tomato sauce and garlic and pulse until almost smooth.

To assemble :

Peel carrots and sweet potatoes. Using a vegetable peeler cut this ribbons with carrots and potatoes and set aside.  Using a 8x8 inch pan, add a thin layer of sauce. Continue with a layer of carrots and sweet potatoes, making about as thick as a standard lasagna noodle. Spoon half of the cashew cheese and spread evenly over the top. Next add a generous layer of sauce, followed by carrots and sweet potatoes and remaining cashew cheese. Follow with a layer of sauce, carrots and sweet potatoes, and remaining sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.

Jicama and Grapefruit Salad with Persimmon Dressing

Your first thought: What is a persimmon? Your second thought: What is a jicama?

Both legit questions. I only know the answer to one. Jicama is a root of a ....vegetable/bean plant? It sort of taste like a cross between an apple and a potato. Super crunchy, slightly sweet, really confusing on your taste buds.

Persimmon....not so much. I grabbed a few because at the grocery store there we tons of them, so I figured they must be in season....and I love fresh fruits and veggies in season. After some google work I discovered that is is a fruit, with two varieties, that can be made into puddings. Not much help, so I just decided to cut a piece off and go for it. Surprise! For some reason I was expecting a tomato. It is a mildly sweet, smooth textured fruit.

So I thought I would make a salad out of two fruits/vegetables you will never see. But in case you inherit a jicama farm from your Latina grandma.... you are set.

Jicama and Grapefruit Salad with Persimmon Dressing

2 cups jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 grapefruit

1 handful cilantro

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/2 persimmon

1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon grape
seed or olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Over a small bowl, peel and cut grapefruit into segments, catching juices in the bowl. Add grapefruit segments to a large bowl along with jicama, cilantro, red onion, and avocado.

To the small bowl add juice of 1/2 lime, agave nectar, grape seed oil, salt, and garlic. Chop the persimmon into tiny cubes and add to dressing. Whisk until combined and pour over salad. Toss to coat and serve!

Sweet Potato and Oat Falafel

 

Healthy comfort food is sort of an oxymoron. "It is so cold out there today! I could really go for a salad" - said no one ever.  Well it is officially winter here and I was in dire need of a way to get some comfort food that wasn't loaded with cheese or made from chocolate. These aren't your traditional falafels, mainly because they are not deep fried, and do not contain any flour. But they do have chickpeas and are served with a delicious tahini sauce that is a great alternative to the greasy falafels you might be used to. You can stick 'em in a pita or enjoy them all by themselves.

 

Sweet Potato and Oat Falafel

 

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup oats

2 cloves garlic

1 handful cilantro

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

Salt and Pepper

 

First you need to cook your sweet potatoes. You can do this by roasting at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, peeling and boiling, microwaving, whatever works for you. Once they are cooked, scoop only the orange insides into a food processor.

 

Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the oats and sesame seeds. Pulse until mixture is smooth.

 

Remove from food processor and add to a large bowl along with oats. Fold oats in until they are evenly incorporated.

 

On a non-stick baking sheet, place heaping spoonfuls about an inch apart and top with a few sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until you see the tops to get a little crunchy and golden brown.

 

For these bite sized treats I made a lemon tahini dip! See below:

 

Lemon Tahini Dip

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth .

 

 

 

All inspired by the awesome recipe below!

My New Roots

Raw Pad Thai

 

 

I recently stumbled on the most amazing website. I literally spent hours browsing through these amazing recipes, and when I saw this one I knew I had to try it. The unique thing about this website, is that is not only gave you a recipe, but it also gave you a breakdown for the nutritional value or secrets of certain foods. And it does this for all the recipes. Seriously guys, its amazing. So I made this Raw Pad Thai recipe, fully expecting it to be awesome. It was. The only thing I couldn't find was kelp noodles, so I used rice noodle instead, which I could have left out all together and it would have been just as delicious! There are a lot of ingredients, but don't let that scare you.  If you are on a clean eating challenge, wanting some more veggies in your diet, are vegan, or just want a good recipe, give it a try!

My New Roots - Pad Thai

Raw Pad Thai

 

1/2  package Rice Noodles

½ head purple cabbage

2 carrots

1 zucchini

1 bunch green onions

1 each red and yellow bell pepper

1 serving marinated mushrooms (see below)

1 bunch cilantro (reserve a little for garnish)

Raw Pad Thai Sauce (see below)

sesame seeds

lime wedges for serving

 

Marinated Mushrooms

2-3 cups of mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used crimini and portabello)

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

 

Whisk all ingredients together and fold on mushrooms. Allow to marinate, refrigerated, for a few hours, or overnight if you can. Stir occasionally.

Raw Pad Thai Sauce

1 cup cashews, soaked

1 inch ginger root, peeled

1 clove garlic

½ red chili pepper, seeds removed

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 ½ Tbsp. soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp. ground turmeric

10 coriander seeds, or 1 tsp. ground coriander

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup water

 

 

Directions:

 

Pad Thai

 

1. Remove rice noodles from package and rinse. Place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let sit 3 minutes then rinse and drain and set aside.

2. Here is were all the work is. I used a vegetable peeler, potato peeler and knife. Peel the carrots, then use the potato peeler to make thin ribbons. Use the vegetable peeler on the zucchini, then cut those ribbons into thin, noodle like strips. Julienne the bell pepper. and thinly slice the cabbage. Slice green onions and roughly chop cilantro, including stems. Place all veggies in a bowl, along with marinated mushrooms (see below) and set aside.

 

 

Dressing

 

1. Soak cashews for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

2. Drain and rinse cashews well. Place in a blender and add all other ingredients . Blend until smooth (this may take a minute or two).

 

When ready to serve pour desired amount of dressing over the veggies along with noodles, and toss to coat. After plating add cilantro, sesame seeds, and lime wedges.

 

Baby Greens and Roasted Beet Salad

This might be my new all time favorite salad. I had it 3 times in Summerland, with all ingredients fresh from my husbands parents garden and it was to die for. It is sooooo simple too. 

You can easily jazz this up with your choice of dressing, bacon, nuts. 

You could also question my judgement because I just used the phrase "jazz this up."

And you can also tell by this recipe that I occasionally falter on this vegan diet . But goat cheese and beets are made for each other. So I had to. 

2-3 cups washed baby greens

1 cup arugula 

1 large beet

1/4 small red onion

1/2 cup parley or dill (or both)

1/3 cup of goat cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

First you will need to roast your beets. Pretty Simple. Cut off the greens and the bottom and place on a sheet of foil. Top with a little olive oil, wrap up and put in the oven for 45 minutes on 400 degrees. Once roasted, allow to cool and the skin will peel right off. Then chop into wedges or slices and set aside.

Next place all of your washed greens and arugula in a large bowl. Chop herbs and slice onion and place in the bowl, along with olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. 

Plate greens on a nice dish and top with beets and chunks of goat cheese! 

That is it! So simple and so tasty. 

Warm Sesame Green Bean and Quinoa Salad

My mom used to make a recipe similar to this when I was growing up. I think instead of quinoa it might have been brown rice though, obviously, because quinoa is now the trendy thing to eat. And no one had heard of it until about 2 years ago. And now I put it on my face at night as a cleansing mask. Just kidding :) I wish I had a badass story to go along with this but I just got back from a mega long run and I think I just might take a nap instead. Happy Wednesday!

Warm Sesame Green Bean and Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked

3 cups green beans

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

In a large bowl combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, honey, and chili paste. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Place trimmed green beans in a steamer basket and place over  boiling water. Steam for 3-4 minutes until barely tender. Drain and add to bowl with dressing,  along with cooked quinoa. Toss to coat. This salad is best when served warm, but not hot.

Lemon Blueberry Oat Pancakes

I know it is burger week but..... My friend Lee-Ann always has creative, healthy dishes that she puts on Facebook. She calls these little gems protein pancakes! I have been making them for a bit, but she recently posted the addition of oranges and blueberries. YUM! I didn't have and oranges but who doesn't love the combination of lemons and blueberries. These pancakes are super dense and very filling as well. You could substitute any thing for the lemons and blueberries....chocolate chips, bananas, strawberries. Just know you are replacing the refined sugar and flour of a classic breakfast dish with nutritious oats and protein packed eggs! It's a win-win and a great way to start your day!

Lemon Blueberry Oat Pancakes

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup vanilla soy milk

1/4 cup egg whites (approx. 2 egg whites)

1 egg

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 cup blueberries, halved

The stars of the show!

Put all ingredients, except blueberries,  in a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to play with the ratios until you get a batter that is to liking. Pour into a bowl and fold in blueberries. 

Heat a pan over medium heat and add coconut oil, butter, or vegetable oil. Whichever you can afford :) I know coconut oil is super expensive, but so good for you! Pour about 1/2 cup into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. These take a little longer than traditional pancakes to cook because of the oats. 

Serve with extra blueberries and your favorite syrup. 

Brown Rice Mushroom Burger

Continuing with the awesomeness that is burger week, we have a nice hearty burger, that is even brown like a real meat burger for you! This one combines protein packed quinoa and some ingredients you might find in a real beef burger like Worcestershire, garlic and onions. The deep brown color of the Worcestershire really make these have a nice color and the bright green parsley adds some nice freshness. They are a little more delicate than our last burgers, because there are no mashed beans for glue. But have a light hand and these are just as delicious! 

Brown Rice Mushroom Burgers

1 cup cooked brown rice 

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup oats

2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

*You will want rice that is more on the sticky side. So add a little extra water when cooking :)

In a medium pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add chopped mushrooms, garlic, and onions. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium-low until mushrooms have released their juices and onions are soft. Remove from heat and add to a food processor. Along with mushrooms add cooked rice, oats, parsley, and egg. Pulse until mixture is combined. 

Remove and add to a large bowl along with quinoa, Worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. stir to combine. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Form 3 inch patties with hands and add to oil. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then transfer to a baking sheet. These are a little more delicate then the last burgers, so flip with caution!

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. This will make your burgers nice and crispy and mush more stable! 

Thai Chickpea Burgers

This is going to be burger week! YAY! I am actually going to do more than one post and a few will be burgers! The biggest complaint about vegetarian burgers I have is that the usually fall apart and don't really hold up to be put on a bun. 

I saw this show on the food network called "You gotta eat here!". It is like a Canadian version of Man vs. Food, but with out the challenges. So maybe more like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Either way, it sounds like I watch too much Food Network.  

There was a cool place featured called Boons Burgers, and it was totally vegetarian! They had so many cool veggie burger combinations it really inspired me to make a few different kinds of veggie burgers to expand my options.  This is an exotic burger with curry, cilantro, and cumin. A much needed change from the average burger ingredients. I actually caught my husband in the kitchen eating one right out of the oven. With nothing on it. BAZINGA!

Thai Chickpea Burgers

1 can chickpeas. drained

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup onion

1/2 cup red bell pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons red curry paste

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1 egg

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I could literally eat these with a spoon!

In a food processor add:

 chickpeas, 1/2 cup oats. onion, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, curry paste, chili paste, egg, honey, soy sauce, salt, cumin, and cilantro. Pulse until mixture is smooth. 

Add to a large bowl and add remaining 1/2 cup of oats and 1 cup of quinoa. Stir together until mixture is uniform. In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot. form 1/3 cup of mixture into patties and add to pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. 

Place on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes until nice and crispy. These hold up so well, do not fall apart at all, and have a great spicy kick! I love them with barbeque sauce or a yummy curry mayo. 

Cucumber Sunomono Salad

My friend Nikki has a super cute blog about her journey into motherhood, DIY crafts, and some awesome recipes. She recently did one on Sunomono salad, which is my absolute favorite cold Japanese style noodle salad. The rest of the post is super funny too, and I am sure any mom-to-be readers will love it as well. Here is a link to her blog:

Two Loonies and a Penny

 I tried to find the most authentic Sunomono salad recipe I could on the Internet and go from there. Let's just say you can definitely tell I don't live in Japan, and the liquor stores don't sell sake. I ventured to the super run down asain mini mart down town, and besides the way too vast selection of douches( ya you read that right) it wasnt too bad.

 This recipe is my best shot at Sunomono salad, which I have to say didn't turn out as bad as I thought it might. You might not see it on the menu at your local sushi joint anytime soon, but given my materials (which I am guessing might be yours as well) it was great!

Cucumber Sunomono Salad

6 inch piece of cucumber

Japanese Rice Vermicelli

 1/2 cup sushi vinegar

1/3 cup white vinegar

5 tablespoons sugar

1 cup water

1/2 of a lemon

In a small saucepan add sushi vinegar, white vinegar, sugar and water. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and place in refrigerator until cooled. 

While dressing is cooling in the fridge bring a large pot of water to a boil and add rice noodles. Cook until softened, then drain. Keep in cold water until ready to serve. 

Very thinly slice cucumbers and lemons. 

To assemble add a handful of drained rice noodles and a few slices cucumbers and lemons to a bowl. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of noodle dressing over noodles. 

Eat up!

Kale and Red Cabbage Detox Slaw

I am always weary of anything labeled "detox". What does that even mean? If I drank a bottle of poison, then ate this salad would I be cured? Is that a little dramatic? Lol, ya I guess. This salad is clean and pure. Raw vegetables. Nothing touches heat. A dressing containing apple cider vinegar, a great cleanser, and olive oil. Protein and healthy fats from pumpkin and sunflower seed. I am guessing that is as cleansing as it gets? 

Kale and Red Cabbage Detox Slaw

2 cups raw kale

2 cups red cabbage

1 large carrot or 6-7 baby carrots

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup red or green onion

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Chop kale and cabbage into thin slices and add to a bowl. Grate or very thinly slice your carrots and add to bowl. Finely slice red onion and chop parsley, and add to bowl along with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

In a smaller bowl add vinegar, oil, mustard and salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified and pour over slaw. Toss to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour to allow flavor to combine. 

This is also super easy to make into an Asian slaw, which I did the second time I made it. Add some red peppers and sesame seeds. For the dressing use sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar and a little soy sauce. It is a great way to continue to reap the benefits of such a healthy salad, but have a totally new flavor!

Crispy Baked Kale Chips

These have been all rage on the the ol' in-tro-net lately. The reviews below are just a few I have seen:

"They taste just like potato chips!" 

"I ate the whole batch."

"No more junk food for me!"

My replies: 

"Not a chance."

"Is the batch size 2 chips?"

"Suuuuuuure."

Anyways, so I thought I would give these a try. I don't really even eat chips, but kale is super healthy for you (in the cabbage family) and who doesn't love a crispy treat? The original recipes that I have read call for oil, and salt and pepper. We can do better than that! With a few tweaks, I will have to say these are pretty scrumptious. Also very hard to make... because the time has to be exactly perfect. Too long and the leaves are burnt. Not long enough and it is just a warm leaf. But give this a try and see how it goes for you!

Crispy Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale

Olive oil

Garlic Salt, Barbeque Seasoning, or spice of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and dry kale. Using a knife remove the thick stems, then tear into bite sized pieces.

Add kale to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasoning of choice. I used barbeque spice, but I think curry powder & garlic salt might be great too! Toss to coat, and try to really coat each leaf with oil.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minute. Carefully monitor, and when edged of leaves begin to brown remove from oven. 

I was amazed at how crispy these were! Definitly not "just" like potato chips, but still hits the crunchy spot!

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto Spaghettini

You can definitely tell when I get hooked on something. This week I needed (more like wanted) to use the sun-dried tomatoes in my fridge. I also bought some basil to make fresh spring rolls with and had some left over. There is hardly a better combo and I haven't made fresh pesto in forever....probably because it's messy and I don't usually eat pasta. But this was so good I barely shared...

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto Spaghettini 

1 cup basil leaves

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Whole wheat spaghettini pasta

Place basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until mixture begins to come together. If need, drizzle olive oil while pulsing. I found if I used the tomatoes in the oil they were packed in, it was more than enough, and also gave great flavor. 

Remove from food processor and stir in parmesan cheese and set aside.

I know what you are thinking....this looks....good?

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 7-9 minutes, until al dente. Remove from stove and drain. Return to pot and stir in pesto, making sure to coat each noodle :) I used about 2 cups of pasta with the amount of pesto this made and it was perfect. 

Serve with freshly grated parmesan and garnish with basil leaves. 

Sun-Dried Tomato and Garlic Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I am sure you have heard of this pizza crust. A miracle to replace your gluten filled pizza nights. I have experimented with it quite a bit and have come up with the perfect ingredients and steps to make it delicious and able to be held in your hand like a real piece of pizza. I even gave my husband a slice for our "pizza night" and he said "Wow, this is good!" to which I replied...."Its made from cauliflower! HA!"Always the trickster.....anyways, here it is!

Sun-Dried Tomato and Garlic Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets

1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella, grated

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, diced

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon no-salt vegetable seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Place cauliflower and garlic in a food processor and pulse until it resembles a coarse sand. Remove from food processor and place on a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top and squeeze out all of the excess moisture you can. This may be the most important step. If your cauliflower is not adequately pressed you will have to eat your pizza with a fork. Still taste good, but not really pizza! 

After pressed add to a large mixing bowl. Add cheeses, eggs, sun-dried tomatoes and seasoning. Stir well to combine. 

Spoon mixture onto a no stick baking sheet, or prepared pizza pan. Using your hands, form into a round around 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and middle is set.

After this your can freeze it or make a pizza right away. Just top like a regular crust and bake for about 10 minutes at 400, until your cheese is melted.