Warm Wilted Kale Salad with Lemon, Garlic, and Ancho Chili

I've been on a kale kick since I had my first delicious kale salad about a month ago now. Kale used to be one of those foods I wanted to like, but never found the right recipe. My success came first when I warmed up to massaged kale salads which soften the leaves and make it a little less bitter. My favorite this week is a wilted kale salad, lightly sautéed in a pan with olive oil and some spices.

This recipe, surprisingly, was my first attempt at wilted kale salad, but the flavors make kale more universally appealing. Nutritional yeast gives it a slight cheesiness while ancho chili powder gives it a bit of roasted smokiness. Feel free to sub in paprika if you don't have ancho chili powder on hand, I think it would be a nice pairing.

Wilted Kale Salad with Lemon, Garlic, and Ancho Chili

Ingredients

• 1 bunch lacinato kale, cleaned and chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• Rounded 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder or paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Method

1. In a large saute pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the kale and saute for about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking for another minute or so until the kale begins to turn bright green.
3. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, ancho chili powder, and garlic powder to the kale, stirring to incorporate the seasoning. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
4. Serve hot.

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Chicken Entree Salad with Potatoes and Lemon Vinaigrette

I've been enjoying dinner salads a lot these past few weeks. I love how simple they are to put together and how flavorful they can be with the right ingredients. This salad came together by chance: I was curious to have potatoes on salad after trying them at work (and reading about them here) so in they went, then I had extra tomatoes, leftover salad dressing from earlier in the week, and cheese in the fridge! Subsequently, I ate this for at least one more dinner...don't tell anyone my secret.
The juicy chicken paired well with the slight tartness from the vinaigrette and meatiness from the potatoes, keeping me coming back bite after bite. I think this salad would be lovely with green beans or chopped asparagus when tomatoes aren't in season.

Chicken Entree Salad with Potatoes and Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 2 C salad greens
• 2 chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced
• 3-4 baby yukon potatoes, cooked whole and quartered
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1-2 tbsp lemon vinaigrette, or to taste
• Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, optional

Method

1. Plate your salad greens with baby yukons and cut tomatoes, then layer the sliced chicken on top.
2. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, then grate cheese over, if desired.

The beauty of this recipe is ingredients for this salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, or made fresh right beforehand. As such, this salad is just as good served with warm chicken and potatoes as it is cold.

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Perfectly Baked Chicken

I'm a big fan of baked chicken, cooking it at least twice a week it seems. I like chicken breasts and thighs and find these to be quite versatile, serving it plain, on a salad, or on top of rice in a rice bowl style meal. Cooking it at such frequency means I know exactly how long to cook it for to get perfect results.

My local grocery store offers free dry rubs for any meat you purchase, so I like to get various seasonings applied in store; the added benefit of this is if the rub is salted, the chicken will remain extra moist. When I get plain chicken breasts, sometimes I like to pre-season with salt and pepper and other times I wait until right before cooking, it just depends on how organized I am the night before.

Baked chicken on it's own is not very pretty to look at in, so no photo this time.

Perfectly Baked Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken breast(s) or thigh(s)
• Salt and pepper
• Dry seasonings, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, place the chicken in a glass baking dish, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
2. Generously season the chicken to your liking, optionally adding dry seasonings as you like (curry powder, dried herbs, etc).
3. For chicken breasts: bake chicken for 30-35 minutes, checking at the 30 minute mark. The chicken should be moderately firm to the touch and cooked through on the inside with clear juices when cut.
4. For chicken thighs: bake chicken for 45-50 minutes. The chicken will be slightly firm to the touch and cooked through with clear juices when cut.

Play around with the cooking times if you're not getting the exact results you desire. Once you find the sweet spot for cooking times, I think you'll find this method easy enough for no fuss weeknight dinner!

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Basic Fruit Crumble

I needed to quickly find a recipe to use up over-ripe peaches. Crumbles and buckles are a traditional summer fruit dessert of which are hit or miss for me. Don't get me wrong, I think they're great, it's just that I don't always want to eat sweetened fruit with an oat topping. I love the idea of this recipe because the fruit isn't overly sweetened AND I'm pretty sure it would feel at home on the table for breakfast/brunch or for dessert. It's basically just fruit and nuts so you can't go wrong!

Basic Fruit Crumble

Adapted from Paleo Peach Crumble

Ingredients

For the fruit:

• 4+ C chopped fruit and berries (enough to fill the pan)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp arrowroot powder (or substitute cornstarch or tapioca starch)
• 1 tbsp agave (to taste)

For the crumble topping:

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 3/8 C golden raisins
• 3/8 C pecans
• 3/8 C almonds
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp agave (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 inch glass pan.
2. Put the fruit in the pan, mixing the different types together for an even distribution, if applicable. Toss the fruit with the agave and cinnamon.
3. In a food processor, combine all the crumble ingredients and process until blended well.
4. Drop the crumble topping in small chunks over the fruit. Bake for about 30 minutes until the topping is lightly browned.

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Jeni's Splendid Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Is it just me or does "artisan" ice cream seem to be one of the next big things? It's nearly summer, so it only makes sense that people are starting out their old machines to try a new recipe or taking a trip to a local scoop shop.

I'm on the bandwagon now too...after hearing such great things about Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook and scoop shops in Ohio, I had to check it out. I got the cookbook from the library, gathered the ingredients, and set out to make a simple vanilla bean ice cream, a true litmus test for any ice cream recipe.

Let me make something very clear: it doesn't matter if you're on a diet or a diehard Breyer's fan or whatever the excuse may be. You must try this ice cream! It is hands down, the best ice cream I've ever had. It's super creamy and rich, full of flavor (the cream, the vanilla, the sweetness), and simply heaven in scoop form!

Jeni's Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Find a scoop shop or where to buy in your area: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Buy the book: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Try some recipes (click through): How to Make Ice Cream Like an Artisan

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Multigrain Rice

I've had a 1kg bag of a special 6 grain blend rice in my pantry for probably a year now, using it ever so often when I wanted something different from plain white or brown rice. I used the last of it not too long ago and then set out to make my own version, hoping to never go without it again. The rice has a great, hearty texture to it and a gorgeous purple color from the black Forbidden rice that stains the rice as it cooks.

The Kagayaki 6 Grain Rice I had contained black rice, purple barley, hulless barley, rye berries, red rice, and short grain brown rice. Quite a variety to hunt down in a bulk food section. Unfortunately, while I wasn't able to source all the exact ingredients at my local store, I came out with a pretty nice variety and the result is just as delicious and pretty as the original. Feel free to mix up your own variety, though I recommend to keep the black rice for color.

Hand-blended Multigrain Rice

Multigrain Rice

Ingredients

• Short grain brown rice
• Spelt berries
• Red hard winter wheat berries
• Pearled barley
• Black (forbidden) rice

Method

1. In a large bowl or container, combine equal parts of each ingredient and stir until well blended.
2. To cook, combine 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until water is absorbed. Alternatively, cook in a rice cooker. Fluff with fork before serving.

So far I've had this rice a couple times since making it up and I really love it. I can see this quickly becoming my new standard "brown" rice!

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green protein smoothie

So...green smoothies. Is it just me, or does it seem a bit strange to drink a mysterious green liquid that looks like it would be quite at home in a swamp? The secret is to balance the green with fruit, banana really helps out here, plus it's a great thickener.

I'm a little bit crazy about this green smoothie specifically because it just tastes so good! Plus it's easy to mix up with different frozen fruit on hand. This blend in particular masks the slight grittiness to the hemp protein powder (any unflavored variety of protein powder would work great, too).

Green Protein Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp hemp protein powder
• 4 cups spinach
• 1 banana
• 1 C frozen blueberries or strawberries
• 1 C water or milk (So Delicious coconut adds a subtle richness), or more for a looser consistency

Method

1. Add ingredients to blender in the order listed.
2. Blend until smooth.

Yields about 20 ounces, enough for one large or two small servings.

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Carrot Salsa Slaw

For at least the past month, my CSA box has been overrun by carrots. A little bunch of 10+ carrots of which I've been stumped with how to use them. Don't get me wrong, farm fresh carrots are amazingly sweet compared to your average supermarket ones. But really, how many recipes use a lot of carrots, carrot cake aside?

I've been searching the internet for recipes to make, daring to only try a smoothie recipe as of late. Then I found this recipe for carrot salsa. I tweaked the recipe to my own taste, but more importantly, to incorporate more ingredients from my CSA box. I've also decided to call mine a "carrot salsa slaw" because some of the ingredients (lime juice, garlic, cilantro) reminded me of Asian food, slaws specifically. I made a batch of this around noon and have used it all up in tacos and a salad. I think I'm gonna be making a lot of this stuff in the coming week.

Carrot Salsa Slaw

Ingredients

• 2 C grated carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 small sweet pepper, diced
• 1/2 hot red pepper, minced (or to taste)
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Method

1. Combine carrots, garlic, peppers, onion, and cilantro in a bowl and mix until well combined. Stir in lime juice and salt, then carefully fold in cherry tomatoes.

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Fresh Tomato Soup with Vodka

I wasn't expecting to, but I really love this soup. I've never tasted any tomato soup with such a strong tomato flavor. Granted, this was also my first experience with homemade tomato soup.

I used homegrown tomatoes, the last ones of the season for this. It's a tasty way to use up a bunch of tomatoes.



Fresh Tomato Soup with Vodka

2 lb ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 C vegetable stock
1/3 C breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp dried herbs of choice
salt and pepper
2 tbsp vodka

1. Put the tomatoes, green onions, sugar, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and vegetable stock into a stockpot and let simmer for about an hour, covered, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the breadcrumbs, dried herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 20-30 minutes.
3. Add the vodka, then serve.

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Raspberry Tropical Smoothie

I'm trying to perfect my smoothie technique. When not following recipes and making my own, I tend to over-do it in terms of quantity and end up with 40 ounces of smoothie. But today, success! I had some "tropical" produce around (pineapple, mango, banana) and thought the combination would pair well with some fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 C mango, cubed
• 1/2 C pineapple, cubed
• 3/4 C raspberries
• 1 large orange, juiced
• 6 ice cubes

Method

1. In a blender, combine the mango, pineapple, raspberries, an orange juice until well blended.
2. Add the ice cubes and blend until it reaches a smooth consistency.

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Momofuku's Compost Cookies

I was intrigued when I saw David Lebovitz post about them...really, Bugels in cookies?! But honestly, the picture for Momofuku's Compost Cookies had me at "hello"; slightly puffy, golden brown, and crackly on top, one look and you know they've got to be incredible. Or a master of disguise. Luckily, my rendition is quite fabulous if you ask me. For my add-in ingredients I used the following:

Baking ingredients:
chocolate chips
white chocolate chunks

Snack ingedients:
chocolate covered Pocky
chocolate/goo filled Easter eggs
cheddar sesame sticks
salt and pepper potato chips (thown in just to say "I did it!")

I also made the full sized, 6oz cookies which bake up to the size of a salad plate and are HUGE. Will I be making these cookies again? Probably, but with a different twist. I'm thinking Midwest style monster cookies :)

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Japanese Style Cheesecake

This recipe comes from a Japanese cookbook, 大人のお菓子. If you've ever had Japanese desserts, they are complete different from anything else--light, perfectly proportioned, not too sweet, and absolutely delicious!

After five failed attempts to make this cheesecake properly, cheesecake #6 turned out perfectly. Tenacity pays off, my friends.

Japanese Style Cheesecake

*This recipe is yields one 6" round cheesecake. If you use a larger pan, you may need to double or even triple the crust recipe to accommodate.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 50g graham cracker, crushed to bits (1/4 C)
• 20g butter, melted (1.5 tbsp)

Filling:

• 200g cream cheese, softened (7 oz)
• 90g creme fraiche or sour cream (1/2 C)
• 80g sugar (1/3 C)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cream
• 10g cake flour (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1" vanilla bean, split and seeds removed (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Method

To make the crust:

1. Crush the graham crackers into pieces in a plastic bag.
2. Combine and mix with butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of the baking dish to form the crust.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

1. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form (this may take a few minutes with an electric mixer, be warned).
2. Gently fold 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture into the egg whites until just blended. Fold in remaining cream cheese.

To finish the cheesecake:

1. Carefully pour the cream cheese filling over the prepared crust, smoothing the top.
2. Place cheesecake on the middle rack of a preheated, 340 degree oven. On the lower rack, place a baking dish filled with a few inches of water to provide moisture.
3. Bake for about 40 minutes at 340 degrees, then reduce the heat to 320 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. At this point, the cheesecake should be cracked on top and slightly "jiggly".
4. Remove cheesecake and allow to cool on a rack.

The cake is perfect by itself, but add a spoonful of berry jam or sauce (try blueberry lemon or strawberry black pepper!) for a real treat :)

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Blueberry Lemon Sauce

This recipe is so easy, I'm typing it up as the stuff is processing.

For more information about canning, check out this site by the National Center for Home Food Preservation: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/general.html

Blueberry Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 pints blueberries, washed
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice

Canning supplies: canning pot, jars, lids, bands, etc.

Method

1. Prepare jars and lids per manufacturer instructions. Prepare canning pot with water to full boil, ready to process jars.
2. In a large pot, combine the lemon juice and zest, sugar, orange juice, and blueberries. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Lower the heat and simmer blueberry mixture for 2 minutes, stirring to completely dissolve the sugar.
4. Ladle sauce into jars, leaving 1/4in head space. Wipe rim clean, attach lid and band.
5. Process in canning pot for 15 minutes./li>
6. Remove jars and allow to cool on a rack. At this point, the jars make a cool popping sound as they are sealing. Allow jars to sit out for 24 hours. Place any jars that do not seal into the fridge.

If you don't care to can you can refrigerate for up to 3 months.

Makes about 3 pints..

This sauce is ridiculously good. It reminds me of a nice blueberry syrup, perfect for pancakes, french toast, or crepes.

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Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli

This is one of my favorite recipes, from my favorite chef, Giada de Laurentiis. It's super simple too if you have roasted red peppers on hand.

Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, patted dry
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2" slices bread (Giada recommends ciabatta, I use Marsee baking Petit Pairs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling

Method

For the aioli:

In a food processor, finely chop the garlic. Add the roasted red peppers and blend until relatively smooth; add mayo and blend well. With machine running, stream in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

For the toast:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over the bread slices. Bake for 5 minutes until golden and slightly crisp.

To serve:

Spoon the aioli liberally on the toasts.

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Fifteen Chocolate Brownies

Jamie Oliver is genius, and it's not just the British accent. I found this recipe in his book, Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook. It's got all kinds of recipes in it. I've made his sticky saucepan carrots (which are REALLY good) and his brownies. I can honestly say I've never had better brownies in my life. It's better than even the Ghiradelli mix you can buy at the store. Of course, it's not as easy as adding eggs and some oil, but almost.

Fifteen chocolate brownies (p. 384)

18 tbsp butter
7 oz dark chocolate, broken up (I used a mixture of 80% cocoa and milk chocolate)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 inch baking pan with was paper.
2. In a double boiler (put a large pan over simmering water), melt the butter and chocolate until smooth. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the chocolate. Finally, add in the eggs until smooth.
3. Pour batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. It is important to not over bake these brownies, so do not test with a toothpick.

These brownies are perfectly moist and melt in your mouth. I found they keep for several days without becoming dry--likely due to the under baking.

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