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Posts tagged ‘kale’

Oct 18

6 Comments

Lately I’m Loving: Pinterest, Ginger Root, Sweet Potato Soup

I spent the first part of my morning leaning back in the dentist chair.  Someone please remind me why I scheduled that appointment for 8 am!  At least I got to watch the Today Show while they drilled.

After walking out of the dentist feeling like I was drooling, I immediately came home and fell asleep watching Lord of the Rings.  I’m so happy I decided to take the day off from work.  When I woke up, I was also super happy that I had a freezer full of this Sweet Potato Ginger Miso soup I cooked up Saturday.  Despite the large bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and dried cherries I had for breakfast I was starving by 11 am.  Believe me when I say, this is one of the best soups I have ever made. I know, I know… another soup recipe, but what can I say, lately I’m loving soup.  Trust me, you have to try this one!

My craving started with fresh ginger root, which I also can’t get enough of lately.  It was awesome in this orzo and caramelized fall veggies recipe, and sounds like a great addition in this apple and pear applesauce.

Which brings me to my newest addiction: Pinterest.  Have you checked out this website yet? It’s keeping my creative juices flowing and full of inspiration for recipes, DIY home decor, and personal style ideas. I found all of today’s recipes from Pinterest links.

Back to the soup… did you notice it calls for miso?  This is my first experience purchasing, cooking with, and eating miso.  So what is miso exactly?  Well, it’s essentially a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and it may contain probiotics (you know, that good bacteria that your hear about in yogurt?!).  I realize this is not exactly something you might have in your fridge now, but I urge you to give it a try.

My teeth/mouth are starting to feel better, so I think I’ll attempt some leftover chili for dinner.  Sometimes, it nice to have a no-cooking day!

Tip! Look for miso near the tofu and/or refrigerated organic products.  It will last for quite a while, and I’m pretty certain I’ll be finding all sorts of ways to use it up.

Question: Have you ever cooked with miso? Have you ever ordered miso soup? Tell me all about your miso experiences!

Last Year: Pumpkin Puree

Oct 6

3 Comments

Snack Time: Spicy Kale Chips

If you read the title of this post and said, “What!? Kale chips?” Your not alone.  You might think that the words kale and chips never, ever, belong in the same sentence.  You might even be wondering just what the heck kale is.

Kale is a curly green leafy vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family.  Like spinach and other greens, kale is a very nutrient dense food.  Wait! Don’t say “yuck!” just yet! Hear me out.    I first heard of kale about a year ago, I was skeptical, but I like spinach so I eventually gave it try.  I even wrote an article on Impact Dash about it, where I combined it with bow tie pasta and added some cayenne pepper for heat.  This recipe had me pretty convinced that kale isn’t all that bad, and with a bit of spice, it’s actually pretty good!  So don’t rule it out just yet!

A few months after writing the article for Impact Dash, I started seeing a trend gaining momentum in the food blog world, Kale Chips.  I was intrigued.  My first thoughts were, “what!?”  How do you turn a leafy green into a chip? Does it actually taste good?”  I figured I’d give it a go, all these well known bloggers who turn out great looking food on a daily basis can’t be wrong, right?! So, picked out some more kale at the store, brought it home, washed it, and let it dry.   I tore the kale into small pieces, massaged with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, put them in the oven, and walked away.

Walking away was a huge mistake.  When I returned to the oven about 20 minutes later and removed  the pan, all I had were some black/brown tiny crispy things that no longer resembled kale, but certainly didn’t look like chips either.  I munched on a few that weren’t burnt quite as bad, and swore that I would never make these again.

Except I did.

I’m not sure what propelled me to buy kale at the store the other day.  I’m not really sure what made me want to make kale chips again, but I’m thrilled at how they turned out!  I’m very pleased I gave them a second chance!

I started the same way, by washing and drying the kale.  A salad spinner works wonders for the drying process, but laying the leaves out on paper towels for about an hour (or until dry) in a warm kitchen works okay too.  Once the leaves are dry, trim off the thick ribs and tear into large pieces.  Notice I said large not small?  This was the first mistake I made the last time around.  The kale pieces are going to shrink drastically once you put them in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Place the dry kale pieces in a large bowl and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on them.  You don’t need much, a tablespoon or two is fine.  Use your hands to massage or rub the oil into the leaves.  This is the fun part! If you have kids, let them do this!  Speaking of kids, this recipe is great for involving them  in the cooking process and promoting veggie consumption.

Spread out the oiled kale onto a dry baking sheet.  Don’t overlap pieces.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and little black pepper.   Here is where you can get creative with toppings.  I bet fresh parmesan cheese would be good!  I decided to go the spicy route again, and added a little cumin, chili powder, and onion powder.  Not much, no more than 1/4 tsp.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and don’t walk away! The kale will cook for about 15 minutes, but use your judgement.  Every 5 minutes I took a peak and turned the leaves over.  I’m not really sure if turning them made a difference, but it made me feel better! The chips are done when they just start to turn a little brown and are nice and crispy.   Place carefully in a bowl and eat immediately.  I’ve heard some people store them in a brown paper bag, but I haven’t tried this yet.  I’m afraid they would get soggy.  Plus, they are so addicting anyway, there is a slim chance I would have any to save!

Eat as many as you want, we’re talking about kale here!  I’m not about to stop anyone from eating too many kale chips!  So let me know what you think! Have you made these before?  What other flavoring do you think would be good?  Do you think I’ve completely lost is, and have somehow convinced myself that kale taste good?

And just for fun, watch Woody on Cheers as he tries ‘Veggie Boy” a veggie drink full of kale!  And if you have this reaction to kale chips let me know, we can try hypnosis! :)