Simple yet elegant, a tasty way to prepare kale!

Here is my fun, simple and supremely easy kale recipe, adapted from/inspired by one my cousin Elizabeth made while we were all in New Orleans over the holidays.  Eat it hot, cold, room-temp, however you like it! Stays good at least three days in the fridge (i know that only because I just finished off the huge batch I made Monday night!).

Ingredients:
1 lb. Kale (I used curly leaf, but feel free to experiment with other varieties and          
                us know!)
1/2 cup tap water
2-3 tbsps. lemon juice 
2 tbsps. olive oil (or try avocado oil, I have done that as well)
pinch of sea salt (try coarse ground, nice texture)
ground pepper to taste
3 tbsps. roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbsps. shredded parmesan cheese

So of course first you gotta get your kale.  In Charleston, I have been getting mine from the Harris Teeter on Savannah Highway.  Its $0.99/lb sold loose, and comes from a farm in North Carolina.  I have used curly leaf kale, though there are multiple varieties and I would love to try out some others.  Wash your leaves first, as with any leafy green, to remove any excess dirt and sand.  You can also buy pre-packaged kale that has already been washed and trimmed.

Next you will want to trim the kale leaves to remove ribs and stems and then cut it down into edible sized pieces.

Put kale in a medium saucepot and add your water.  Place over medium high heat and cover with lid.  Cook this way for about 5 minutes (until you start building up steam) and then remove lid and continue cooking until remaining water steams off (about 10 minutes).

Kale should be tender like sauteed spinach and will take on a nice dark green coloring.  Transfer to bowl or desired serving dish and add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.  If serving hot, go ahead and add the parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds.  If serving cold, refrigerate about 30 minutes (or pop it in the freezer for 15, if you have room!) and then add the final two ingredients.  

Serve and enjoy!! You have now conquered this nutrient rich, delicious, albeit somewhat intimidating dark leafy green!

Nutrition Facts

  6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

  Calories             90.7

  Total Fat            7.1 g

                 Saturated Fat    1.0 g

                 Polyunsaturated Fat       1.8 g

                 Monounsaturated Fat   3.7 g

  Cholesterol       0.0 mg

  Sodium               68.5 mg

  Potassium         216.5 mg

  Total Carbohydrate        6.2 g

                 Dietary Fiber     2.1 g

                 Sugars 1.2 g

 Protein 2.6 g

Yay sulfates!!!!

So I thought our meeting tonight went great, and the video we watched is truly amazing.  Here is the link if anyone wants to check it out again or share it with friends and family.  For all you other wonderful people out there, check out this woman's amazing story about how changing her diet changed her life in a truly amazing way:


                        


I was also so excited to finally get to really cook for you all and so excited about the response to the kale and cauliflower recipes.  I was speaking with one of our group about why the kale we sampled was different than what she remembers her grandmother preparing and I did a little research.  Likely, what was described was lacinato kale (a.k.a. dinosaur kale, black kale, Tuscan kale, etc.), which has dark bluish green flat leaves and an embossed sort of texture.  It is an heirloom plant common in Italian cuisine and known to have a more bitter, though sweeter, flavor than other varieties.  What I prepared was curly leaf kale, which has a much more mild flavor.  Anyhow, I have that recipe coming next.  Below ya'll can check out the mashed cauliflower recipe I prepared, along with nutrition information.  The goat cheese I used for its creaminess, but play around.  Greek yogurt was once suggestion that sounded great.  Also, play with the flavors.  Throw in some horseradish for a little kick, or add some chives or green onions to really get that potato thing going.

 Goat Cheese and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower

3 Tbsp. goat cheese

1 tsp. minced garlic

2-3 Tbsp. low fat milk, as needed

1 tsp. olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Cut cauliflower into florets.  Reserve extra stem pieces for soup.  Put cauliflower in pot and cover with water.  Place covered pot over medium high heat and cook cauliflower until very tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain in colander 10 minutes.

While straining cauliflower, set medium sauce pan over medium low heat.  Add oil, heat, and add garlic.  Saute garlic until tender and just starting to color. 

Add drained cauliflower to pan and toss to coat.  Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender or in food processor, adding liquid as needed.  Return pan to heat and stir in goat cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper until well blended. Enjoy!

Nutrition:

                    Calories:  104

                    Total Fat:  4.6 g

                                        Saturated:  2.3 g

                                        Monounsaturated:  .4 g

                                        Polyunsaturated:  1.5 g

                    Cholesterol:  6.7 mg

                    Sodium:  119.2 mg

                    Potassium:  642.8 mg

                    Carbohydrates:  11.7 g

                                        Fiber:  5.3 g

                                        Sugar:  .5 g

                    Protein:  7.1 g

Ten foods that pack a positive and tasty nutritional punch

Some good concise info about healthy foods!
Ten foods that pack a positive and tasty nutritional punch

Oven Baked zucchini chips

Here is another tasty snack I have recently started making quite frequently. Zucchini has a nice mild flavor and is a good source of Thiamin, Niacin and Pantothenic Acid, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.  

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Slice your zucchini thin, about 1/8".

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drizzle just about a fourth of a teaspoon of olive old onto parchment paper and spread around with paper towel or pastry brush.

Lay zucchini out flat on baking sheet and sprinkle with a salt free lemon pepper blend.  To vary the flavor, add a bit of dried oregano or a pinch of cayenne for some heat.  Its okay to lay them very close as they will shrink up while baking.

Cook for roughly two hours, until slices start browning just slightly and take on a crisp texture.  These are great for snacking or throwing on a salad for an extra crunch!

Infused Vinegars

Tonight's grocery store tours were great! After learning what some folks like to eat and what they are looking for, I have some new ideas for recipes I will post soon and some fun demos for meetings! One thing I pointed out tonight was using infused vinegar such as balsamic, champagne, and white wine for salad dressing.  Fruit infused vinegar adds a nice crisp flavor to salad with no fat and very little sugar.  Alessi makes some great infused vinegars for a very reasonable price (just $3.75 at Harris Teeter).

Some tasty ideas include:

Fresh spinach salad with raspberry balsamic, 1/2 can tuna fish, crumbled goat cheese and apple slices.

Romaine salad with fig infused balsamic, grilled or boiled shrimp, avocado, and unsalted sunflower seeds.

Fresh spinach salad with pear  balsamic, grilled or baked skinless chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese and cantaloupe chunks.

So I mentioned last week about my new obsession with hibiscus tea.  It is amazing hot or cold, and you can brew it cold, just takes about five minutes.  It has a great flavor and is a wonderful alternative to sweetened beverages. I buy loose, dried leaves in bulk from earth fare, just $1 worth can give you about a quart of tea.



I use a little mesh tea ball, but you can really just add the dried leaves straight to your cup and then pour through a mesh strainer, or use a french press.

 Place in a glass with a cup or so of water for about 5 minutes

and voila, a delicious beverage that needs no sweeteners.  And not only is it tasty, but some herbal, teas, such as hibiscus, have been shown to aid in lowering high blood pressure, so drink up!

Sooooo excited about HCP2!!

Tonight was my first time meeting with the wonderful participants of HCP2 and i thought it was a fantastic evening and am excited about our next 10 weeks together.  So here is the cucumber dill sauce I went over in class and prepared:

Tools:
    -blender or food processor
    -knife and cutting board
    -peeler
Ingredients:
    -3/4 C part-skim ricotta cheese
    -1 C fat-free Greek yogurt
    -1/2 medium cucumber
    -1 T fresh dill
    -3/4 t minced garlic
    -1 fl. oz. lemon juice
    -1/8 t sea salt
    -1/4 t ground pepper (more or less to taste)

First, peel your cucumber and cut in half lengthwise.  Deseed (a grapefruit spoon is quite handy for this) and cut into pieces about 1/2" to 1" in size.

 

Rough chop your dill. Don't worry about getting it chopped too fine as it will be going into the blender.

Put yogurt, ricotta cheese and lemon juice in blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Add garlic, dill, cucumbers, salt and pepper and pulse until ingredients are well incorporated.

Put sauce in airtight container and keep in refrigerator for up to a week. Yields 1 pint. 

Great as a vegetable dip, salad dressing, spread for sandwiches or a sauce for salmon.

Nutritional Information (serving size 2 tablespoons):
   Calories: 25.2
   Fat: 1 g.
   Cholesterol: 5.6 g.
   Sodium: 31.6 g.
   Protein: 2.5 g.
   Carbohydrates: 1.6 g.

Hello!

Well, after saying for months that I would, I have finally started up a blog to share nutritious musing, findings, suggestions and of course, recipes!! Here's to New Year's resolutions!  So of course, this blog is for all my friends and family and anyone who cares to take a peek, but for the next ten weeks it will also be geared toward a program I am working with, the second phase of MUSC's Healthy Charleston Challenge.  I will post any recipes I share in class, as well as other suggestions for simple, healthful and tasty snacks and meals.  I will also be doing some price hunting around town to find the best deals on seasonal fruits and veggies and other healthy products. If anyone out there has there own suggestions or questions or recipes they would like to share, please feel free!