Kale, Strawberry + Feta Fattoush!

Summertime deliciousness is this easy to make, prep-a-few-hours-ahead salad.  I served it with yak kebobs, rice pilaf and some homemade garlic sauce.   Say goodbye to that sorry bag of salad mix and bottle of dressing and massage some kale!

Salad Ingredients:

1 bunch organic red or green curly kale
5-6 medium-large organic strawberries
3 oz feta or other creamy cheese (I used Israeli Sheep milk Feta and it was deeelish)
1 large lemon or 2 small, juiced
Olive oil
Salt
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced finely
1-2 tsp Sumac, which can be found at your local Arabic market
1 tsp honey (optional)
Pita chips (see below -OR- buy yours pre-made)

Wash the produce really well and pat dry.   Clean kale by de-stemming all of the large, thick middle stalks.  Rip into bite sized pieces and put in a large mixing bowl.    Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a couple of shakes of salt.  Now get your hands in there, and give it a really good massage, for 3-5 minutes, until the kale softens a bit.  Depending on how much time you have until serving, it will continue to soften on its own while it sits in the fridge.




Dressing:  

Whisk 2 T olive oil, the juice of the lemon, sumac, honey, salt and garlic until combined.   The salad can be dressed in advance and topped with the berries and feta.    

When ready to serve, top with the baked chips to make sure they stay nice and crunchy.  Toss and serve.

Pita Chip Ingredients & Directions:
2 whole wheat pitas
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut pitas with a kitchen scissor into bite sized pieces.  In a mixing bowl, toss pita with a drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of salt.   You don't want the chips to be drenched with olive oil, just enough to flavor them and help them toast.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake for approx 8 minutes, until crispy.  let cool.

Green Veggie + Egg Scramble

break·fast /ˈbrekfəst/ Noun A meal eaten in the morning, the first of the day. 

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" and my personal mantra:  "You can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!" ;) Eating a solid breakfast is important to ensuring sound nutrition, and for kicking metabolism into gear for the day.  An ideal way to break your fast in the morning is with a full 16 oz glass of h2o (with a lemon wedge if you have it), even before a morning cup of joe.   Within a couple hours of waking, it's a really good idea to eat.   Despite what General Mills has decided is a "complete" breakfast (sugar, carbs and several servings of OJ - more sugar-), here are the essential components to include when putting together a nourishing breakfast that will tide you over until lunch: Fiber: to keep us feeling full and maintain healthy digestion (think: veggies, banana, oatmeal) Protein: it's essential to get a decent amount of protein in EVERY meal as our bodies do not store it up for later, unfortunately (think: eggs, organic tofu, soaked beans, nuts and seeds, nut butters, chicken or turkey) Fat: gives us the staying power to tide us over if it's going to be a while before eating again.  It curbs a dip in blood sugar which would cause us to seek out sugary snacks.  Also - if we're including veggies with lots of fat soluble vitamins (GREENS!), the fat allows them to be easily absorbed Carbs: mostly if you're going to be expending a bunch of energy between now and lunch. A "complete" breakfast does NOT require toast or cereal. ;)  Also, good to remember that 1/2 a banana is actually 1 whole serving of fruit, and a serving of fruit juice is 4 ounces. NOT a pint glass. Our breakfasts alternate between the following:

 - Oatmeal: whole rolled oats topped with whatever sounds good - nuts, seeds, honey, fruit, coconut oil  or a combination

 - Vegan chocolate-banana flax pudding: Mmmmmmmm.............

 - Shakes: generally with a base of banana + coconut or almond milk and then add ins: almond, cashew or peanut butter, tahini, spirulina, dulse, soaked flax seeds, ice, honey, bee pollen, blueberries, greens.

 - Yogurt:  plain, *full fat* Greek or European style yogurt topped with almonds, pepitas, fruit, etc. (The link has some of my favorite ways to prepare it...)

 - Coconut Banana Pancakes:  always a favorite!

 - Egg + veggie scramble with whatever veggies are stocked in the fridge plus organic eggs, cooked in organic butter and olive oil.

Eggs scrambled with kale, onions, broccoli, romano-parm cheese.

Can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!   ;)

I love adding greens and other veggies to egg scrambles.  It helps make the breakfast more filling and ensures a GREAT start to the day with all of those vitamins and minerals!  The best part is being able to customize it every day with different veggie additions from the fridge, so it never gets boring.  Sometimes it's peppers, mushrooms and spinach, other times it's kale, broccoli and onions.  If there is cheese in the fridge, I might a bit of that too. Here's what I made this morning:

Green Veggie Scramble

(Recipe for 2)

Ingredients:

1/3 c white onions, diced

2 handfuls of chopped tuscan kale 

1 c broccoli florets, roughly chopped

Pat of organic butter

Drizzle of olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

4 organic eggs

1/2 an avocado - makes a pretty delish garnish!

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan to medium and add butter + olive oil.  (The olive oil helps keep the butter from getting too hot which causes it to sizzle and brown). Sautee the onions, kale & broccoli in together for several minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add the eggs (I don't usually even bother whisking them first) and the cheese and scramble for another 5 minutes or so, until done.   Plate with avocado and bring out your favorite hot sauce(s) from the fridge.  Done!

Food Renegade!

Asian-Inspired Massaged Kale + Carrot Super-Food Salad

Ever heard anyone asking to take home leftover...healthy salad??  This one was so delicious, attendees of Dr. Matt's grand opening were spooning it into plastic drinking cups to take home the leftovers.  The sesame & citrus flavors are bright & exciting, and the fact that the kale is massaged takes a lot of the "rawness" out of eating raw kale.  I especially love Eden Foods  Organic Sesame Gomasio sprinkles as part of the dressing to tie everything together and add even more nutrition (seaweed & sesame).  This salad is loaded with healthy fats (olive oil, sesame & avocado), rich in iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin c, k, antioxidants, carotenoids and fiber. The texture is great as is, but some sunflower seeds or peanuts would add a great extra crunch!  


...and it's vegan/dairy/gluten free ;) !

Asian-Inspired Massaged Kale & Carrot Super-Food Salad

Salad:
1 large head of curly red or green kale, washed, thick stems removed and torn or chopped into bite sized pieces
2 large carrots, shredded (approx. 3/4 - 1 c)
1 avocado, diced
Salt
Olive oil

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1 tbsp local honey
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR rice wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp sea salt
Red pepper flakes to taste
1.5-2 tbsp Eden Organic Sesame Gomasio (see link)

Directions: 
Combine all dressing ingredients and blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor. 

Prep kale and place into large mixing bowl. Pour a bit of olive oil and sea salt onto it. Give it a good massage with your fingers for 1-3 minutes (depends on how thick/coarse the kale was to begin with), until it softens and loses about 1/3 of the volume. Add carrots. Toss with dressing. Fold in avocado right before serving! 

This salad is best served 1-4 hours after prepping to allow all the flavors to meld.

Feta & Herb Baked Salmon + Couscous, Cuke & Kale Salad

Happy Friday! I was craving salmon & salad for dinner...this really hit the spot. My mom & dad make lamb in a similar way (baked in individual foil packets), so I thought I'd try with salmon. As a Greek girl, I have a strong affinity for lemon + garlic + herbs. ;) The tang from the lemon & feta is delicious, and all in all, is a really quick & SUPER healthy (see below) meal.

Feta & Herb Baked Salmon
(4 servings)
Prep time 10 min, Cook Time: 25 min


1 lb Wild-Caught Salmon
4 oz Feta Cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano. Some mint, dill or a combo would work)
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Red onion (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 375. Clean and pat dry your fish, and cut into 4 portions. Salt & Pepper. Mash up the topping: feta, olive oil, lemon, herbs and fresh cracked black pepper. I added some red pepper flakes too. Portion the topping on each individual piece of fish and wrap into 4 neat foil packets, topped with a few thin slices of red onion. Bake for 20 minutes, then unwrap the packets and cook an additional 5 min.

Kale, Cucumber & Couscous Salad
(4 servings)
Total time: 10 min

1/2 bunch organic kale (I used red kale)
3/4c dry couscous, cooked according to package directions
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt & Pepper

Wash, dry and trim kale of thick stems. Coarsely chop. Throw into a mixing bowl with a little salt and olive oi. IMPORTANT: Massage with your hands until kale breaks down and softens a bit (about a minute). Toss with couscous, cucumber and then add lemon (and a bit more olive oil, maybe a tsp or two and toss.

Plate the finished salmon on top of the bed of salad and devour. ;)

Best part about this meal? Super nutritious and well-balanced. This meal is highly anti-inflammatory and blows your daily requirements of Omega-3, Omega-6, Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Vitamin C out of the water.

Nutrition per serving:

487 calories
39 g protein
35 g carbs
21 g fat

Seared Swordfish Steaks, Blue Cheese Smashed Taters & Kale...with a Lemon Butter Sauce

Tonight's dinner was pretty freaking delicious (according to me...and Matt...and the cats). I found some Sashimi Grade, Wild-Caught Swordfish steaks at Trader Joe's last week...only $7.29 a pound, which is a GREAT deal...so here goes:



PAN SEARED SWORDFISH STEAKS

Ingredients:

1 lb swordfish
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil (NOT olive)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat. Pat the fish down and salt & pepper it liberally and rub in a bit. Put some oil in the pan and get it pretty hot. Sear the swordfish steaks 5 min per side. Place in a shallow baking dish and finish for 5-8 minutes in the oven.

LEMON-BUTTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1/2 - 1 lemon (I used one, it was pretty zingy!)
Sea salt & pepper
Pinch of garlic powder (or use fresh minced)

Directions:

In the saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Add a pinch of salt, pinch of garlic powder and butter. This will combine, heat and increase in deliciousness while you're cooking.

BLUE CHEESE SMASHED POTATOES
(Overheard a lady at yoga class saying her husband was making blue cheese potatoes for her birthday dinner. HAD to try!)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb Yukon Gold (or Idaho) potatoes
2 oz blue cheese
1 tbsp butter
Splash of milk
Cracked peppercorns

Directions:

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with the blue cheese, butter, milk and freshly ground black pepper. Smash with a potato smasher or fork. Taste and add salt if needed, but the blue cheese is pretty salty!


KALE

Heat salted water to medium-high and add kale. Cook until soft and bright green. Drain.


Plate and top the whole thing with the lemon butter sauce...let me know how ya like ;)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Happy New Year! In 2011 - as soon as I bought the immersion blender last February - I started experimenting with blended veggie soups. They're hearty, pretty easy to make (if you have a couple hours) and a delicious way to get your veggies in. I've made squash, asparagus, sweet potato, jerusalem artichoke, celery root etc. My friends Lindsey and Liz came over for dinner in December and raved about the butternut squash soup I'd made with dinner. Today, Lindsey came over to make some with me and learn how-to. So much fun! :)

Lindsey picked out some nice squash!

Here's my #1 soup tip: use the SAME base, every single time for fool-proof veggie soup broth: mirepoix (about equal amounts of carrots, onions and celery)+ garlic + salt. Cover it with 6-8 cups of water. After it cooks down for almost an hour, then add whatever vegetable(s) you choose and experiment with other herbs, spices and fats. Either blend or leave chunky.

Prep time: 20 min, Total time: approx 1.5 - 2 hours
Makes: 8+ servings

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (3.5 - 4 lbs) halved and "guts" scooped out
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
3 medium stalks celery (diced)
3 medium sized carrots (diced)
2 cloves garlic (sliced or minced)
2 oz Organic Half-and-half or heavy cream (Optional)
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Nutmeg
Turmeric (Optional, but adds great color and is a wonderful anti-oxident)


Equipment:

Large cast-iron ceramic coated pot (or just a large spaghetti/soup pot)
Immersion blender or regular blender

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Prep all veggies. Heat your big pot to medium-high and add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Once the oil is hot, throw your mirepoix in and let it go, stirring occasionally, for several minutes. Once the veggies start steaming and smelling super fragrant and soft, add 1 tbsp sea salt, approx 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp (optional) turmeric. Sautee for another 30 seconds or so while stirring. (We'll add the nutmeg in at the end.)

Mirepoix: the fancy french term for equal parts of carrots, celery and onion

Cover the veggies with about 4 times their volume in water. Turn to high and once it comes up to a boil, turn the heat down and let simmer.

Roast your squash for about 35 minutes, until you can easily stick a fork through the skin. Let cool about 20 min.

Scoop the squash out of the skin and add to the simmering soup base. Let cook together 15 minutes or so.

In goes the squash! The pretty yellow color at this point comes from turmeric.

With your blender or immersion blender (aka best $50 I've spent) and blend until smooth.

Linds giving the immersion blender a whirl

Add 1-2 tsp nutmeg (according to your preference) and add the cream. If you DON'T add cream, I suggest adding a bit of fat (a healthy cold-pressed oil like olive, coconut, grape seed, avocado or some organic butter) to balance out the flavor. Stir and turn heat off.

A spill on my shirt. Typical.

Serve hot. I served with a plate of super foods! We had: wild caught pink salmon, sauteed garlicky kale with lemon and smashed "creamsicle" (white and sweet mixed) potatoes. Delicious and probably one of the most balanced, nutritious plates you could ask for:


Highly anti-inflammatory and off the charts in vitamin A, C, K and B6. IT's a great source of protein, omega-3, calcium, selenium, potassium, magnesium, maganese, copper, etc. This meal is pretty much SMACK dab in the middle of balanced (fat, protein, carb) and very rich in vitamins and minerals.

I generally make a big pot of soup like this once a week on Sunday...that way we can enjoy it for lunch during the week. Pick a favorite veggie and try it!

Baked Kale Chips

1 head or bunch of kale
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300. Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry (important!).  Toss in a bowl with salt and olive oil.  Arrange in a single layer and bake for 20 min or until crisp.

I just baked some and they were gone in <10 minutes.  Perfect if you're looking to incorporate more greens into your diet.  Next I'll add some vinegar and make salt & vinegar style chips.  Don't expect these to last. :)

Serving = approx 1/4 recipe

63 calories
4 g fat
7 g carb
2 g protein

Kale & Grapefruit?

Ahhh, greens.  Necessary for a balanced diet, yet often neglected!  Every time I shop, I pick a few bunches of various greens, usually going for whatever looks the best or is on sale.  The other day, Kale was 2 bunches for $3 at Whole Foods and I gladly picked some up.  Kale is a mild, hearty green and is part of the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)  It's super rich in calcium, magnesium and a great source of antioxidants.  Kale is pretty versatile, working well in soups and salads or by itself.  Here is a colorful salad that I threw together the other night.  It would be perfect as a side dish for chicken, fish, lamb. I served it with homemade falafel...

Kale & Grapefruit Salad (serves 2)

1/2 c carrots, chopped into circles

1/2 grapefruit, cut into half-sections

1 bunch fresh kale, washed and cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's  - http://www.bragg.com/)

1 tbsp honey 

1/2 habanero pepper, finely diced 

Salt & Pepper  

Steam your kale for a few minutes, just until soft.  Whisk dressing together.  Toss kale with fruit and drizzle with dressing.  Super energizing, bold and delicious!

200 calories

8 g fat

5 g protein

32 g carbohydrates

Falafel (Serves 2)

1 lb chickpeas (soaked overnight) or 1 can chickpeas (drained)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

Hot pepper flakes

½ habenero pepper

Handful chopped parsley

1 egg

1 handful (give or take) of breadcrumbs 

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients (minus the breadcrumbs) in a food processor and blend until combined (don't over-do it!). In a large bowl, combine the mixture with bread crumbs, adding just a bit at a time until you're able to form into balls. Form the falafel into 8 balls and flatten slightly.  Heat a frying pan with a bit of vegetable oil on medium-high heat.  Pan sear on both sides until golden brown. Bake on a glass or metal pan for 15 minutes to finish. I served with pickled turnips and a bit of Greek yogurt. YUM!

Per falafel:

108 calories

4 g fat

14 g carbohydrates

3 protein