Kale Chips

Kale Chips

1 large bunch kale (10 to 12 leaves), or you can buy pre-cut kale
1 tablespoon olive oil (no need to over-oil your kale)
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 275°F. Remove stalks and ribs from kale. Rinse and dry leaves. Or if your kale is already cut, just make sure to rinse and dry it. Use some tongs to toss the leaves in a large bowl with olive oil. Sprinkle leaves with sea salt and ground pepper. Be careful not to over-salt. Remember that when you bake these in the oven, they will shrink up, creating less surface area for the salt. Spread the leaves onto a baking sheet. Make sure that each leaf or piece of a leaf has its own space. Don’t layer. You want to give the leaves plenty of room to dry out.

Butter Biscuits

Butter Biscuits

2 sticks of unsalted melted butter
2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup of sour cream

Add the melted butter and sour cream to the flour and mix together. The mix can be lumpy. This recipe will make enough dough to fill one large muffin tin if you fill each tile about ¾ full. Bake for 30ish minutes at 350 degrees. Pack these in a basket lined with a cloth napkin.

(Delicious!)

Simple Zucchini and Potato Dish

2 medium zucchini, quartered and cut into large pieces
4 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks (you can peel--again, I just scrub)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
paprika, salt, pepper, and whatever other herbs and spices to taste. Thyme worked well, and oregano with slices of lemon on the side adds a Mediterranean feel.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss together all the ingredients in a medium baking pan.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender and lightly brown. Stir occasionally while dish is baking.

Pesto, vegan style

I like cheese, so I'm not vegan. But for my friends who are, here's a handy recipe that's perfect for spring/summer.

1/3 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 bunch (precise term, no?) of fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste


Place the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Stir until lightly toasted--they should be a little darker, but not very dark.

Mix the toasted pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, and basil in a food processor, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Simple, eh?

Colcanon

Simple and yummy. Similar to mashed potatoes, but better. This is a fun basic recipe to play around with. I've even added cannelloni beans to the mashed mixture for more protein and a different flavor.

Also, don't be afraid to play around with adding various spices or herbs!

You will need:

2 medium potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped (spinach will work, as will other greens)
2/3 cup low-fat soymilk
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the potatoes into large chunks. Add to a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat cook until tender when pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are simmering in their nice bath, about one inch of water to a medium saucepan. Insert steamer basket, bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Add kale, cover, and steam until tender. Remove kale and place in a mixing bowl.

Once potatoes are cooked, you can peel them or not (I don't) and add them to the kale.

Heat the sjavascript:void(0)oymilk and scallions, and simmer 5 minutes. Add to potatoes and kale and mash together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Lime in the Coconut Chicken Wraps

For something different…

· 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch strips
· 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
· 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
· 2 cups water
· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
· 1 tablespoon garlic salt
· 3/4 cup vegetable oil
· 2 limes
· 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
· 1/2 cup shredded coconut
· 1/2 cup chopped green onions

1. Place the chicken and coconut milk in a container (bowl, zip lock bag), and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. In a pot, bring the rice and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix the flour, curry powder, and garlic salt. Drain the chicken, and discard marinade. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture to coat.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the coated chicken strips 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and juices run clear. Squeeze lime juice over chicken, and discard limes.
5. On each tortilla, place equal amounts of rice, chicken, coconut, and green onions. Wrap burrito style.

Cheese Spaetzle

Don’t be turned off by this recipe—it’s not as fattening/unhealthy/whatever as you think.

You’ll need
· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/8 teaspoon pepper
· 3 eggs
· 3/8 cup 2% milk
· 3 tablespoons butter
· 1 onion, sliced
· 1 1/2 cups shredded Emmentaler cheese

Now…

Sift together flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Alternately mix in milk and the flour mixture until smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Press batter through a spaetzle press/potato ricer/colander/or a cheese grater into the water. When the spaetzle has floated to the top of the water, remove it to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Mix in 1 cup of the cheese.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until golden. Stir in spaetzle and remaining cheese until well blended. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.

Moroccan-flavoured lentil soup

You will need:

· 2 onions, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
· 6 cups water
· 1 cup red lentils
· 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
· 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
· 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
· 1/2 cup diced carrots
· 1/2 cup chopped celery
· 1 teaspoon garam masala
· 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
· 1 tablespoon olive oil

Now…
In large pot or Dutch oven, sauté; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the water, lentils, garbanzo beans, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes, then simmer until the lentils are soft (about an hour).
IF DESIRED—puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy!

Breakfast Cookies: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (heaping)
6 tablespoons applesauce
6 tablespoons pumpkin puree (if using homemade, make sure it is thick like canned)
2 egg whites or one egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Stir all ingredients together.
3. Roll the cookies into golf ball sized balls.
4. Place on cookie sheet (s) about 2 inches apart, giving them room to spread slightly.
5. Spray tops with cooking oil, flip over with a cooking oil sprayed spatula, these are precautions so your cookies won't stick to the pan.
6. Bake about 8 minutes for moist cookies.

Enjoy!

Sweet potato burritos

All right, so for sweet potato burritos you will need:

1 onion, chopped
minced garlic to taste (I use 2-3 cloves)
28-32 ounces of black beans
4 cups (or so) of mashed sweet potatos (get three sweet potatoes: chop them into chunks; boil until soft: peel skin off, and mash. Voila!)
Cayenne pepper to taste
Cumin, to taste
10 or 12 inch tortilla
Cheese—(if you want)—either cheddar or whatever “Mexican” blend you want.

Saute the onion with garlic.
Cook the beans in a little bit of water until they are soft enough to mash. Season the “mash” of beans with cumin, cayenne pepper, and even chili powder if you want. Stir in the onions.

Take one tortilla. Put equal amounts of mashed sweet potato and black bean mash on the tortilla. Sprinkle with some cheese, and then wrap burrito style. Place in a large baking dish.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. This makes 8-12 burritos.

Sprinkle all the burritos with cheese, and place the baking dish in a 350F degree oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa (I like to use red quinoa here, for the colour contrast)
• 1 ½ water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained\
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
**We like to eat this as a tortilla filling and top with salsa! Yummy!

Quinoa with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

• 1 cup quinoa
• salt
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 1 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 teaspoons olive oil (or less)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water until the water no longer foams. Bring the quinoa, salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

Greek “Peasant” Pasta

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese or cheese substitute (you really don’t need the cheese, it’s delicious without!)
• Oregano, basil, thyme, etc—to flavour tomatoes to taste
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.
4. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta or cheese substitute.

Greek Potato Stew

• 2 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup whole, pitted kalamata olives
• 1 1/3 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and stir. Stir in the garlic. Add the olives and cook and stir for several minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and oregano.
2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peppers stuffed with Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 red bell peppers
• ½ Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a small baking dish. Halve the red peppers lengthwise. Remove the seeds and ribs, but leave the stem intact so the pepper bowls hold their shape; place cut-side-up into the prepared baking dish.
3. Toss the chopped apple with the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and green onions. Fold in the quinoa, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the cut peppers with this mixture, and fill the baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the peppers are tender, and the quinoa is hot, about 20 minutes.

Spinach, Chickpeas, and Fresh Dill

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ cups canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 pound spinach
• ½ cup minced fresh dill weed
• 2 lemons, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add chickpeas, and toss to coat in oil.
2. Clean spinach and cut away thick stems; add undrained spinach and dill to skillet, and cook until spinach is tender.
3. Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Black Eyed Peas &Tortillas

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• ½ cup water
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the black-eyed peas, water, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and continue cooking until heated through. Wrap the mixture in the tortillas to serve.

Zucchini Patties

(This recipe isn’t vegan, but is easily adaptable to vegan by using egg substitutes and soy cheeses.)
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
1. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir well enough to distribute evenly.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

Basic Veggie Fajita

• No more than ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• cumin
• cinnamon
• oregano
• chili powder to taste
• garlic to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 small zucchini, julienned
• 2 medium small yellow squash, julienned
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1. In a large bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, oregano, chili powder, garlic salt, salt, pepper and sugar. To the marinade add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, green pepper and red pepper. Marinate vegetables in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but not more than 24 hours.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the vegetables and sauté until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the corn and beans; increase the heat to high for 5 minutes, to brown vegetables.

Sweet and Savoury Kale

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 ½ cups water
• 4 cups stemmed, torn and rinsed kale
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.
2. Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.