Five years ago, I had never tasted kale. Add five growing seasons, 2 CSA seasons, and countless vegetarian potlucks, and kale has become one vegetable that is a staple of my kitchen garden. Why? Oven Crispy Kale. This simple side dish has to be the fastest, yummiest way to cook kale - ever. When your kids are begging for "more kale," you know the recipe is a keeper!
Ingredients
Kale
Olive oil
Sea salt
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
Cut the kale into small pieces - kitchen shears work perfectly for this - and discard the stems. Lay the kale pieces on a baking tray in more or less a single layer. No need to be exact.
Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the kale become crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Maple Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
This sweetly addictive fruit dip can be whipped up in less than five minutes with only three ingredients - none of which are refined sugar.
Ingredients
1 8-oz package of cream cheese
2 Tbls maple syrup (or honey, but then we'll call it Honey Cream Cheese Fruit Dip)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients until smooth. Serve with fruit.
Ingredients
1 8-oz package of cream cheese
2 Tbls maple syrup (or honey, but then we'll call it Honey Cream Cheese Fruit Dip)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients until smooth. Serve with fruit.
Friday, July 12, 2013
almond coconut macaroon bars (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free - WOW!)
I still can't get over how much I love, Love, LOVE, these bars. How can something so simple, with only 5 ingredients, be so delicious and addicting, stabilize my blood sugar for hours, never give me the foggy-head feeling, and fit about every single friend's diet in my group of friends? Yeah, WOW.
Try them! After you get the basic ratio, mix them up. Put in exactly what you like. This paleo-style recipe will be a go-to for years. My preparation instructions use a food processor, because that is how I make shortbread (and countless other things), and the process here is just like shortbread.
Ingredients
1 cup finely shredded non-sweetened coconut (if you can't find finely shredded, shred it more finely in your food processor before adding anything else)
1 cup almond flour (we get ours at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
4 Tbls maple syrup or honey
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
Preparation
In your food processor, combine the finely shredded coconut, the almond flour, and the sea salt, if desired.
Pulse in the coconut oil or butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Add the vanilla and maple syrup or honey and pulse until the mixture forms a ball.
Press into an ungreased pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the sides lightly brown.
Store in the refrigerator and they will become chewy, sweet, and very macaroony.
Try them! After you get the basic ratio, mix them up. Put in exactly what you like. This paleo-style recipe will be a go-to for years. My preparation instructions use a food processor, because that is how I make shortbread (and countless other things), and the process here is just like shortbread.
Ingredients
1 cup finely shredded non-sweetened coconut (if you can't find finely shredded, shred it more finely in your food processor before adding anything else)
1 cup almond flour (we get ours at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
4 Tbls maple syrup or honey
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
Preparation
In your food processor, combine the finely shredded coconut, the almond flour, and the sea salt, if desired.
Pulse in the coconut oil or butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Add the vanilla and maple syrup or honey and pulse until the mixture forms a ball.
Press into an ungreased pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the sides lightly brown.
Store in the refrigerator and they will become chewy, sweet, and very macaroony.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
easy hummus
I think I've mentioned before how my large-capacity food processor is one of my top 3 kitchen must-haves. Here is yet another reason why. What follows is a super easy recipe for hummus, blended in a food processor (a blender will work too).
Traditional Mediterranean hummus calls for tahini, which is basically sesame butter - think peanut butter but made of sesame seeds instead. In our house, we rarely have tahini around, so I've experimented with many different nut butters. Each has been successful, and lent its own variation to hummus. Whatever nut butter you have at home, try it!
Ingredients
One 15-oz can of chickpeas (or "garbanzo beans"), undrained
The juice of one lemon 1/4 cup tahini, almond butter, peanut butter, or other nut butter
One raw garlic clove, minced or crushed or three cloves roasted garlic
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp salt, more to taste
Directions
Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
Combine in your food processor or blender: the chickpeas, the lemon juice, the tahini or other nut butter, the garlic, the olive oil, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
Add 2 Tbls of the reserved liquid and pulse several times. Continue to add the reserved liquid a Tbls at a time, pulsing between each addition, until the hummus is your desired consistency.
Taste and add more salt if needed.
Garnish with olive oil, paprika, and/or olives.
Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, potato chips, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, and/or fresh, sliced kohlrabi.
Traditional Mediterranean hummus calls for tahini, which is basically sesame butter - think peanut butter but made of sesame seeds instead. In our house, we rarely have tahini around, so I've experimented with many different nut butters. Each has been successful, and lent its own variation to hummus. Whatever nut butter you have at home, try it!
Ingredients
One 15-oz can of chickpeas (or "garbanzo beans"), undrained
The juice of one lemon 1/4 cup tahini, almond butter, peanut butter, or other nut butter
One raw garlic clove, minced or crushed or three cloves roasted garlic
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp salt, more to taste
Directions
Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
Combine in your food processor or blender: the chickpeas, the lemon juice, the tahini or other nut butter, the garlic, the olive oil, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
Add 2 Tbls of the reserved liquid and pulse several times. Continue to add the reserved liquid a Tbls at a time, pulsing between each addition, until the hummus is your desired consistency.
Taste and add more salt if needed.
Garnish with olive oil, paprika, and/or olives.
Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, potato chips, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, and/or fresh, sliced kohlrabi.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
the ultimate shortbread crust
While I was looking for the perfect pumpkin bar recipe this week, I surprised myself with a long-sought find: the perfect shortbread crust. My crust had some variations on the original recipe (big surprise!) and I'm sharing them here along with my superfast shortbread method.
After I made these bars and tasted that crust, my mind was adrift with all the yummy things you could put on top of the shortbread layer. Pecan pie, melted chocolate, chocolate and caramel, chocolate and peanut butter, cheesecake. Yum...the possibilities are virtually endless.
My girls and I look forward to developing many shortbread-crusted creations (And yes, the pumpkin bars made a great start. Pumpkin pie on top, shortbread on the bottom, frozen pumpkin from last autumn finally put to good use.)
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond meal (this is something I stock from Trader Joe's and often have on hand, but you could also use coconut flour or mild-tasting finely ground unsalted nuts that you happen to have on hand. I think peanut butter would be a little too strong in taste)
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick butter cut into 6 or 7 pieces
1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp molasses (I never have brown sugar on hand so I always add a little molasses to white sugar instead)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
Superfast Directions
In your food processor, combine the almond meal, flour, salt & sugar.
Pulse in the butter chunks until the mixture looks like small crumbs.
Add the molasses and vanilla or almond extract and pulse until the mixture starts to cling together like a dough.
Press into a pie pan or a 9 x 9 (give or take) baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes to set the crust before adding your topping.
Pumpkin Filling Ingredients
Just in case you're curious what I did for the pumpkin filling, read on!
In my food processor, I combined:
2 cups cooked pumpkin, pureed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cream (I had to use evaporated milk this time)
I topped the lightly baked shortbread crust with this mixture and baked for another 30-40 minutes.
After I made these bars and tasted that crust, my mind was adrift with all the yummy things you could put on top of the shortbread layer. Pecan pie, melted chocolate, chocolate and caramel, chocolate and peanut butter, cheesecake. Yum...the possibilities are virtually endless.
My girls and I look forward to developing many shortbread-crusted creations (And yes, the pumpkin bars made a great start. Pumpkin pie on top, shortbread on the bottom, frozen pumpkin from last autumn finally put to good use.)
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond meal (this is something I stock from Trader Joe's and often have on hand, but you could also use coconut flour or mild-tasting finely ground unsalted nuts that you happen to have on hand. I think peanut butter would be a little too strong in taste)
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick butter cut into 6 or 7 pieces
1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp molasses (I never have brown sugar on hand so I always add a little molasses to white sugar instead)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
Superfast Directions
In your food processor, combine the almond meal, flour, salt & sugar.
Pulse in the butter chunks until the mixture looks like small crumbs.
Add the molasses and vanilla or almond extract and pulse until the mixture starts to cling together like a dough.
Press into a pie pan or a 9 x 9 (give or take) baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes to set the crust before adding your topping.
Pumpkin Filling Ingredients
Just in case you're curious what I did for the pumpkin filling, read on!
In my food processor, I combined:
2 cups cooked pumpkin, pureed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cream (I had to use evaporated milk this time)
I topped the lightly baked shortbread crust with this mixture and baked for another 30-40 minutes.
Friday, April 20, 2012
amish leftover oatmeal coffee cake
While I can't attest to whether or not this recipe is actually Amish in origin, I can attest that is darn good and darn useful! My children always leave some of their oatmeal in their bowls when I make it, so I love having a recipe to use up the extra.
Ingredients
2 cups leftover breakfast oatmeal
2/3 cup fruit (apples, raisins, blueberries, blackberries)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar (or use my usual trick - 1 cup white sugar + 1 Tbls. molasses)
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
After water has boiled, add the fruit to the water. If using dried fruit, let the fruit sit for 10 minutes. Add the oatmeal to the water and stir until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a small well in the center. Pour in the brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and oatmeal/fruit mixture. Mix just until combined.
Pour into a greased and floured 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Ingredients
2 cups leftover breakfast oatmeal
2/3 cup fruit (apples, raisins, blueberries, blackberries)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar (or use my usual trick - 1 cup white sugar + 1 Tbls. molasses)
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
After water has boiled, add the fruit to the water. If using dried fruit, let the fruit sit for 10 minutes. Add the oatmeal to the water and stir until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a small well in the center. Pour in the brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and oatmeal/fruit mixture. Mix just until combined.
Pour into a greased and floured 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Friday, December 16, 2011
honey wheat sandwich bread
As I've mentioned before, I love love love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer
. Reason #157: I can make 3 loaves of true bread - yeasted, kneaded, risen, formed - in less than 15 minutes hands-on time.
The recipe I use most comes from my friend Kathryn, of Forsyth's Frosted Fancies. I've made it so often now that it has become habitual and second nature, which probably cuts my hands-on time to somewhere around 10 minutes or less. It's a little sweet, so the children love it. We use it most for sandwiches and breakfast toast, but I've also used the same recipe for pizza crust and dinner rolls, both of which turned out to be excellent.
Ingredients (for 3 loaves)
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 Tbls. dry active yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbls. oil or melted butter
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup "extras" (wheat germ, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, etc.)
Directions
Combine the warm water, the first 1/4 cup sugar or honey, the yeast and the all-purpose flour in the mixer bowl.
Using the dough hook, mix until smooth on lowest speed (marked "Stir" on my mixer).
Remove the dough hook, cover loosely and let sit until dough has doubled in size. (30 minutes or so)
After dough has doubled, add oil, the second 1/4 cup sugar or honey, salt, wheat flour and extras.
Using the dough hook, mix on the lowest speed while carefully watching. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour, a Tbls or two at a time, until the dough is staying in a ball on the dough hook and no longer sticking to the sides. We call this the point where the dough is "cleaning the sides of the bowl."
When the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer to Speed 2.
Allow the mixer to knead the dough for exactly 2 minutes. I always set the timer to be sure I don't allow the dough to be over-kneaded.
Remove the dough hook. Rub a little oil on top of the ball of dough. Flip it over gently inside the bowl and rub a little oil on the other side to cover the whole ball.
Cover the bowl loosely until it has doubled in size. (45 to 60 minutes or so)
Prepare your bread pans by greasing with butter or oil and dusting with flour.
When dough has doubled in size, gently remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured surface.
Cut it into 3 roughly equal portions, then shape each one and place it in the prepared bread pan. Remember to be gentle with the dough at all times!
Cover the bread pans loosely and let the dough rise in them until it has doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread loaves at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake!
Remove from the oven and immediately turn each load out onto a cooling rack.
Tips
Setting the kitchen timer takes even more work out of making bread for me - I don't even have to keep track of time! But this often makes the difference between success or not on a project that stretches out over a couple hours, like this one, so I would highly suggest using your kitchen timer to remind you when to check on your dough.
To get thinner slices from a loaf of freshly baked bread, refrigerate it first, then cut it when it is very cool.
If you don't have wheat flour on hand, or you don't like wheat for certain things (like pizza crust), you can use all white flour in this recipe as well.
. Reason #157: I can make 3 loaves of true bread - yeasted, kneaded, risen, formed - in less than 15 minutes hands-on time.The recipe I use most comes from my friend Kathryn, of Forsyth's Frosted Fancies. I've made it so often now that it has become habitual and second nature, which probably cuts my hands-on time to somewhere around 10 minutes or less. It's a little sweet, so the children love it. We use it most for sandwiches and breakfast toast, but I've also used the same recipe for pizza crust and dinner rolls, both of which turned out to be excellent.
Ingredients (for 3 loaves)
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 Tbls. dry active yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbls. oil or melted butter
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup "extras" (wheat germ, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, etc.)
Directions
Combine the warm water, the first 1/4 cup sugar or honey, the yeast and the all-purpose flour in the mixer bowl.
Using the dough hook, mix until smooth on lowest speed (marked "Stir" on my mixer).
Remove the dough hook, cover loosely and let sit until dough has doubled in size. (30 minutes or so)
After dough has doubled, add oil, the second 1/4 cup sugar or honey, salt, wheat flour and extras.
Using the dough hook, mix on the lowest speed while carefully watching. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour, a Tbls or two at a time, until the dough is staying in a ball on the dough hook and no longer sticking to the sides. We call this the point where the dough is "cleaning the sides of the bowl."
When the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer to Speed 2.
Allow the mixer to knead the dough for exactly 2 minutes. I always set the timer to be sure I don't allow the dough to be over-kneaded.
Remove the dough hook. Rub a little oil on top of the ball of dough. Flip it over gently inside the bowl and rub a little oil on the other side to cover the whole ball.
Cover the bowl loosely until it has doubled in size. (45 to 60 minutes or so)
Prepare your bread pans by greasing with butter or oil and dusting with flour.
When dough has doubled in size, gently remove it from the bowl and place it on a floured surface.
Cut it into 3 roughly equal portions, then shape each one and place it in the prepared bread pan. Remember to be gentle with the dough at all times!
Cover the bread pans loosely and let the dough rise in them until it has doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread loaves at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake!
Remove from the oven and immediately turn each load out onto a cooling rack.
Tips
Setting the kitchen timer takes even more work out of making bread for me - I don't even have to keep track of time! But this often makes the difference between success or not on a project that stretches out over a couple hours, like this one, so I would highly suggest using your kitchen timer to remind you when to check on your dough.
To get thinner slices from a loaf of freshly baked bread, refrigerate it first, then cut it when it is very cool.
If you don't have wheat flour on hand, or you don't like wheat for certain things (like pizza crust), you can use all white flour in this recipe as well.
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