Chipotle Kale Chips

I got some beautiful curly kale at the farmers' market this weekend and decided to make some kale chips.

I really love kale chips.  Part of the reason is that they are super simple to make. It takes longer to wash the greens then it does to prepare the chips.  One of the other reasons I love these chips is because of all of the different types of flavors you can choose to pair with them.

I decided to use chipotle pepper with this batch of kale chips and was pretty happy with how they turned out.

Chipotle Kale Chips:

1 bunch of kale, cleaned and removed from the stalk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Rip the kale leaves into pieces and put them in a bowl with the olive oil, chipotle powder, and salt.  Toss the kale to make sure that all of the leaves are covered with the oil and the spices.

Place the kale leaves on a baking sheet, making sure they don't overlap and bake for 20 minutes of until the leaves are crispy.

Asian Peanut Noodles

I've been bored with my dinner options recently.  I've also been on a bit of an Asian food kick so I've been trying to find some new dishes that incorporate my needs.

I found this recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  I love this recipe.  I always have these ingredients on hand and I was able to whip it up really quickly.  I think that this could serve as a main meal or as a side dish, depending on what you're looking for.

The recipe doesn't call for the vegetable to be cooked at all which is fine, but since I did serve this warm I think next time I'll try to blanch the veggies a little bit.

Asian Peanut Noodles:
(adapted from Cooking Light)

6 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti
1 teaspoon sirarcha
1 tablespoon reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
3 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/2 cup matchstick-cut green onions

Cook the noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain them well.

Combine the sirarcha, peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine well. Add the noodles, carrots, and green onions; toss and serve immediately.

Coleslaw

I had some left over cabbage in the refrigerator a couple of days ago and decided to make some coleslaw to go with my BBQ Chicken. 

Coleslaw:

1 head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips or shredded
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Take the shredded cabbage and carrots and put them in a bowl.  Add the mayonnaise and ranch dressing and stir to combine.  If it looks a little dry add some more.  

In a small bowl mix together the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Stir together until the sugar and spices are dissolved.

Pour the vinegar mixture on top of the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.  Let sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or over night. 

Eggplant Fries

I did not eat eggplant as a child.  My grandma was the only person in the family that liked it so no one else ever bought any.  Now that summer is here my CSA Farmer has a bunch of different types of eggplant and I decided that it was time to try something new.

This recipe comes right from the farm.  My farmer told me that this is her favorite way to eat eggplant.  She'll even make this instead of french fries.  I bet that plenty of kids out there would eat these (if they didn't know what they were made of).

Eggplant Fries:
(my CSA Farmer, Kathy)

1-2 eggplant, depending on how many people you're feeding
2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg, beaten)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
enough vegetable oil to fry

Heat your oil over medium high heat in a cast iron pot or use a counter top fryer.

Set up a couple of bowls and put the egg into one bowl and the bread crumbs into another.  Add the chili powder to the egg and mix together.

Cut each eggplant into french fry shapes.  Dip each eggplant fry into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs.  Fry up the eggplant until nice and golden brown.  Let drip dry on paper towels or a metal rack and sprinkle with salt.

They taste great with ranch dressing.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a staple dish in many households.  It's always an option in a "Meat + 3" or on a veggie plate.  While it's fantastic it's not the healthiest option.  I found this recipe online through Weight Watchers and substituted whole wheat pasta.

While it wasn't the most amazing mac and cheese I've ever had it was pretty good.  I loved the broccoli and the whole wheat pasta was delicious.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese:
(adapted from Weight Watchers, 7 pps+)

2 spray(s) cooking spray  
12 oz uncooked pasta, I used whole wheat (about 2 1/2 cups)  
1/8 tsp table salt, for pasta cooking water  
10 oz uncooked broccoli, small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)  
1 tsp salted butter  
1/3 cup(s) fresh bread crumbs  
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided  
2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk  
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour  
1/2 cup(s) (chopped) uncooked onion(s), diced  
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese, sharp-variety  
1 tsp Dijon mustard  
1 1/2 tsp table salt  
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water according to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done; drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and set aside.

In same saucepan (wipe clean if necessary), whisk together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss to mix and coat.

Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Hibachi Soup

We like to frequent our local Japanese Steakhouse for special dinners, like my birthday!  One of my favorite parts of the experience is the soup that they serve.  I love brothy soups and this is the perfect brothy soup.

It can also be made gluten free by using gluten free bouillon cubes and skipping out on the french fried onions (or making your own).  Not all bouillon cubes are gluten free but these are.  I know that my local grocery store sells them.

Hibachi Soup:
(found on Pinterest, from Cooking with Carrie)

Ingredients:
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 quarts water (8 cups)
French fried onions

Directions:
In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the celery, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and a few of the mushrooms. Add chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, and water. Place the pot over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. When the mixture reaches boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 45 minutes.

After it's cooked for at least 45 minutes strain the cooked soup and discard all of the vegetables, leaving the broth. Serve the broth with sliced mushrooms and sprinkle french friend onions over the top.

Citrus Cranberry Sauce

It's the time of the year for cranberry sauce.  I love it and I tend to stock up on the fresh berries when they go on sale and then I pop them in the freezer to keep until I need them.

Citrus Cranberry Sauce:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 bag cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon

In a sauce pan bring the sugar, lemon zest, and water to boil.  Add the fresh and dried cranberries and citrus juices to the pan.  Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and let cook for about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and let everything come back to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fiesta Lime Rice

I've said before that we eat a decent amount of Mexican food.  Right now it seems to be our favorite.  I found this rice recipe and thought that it would work really well with our meals.

Fiesta Lime Rice:
(skinny taste - 4pp+, 4 servings)

1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and heated
3/4 cup cooked corn, heated
1 large tomato, diced
1 large scallion, diced fine
2-4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine hot rice, heated corn, heated beans, tomato, scallion, cilantro, lime juice and salt if needed. Toss and serve.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potatoes.  I will eat them pretty much anyway I can.  I've had a bunch of sweet potatoes to use up since Thanksgiving and this is one of the ways I've been eating them.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:
(Ina Garten- Barefoot Contessa)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into 3 long spears. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. Spread the potatoes in one layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve hot.

Cornbread Dressing

Stuffing and dressing are the same basic thing.  Stuffing is actually stuffed into the bird.  Dressing is baked off in a casserole dish and served as a side.  There are a million and one different recipes out there for the best dressing/stuffing in the world.  I'm not going to say that this is "The World's Best Cornbread Dressing!!!" but it's good and it's what I make every year for Thanksgiving.

Cornbread Dressing:

Cornbread Ingredients:

2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs beaten
1-2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings, melted

Dressing Ingredients:

3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
12 slices day old bread, crumbled
2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

To make the cornbread:

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Add eggs, buttermilk, and melted bacon drippings and stir into a batter.

Heat a well-greased 10-inch cast iron skillet in a 450 degree oven for 4 minutes or until hot.  Remove skillet from oven and pour batter into skillet. Bake at 450 for 35 minutes or until cornbread is lightly browned.

To make dressing:

Cool cornbread then crumble into a large bowl.

Place celery and onion in a large frying pan with a spoon of cooking oil and cook until tender.  Transfer cooked celery and onion, with all remaining ingredients, to crumbled cornbread, stirring well.  Spoon dressing into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan or casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I love sweet potatoes and Thanksgiving and fall are the perfect time to make them.  This is a basic recipe for sweet potato casserole, which is perfect for all of the holiday get-togethers that happen during this time of the year.

Sweet Potato Casserole:

5 sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, divided (1/4 cup softened)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray (or rub butter on it).

Bake the sweet potatoes for 35 minutes.  Once they're out of the oven and cool mash the potatoes.  Put them in a bowl and add the salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sugar, and heavy cream.  Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.

In another bowl combine the rest of the butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.  Mix together with a fork and spread over the sweet potato mash.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the topping in crisp and lightly browned.

Roasted Broccoli

Mr. T and I both love broccoli.  It's a staple in our house and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. This is a basic preparation from Ina Garten but something amazing happens when it is roasted in the oven.

Roasted Broccoli:
(adapted from Ina Garten)

4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets off of the stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. (for the two of us I just cut up 1 head of broccoli and adjusted everything else to taste).

Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.  (I turned everything in the pan about half way through, but you probably don't have to)


Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Serve hot.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower was on sale last week.  It made me stop and think about how little I use it and how little I know how to make with it.  This is basically the same recipe as this mashed cauliflower recipe but it was good, so I decided to change it up a bit and make something new from something known.

I still have a ways to go but at least I have found another way to enjoy cauliflower.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash:

1 head of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable stock

Roast the garlic:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top of the garlic off.

Place the head of garlic in a piece of parchment paper or foil and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic up and cook for 30 minutes.

Make the cauliflower:

Place a pot of water on the stove top to boil. Cut up a head of cauliflower and let it boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and pat it dry with a paper towel. Add the cauliflower to a food processor along with the salt pepper,

Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms

Mr.T and I eat a lot of mushrooms. They're tasty and something that we both grew up with. I found this recipe in a cookbook that was given to me at one of my bridal showers 3 years ago. I'm slightly embarrassed to say that this is the first time.I've used it.

Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms:
(Family Favorites- Vegetables)

1 pound white mushrooms
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Wipe all of the mushrooms clean and trim the stems off. Cut the large ones in half so all the mushrooms cook at the same time. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook until most of the oil has absorbed into the mushrooms.

Reduce the heat to low and let the mushrooms cook. Reduce the heat to low.  When the juices have come out of the mushrooms, increase the heat and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper.  Cook for an additional minute then serve.

Southwest Cheddar Steak Fries

I made steak fries the other night.  I usually make ranch fries but in my quest to try new recipes  I decided to go with this recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.  They were great and the red bell pepper really added flavor to the steak fries.

















Southwest Cheddar Steak Fries:(Clean Eating Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 lb red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar
1/2 cup finely minced red bell pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the potatoes in a ziploc bag.  Add the olive oil, paprika, and garlic.  Toss inside the bag until all of the potatoes are covered.  Arrange the potatoes in a single layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then flip and stir, baking for 7 more minutes or until lightly golden brown and tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese, pepper, and salt. Bake for 2 more minutes or until slightly melted.

Baked Pita Chips

Mr. T and I have been eating quite a bit of hummus lately.  Pita chips are the best thing to use when snacking on some yummy hummus.  I found this recipe online and it was seriously easy.  I don't think i'll ever buy pita chips again.

Baked Pita Chips:
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
12 pita bread pockets
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each pita bread into 8 triangles. Place triangles on lined cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, pepper, salt, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Brush each triangle with the oil mixture.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Watch carefully, as they tend to burn easily!

Mushroom Cheese Bread

I would like to thank Publix for this idea.

Mushroom Cheese Bread:

1 loaf crusty bread, cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup italian cheese shredded cheese blend

1 cup of baby Portabello mushrooms, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350.  Brush olive oil on both pieces of bread (on the cut side, not the crust side).  Lay the mushroom slices on top of the bread and sprinkle with garlic and cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Mushrooms and Onions

Whenever Mr. T and I go out to a steakhouse I get the mushrooms and onion add on.  I love them and in my opinion mushrooms and onions are a must have with a steak.

Mushrooms and Onions:

1 sweet onion, sliced

1 carton of mushrooms, baby bellas or button, sliced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon steak seasoning

Heat a skillet over high heat.  Add the olive oil and butter and let melt together.  Add the mushrooms, onion, and steak seasoning.  Cook, stirring randomly, until the onions are starting to turn soft and get a little brown on the edges.

Mashed Cauliflower

It's no secret that I love potatoes.  There are tons of potato recipes on this blog, but sometimes it's nice to change things up.  Some of my coworkers have been telling me that I need to try mashed cauliflower.  They were right, it's really good and really easy.

I will say, don't go into this thinking that they are an exact substitute for mashed potatoes, because they aren't.  They are really creamy and really tasty though.  Cauliflower is a good base to add whatever flavors you like.  In this case I used Parmesan and garlic.

Mashed Cauliflower:

(Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower

1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

In a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, butter, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper until desired consistency.

Chipotle Hummus

One of my coworkers is moving back to Miami to be with family.  We had a big going away party for him at a local park and I volunteered to bring some chips and dip.  This was a big hit and super easy.

Chipotle Hummus:

2 cans of chickpeas, drained (keep the liquid)

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (depending on how much heat you like)

2 tablespoons of the adobo liquid that came with the peppers

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1-2 teaspoon sesame oil*

2 tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Add everything to a food processor and blend.  Once everything is mixed add some of the chickpea liquid until the desired consistency is achieved.

*Be careful with the sesame oil.  A little bit goes a LONG way.