Oh Hail the Mighty Kale

Let me tell you, there are some magical qualities to dark leafy greens and kale is the king of the greens and is on the list of the top 10 healthiest foods. One cup contains more than 5 grams of fiber and only 43 calories as well as your daily requirement for vitamins A and C, and 134 milligrams of calcium.

There are several different varieties of kale so experiment and try them all. Look for kale that in unbolted and uniformly colored. Store your kale unwashed in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. It will usually last 3-4 days.

Kale can be cooked in many different ways like steaming, blanching, sauteing, and baking. It can be added to soups or made into a side dish. One of my favorite ways to enjoy kale is in a simple kale chip. These are so good that I find them addictive. Seriously, I can sit down and eat a whole bunch of these babies. The kids even like them!!!

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Strip the leaves off of the stems and cut into small pieces. You don't want them to be too big because otherwise they will not get crispy.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
4. Add the kale and massage with your hands to coat each leaf.
5. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake until crispy, about 12 minutes. I like to remove the crispy pieces of kale along the edges of the sheet and then put the rest back in to crisp up otherwise you end up with some crispy and some soggy chips.

Options

• Acid is key to the deliciousness of the chip. You can substitute lime juice or a bit of vinegar. I like lime. Have a fun experiment and let me know how it goes for you.
• Salt- I find these to be a bit salty but that's probably because I have been on a salt free diet since December. I either reduce the salt or cut it out all together. If I do that later, I add some other spices to add a bit of zip like Mrs. Dash or chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

Pamela's Tried & Tested Zucchini Bread

Yield: one 8 x4 loaf

The kids LOVED it!

2 cups Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 cups grated zucchini, blossom end removed

2 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Whisk together Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and sugar for one minute on medium. Stir in vanilla.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients to form a batter. Fold in grated zucchini (along with optional lemon zest and chopped nuts)

NOTE: Baked zucchini loaf will be moist. You can lessen moisture by squeezing grated zucchini in paper towels to absorb some of the water before mixing into the batter.

Turn into greased loaf pan (8x4) and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Variation: For muffins, fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake in 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Back to School- Recipe

Waking up this morning felt a little different. It was back to the hustle and bustle of school time. Everybody up and Adam...starting with Cody at 6am, then Devin at 6:30 and finally Liam and Aidan at 7:00. Getting dressed, backpacks, breakfast, lunches...it's back to the routine. There is always a bit of excitement and a bit of sadness to see them go.

There is something a little different about this year's back to school routine. This year my son Liam will be bringing dairy free and gluten free lunches to school with him. He has been having some problems with his immunity and because food sensitivities can really wreak havoc on the immune system I, along with my doctor, have decided that this is a good idea.

He has already been off of dairy for the summer so we've gotten used to life without ice cream and cheese. Now adding in the gluten has been a bit more of a challenge so we've had some starts and stops along the way but it is a learning process for the entire household.

Today I sent the kids off to school with leftover Asian noodles (Gluten free) with chicken, veggies, and a gluten free peanut sauce. I added some raw veggies, a piece of fruit, some toasted chipotle sesame seeds and gluten free zucchini bread I made at midnight last night. This is my second time making it and the kids love it!

I got the recipe off the website Pamela's Products. I picked up their gluten free baking mix at Whole Foods and this seemed like a good recipe to try. I am not lying when I tell you that you can not tell that there is no gluten in it. It is delicious! I think next time I will try making muffins to make it easier to send in the lunch.

Pamela's Tried & Tested Zucchini Bread
Yield: one 8 x4 loaf

2 cups Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini, blossom end removed
2 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Whisk together Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and sugar for one minute on medium. Stir in vanilla.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients to form a batter. Fold in grated zucchini (along with optional lemon zest and chopped nuts)

NOTE: Baked zucchini loaf will be moist. You can lessen moisture by squeezing grated zucchini in paper towels to absorb some of the water before mixing into the batter.

Turn into greased loaf pan (8x4) and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Variation: For muffins, fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full and bake in 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Itsy Bitsy Yummy Pockets

I made these for the kids for breakfast today. I think it would be a great addition to the lunchbox as well or as an after school snack. I made some different variations and I personally loved the peanut butter and banana. Get creative and try them out and let me know what you think.

Mochi is a traditional Japanese food made from sweet rice. It is steamed and then pounded. When it bakes it puffs up. It is non-dairy and wheat-free. I purchased an organic brown rice product I found at Whole Foods. It came in a flat square and I cut it into 1" squares before baking.

Itsy Bitsy Blueberry Pocket

1 pkg. Raisin & cinnamon Mochi

Blueberries & Honey

or

Natural Peanut Butter & Banana

or

Kiwi & Pineapple

or

Anything you like

Cut the mochi into 1" squares, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 1 minute.

Cut a slit into the mochi square and stuff with with your choice of ingredients. You can drizzle it with honey to finish it off.

Don't Like Broccoli? Try this!

I made this for dinner tonight and my husband, who literally gags on broccoli, ate it and said, "wow, that's not bad." I can't ask for anything more than that!

I got the recipe from Cat Cora's book Cooking from the Hip. I made the vegetarian version with the olive oil dressing option. I used agave instead of sugar. I was a little worried about the curry thinking it might be overwhelming but honestly it didn't even have a curry flavor so you might want to taste it and add a bit more if you like that sort of thing. Here is the recipe:

Curried Broccoli Salad

2 Tbl kosher salt (I used Celtic)

2 lbs broccoli florets (from about 3 bunches broccoli)

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1 cup raisins (you're supposed to use currants but I didn't have any)

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Fill a large pot of water and put it over high heat to boil. Fill a large bowl or your sink with ice and cold water.

When the water boils, add the salt and the broccoli. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and still somewhat firm, barely tender enough to pierce with a knife. Use a long-handled strainer or tongs to transfer the broccoli to the ice-water bath. After 2 to 3 minutes, remove the broccoli from the ice water and place in a colander to drain. Line a bowl with paper towels, transfer the broccoli to the bowl, and set aside to drain.

Chop the broccoli coarsely. Place in a large serving bowl with the pecans, raisins, sunflower seeds, and red onion.

Dressing
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbl sugar (I used 1 Tbl agave)
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, mix the vinegar and the agave together until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the curry powder, the salt, and pepper to taste. Continue whisking and very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture until all the oil is incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired, ten set the dressing aside and prepare the broccoli.

Pour the dressing evenly over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Spring Entertaining

I was recently invited to a wonderful evening with a group of fellow IIN students. We all got together at my friend Holly's house. She lives on the 58th floor overlooking Lake Michigan. Wow! It was breathtaking.

I wanted to bring a dish to share with everyone and I wanted to keep it healthy. So often the recipes for entertaining can be heavy on the fat, sodium, calories and processed foods. I am not opposed to that kind of thing occasionally but it seems like I am hosting or attending some kind of function every week so I have made it a priority to find things that will taste good without all the junk.

I found this recipe while watching Everyday Italian on the Food Network. I was a bit nervous about it because to be perfectly honest, I don't even like peas and that is the base of the recipe. I decided it was worth a shot so I made it. I am so glad to did. It was really good! It's quick, easy and healthy.

Sun-dried Tomato and Peas on Endive Spears

Prep Time: 10 min Level: Easy Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound frozen peas, thawed
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, drained (about 3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 heads endive, ends trimmed and leaves separated

Directions
Combine the peas, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse the machine until the peas and tomatoes are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse until the olive oil is incorporated and the mixture is minced but not yet pureed. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Serve as a dip with the endive spears alongside

Michelle's Note:

I scooped the dip into the endive spears and assembled them onto a platter to serve them. It looked really nice.

Not Just for the Birds

Since I have joined the Institute for Integrative Nutrition I have been experimenting with my diet. We are learning about over 100 different dietary theories and most importantly we are learning about bio-individuality. In a nutshell, bio-individuality means that there is no one perfect diet for everyone. One man's food is another man's poison.

The reality of it is that no one can tell me which foods are right for my body. I can read all kinds of things and learn different theories but in the end I need to learn to listen to my body and feed it what it needs.

Over the last week or so I have taken gluten out of my diet. I am staying away from wheat, oats, rye, and barley. I have actually not had much in the way of grains at all except a bit of brown rice here and there.

I am heading out to NY tomorrow and I started wondering what the heck I am going to eat for breakfast while I am there. I have been having a problem with eggs for a while now, can't have gluten grains, just eating fruit isn't enough to keep me going until lunch. Hmmmm, quite the quandary.

I bought a package of millet from the health food store and did a little research. I knew millet was a gluten free grain and that it was in the bird food I used to give my cockatoo but that was about it. What I found out is wonderful!

Millet is actually a seed that has been around for ages and has been used in countries all over the world such as China, India, Greece, Egypt and Africa. It is even mentioned in the Bible. Millet is easily digested and alkaline in the body. It provides serotonin to calm and soothe your moods and helps to hydrate your colon to keep you regular. It is full of nutrients that our bodies need such as magnesium, calcium, maganese, tryptophan, phosphorus, fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants.

Sounds great right? But what do you do with it?

Millet is as easy to prepare as a pot of rice. It is a good idea to soak the grains over night to release phytic acid that can make it difficult to digest. Simply rinse the millet in a strainer and put into a bowl of water. Let it sit 8-24 hours. I put it out overnight.

Millet absorbs a lot of water so you will typically need 3 cups of water for 1 cup of millet. After soaking you may be able to reduce it to 2 or 2 1/2 cups of water. To cook it, boil the water, add the grains, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until all the water is absorbed and it has reached the desired texture. That's it!

Millet can be used in savory dishes like stuffing, soups, and pilafs or it can be sweet like a breakfast porridge or snack bars. I chose to make some millet fruit balls for that I can bring with me to NY. I followed a recipe that I got off the package of millet I purchased but I ended up changing it up quite a bit. They are very versatile so I wrote up a recipe that allows you the freedom to use whatever you like or whatever happens to be in your pantry.

Millet Fruit Balls

2 cups prepared millet

1 cup your choice of chopped nuts. (I used 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup pecans)

1 cup chopped dried fruit ( I used 1/4 cup apricots, 1/4 cup raisins, and 1/2 cup cranberries)

Grated orange rind from one orange

Agave to taste

Additional finely chopped nuts

Just put everything in a bowl except the additional finely chopped nuts. Stir it all up and then form it into bite sized balls. Roll the balls in the nuts and enjoy. You could use your food processor to mix it up too.