Kale and Sweet Potato

Enjoying Healthy Foods is now a dot (.) com blog!!! Please go and follow the new page as I will not be updating this site anymore. 

Here is one last recipe for the blogspot blog!!! Then go to enjoyinghealthyfoods.com.

Sometimes meals are simple with simple ingredients! This is one of those meals. 

The Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
about 2 cups Kale, chopped
1 TBSP coconut oil
salt and pepper

The Directions:
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place in a glass dish lined with foil.  Melt Coconut Oil and pour over sweet potatoes. Add Salt and Pepper. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Take out and set aside. In a frying pan, add 1 TBSP coconut oil and melt. Add Kale and saute. After 5 minutes or once the Kale is wilted add the sweet potatoes. Allow sweet potatoes get some color (burnt on some of the edges).

We served this with ground beef. Simple again!
Browned ground beef and seasoned with Lemon Pepper and Garlic Powder. That is it!

ENJOY!

Kale Chips time!

Last week we got some delicious Kale in our CSA food share. I love Kale and I love making Kale Chips!!! They are so delicious and simple to make and full of great vitamins! 

The Ingredients:
Cashew Cheese

1/2c unsalted cashews

1/4c nutritional yeast

1T coconut oil

A bunch of Kale

The Directions:

Wash and Dry Kale. Preheat oven to 170 degrees - or the lowest oven temperature. 

I laid the Kale out on a cookie sheet and spray the Coconut Oil over the Kale. 

In a bowl, I mixed the Cashew Cheese and the sprayed Kale. Coating the Kale with the Cashew Cheese. 

I then poured the Kale back on the cookie sheet and sprinkled the remaining Cashew Cheese on the Kale. Then I sprayed the Kale one more time with the Coconut Oil. 

I did not have a full bunch of Kale. I baked mine at 170 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Just watch the Kale until crispy. 

ENJOY!!!

Chicken and Greens

Are you ready for some real dinner recipes, again??? Me too! Last week took EVERYTHING out of me  but thankfully, I am ready to cook again. More importantly, I am ready to eat, again!!!! :) 

I am craving greens and lots of them!!!! :) 

Pineapple glazed chicken with brussels, asparagus and kale. 

Let's start with the sides. Brussels - same as always. Bake at 400 for 10 - 15 minutes. Top with Olive Oil, Coconut Aminos and sprinkle with Lemon Pepper. 

This time I cooked the asparagus with the Brussels. Seasoned the same. 

*The Asparagus were a little crispy so you may want to add them with 2 - 5 minutes left. 

Kale - sauted in Olive Oil and Coconut Aminos. 

The Chicken - 

I used a Pampered Chef Spicy Pineapple glaze. At first glance, it was Paleo friendly. At second glance, it was not... I will come up with my own version of this seasoning because it was delicious chicken. Glaze creation to come!

I cut chicken into strips and marinated for 6 hours. I laid the strips in a frying pan and cook chicken until the chicken is no longer in pink. 

* I would love to use our grill but it is still just a little too cold for me to go out there!!! 

HOPING (and looking forward) FOR WARMER WEATHER!!!!

Green Smoothie

Welcome to the first MONDAY MORNING MIX-UP!!!! I am really excited to start posting recipes dedicated to my Vitamix.

I have said it before but I love my Vitamix! I have only had it a few short weeks and I am obsessed! I am enjoying my smoothies, as I have not had a blender since this summer. 

My boys are huge fans of the Vitamix, too, but because of the yumminess I am creating for them!

Please join in the fun and post your favorite smoothie recipes on my blog! I will be happy to try them and post them on my next Monday Morning Mix-up!!! :) I will not only be posting smoothie recipes, I will have baby food recipes, soups and much more! I am looking forward to this new section of my blog!!!! :) 

Edition #1 Green (Kale) Smoothie

(poor quality, sorry!)

 This smoothie had a little more fruit in it then I wanted and I will be changing it! This was a great tasting smoothie!!!!

Seriously, when you create a great smoothie you will not flinch with taste. My 3 year old enjoyed this delicious smoothie with me! :) Baby would have but he was napping!

Kale Green Smoothie
The Ingredients:
2 cups of Kale
5 Strawberries
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 date
3 year old added a few blueberries
ice

The directions:
MIX all the ingredients and then ENJOY!!!!

Lemon Cod, Kale and Carrot/Parsnip Mash

Paleo is a lifestyle not a diet. Adam and I have been talking about this lately. Paleo to us (me) is more about what you can eat. We can eat vegetables, grass fed meats (fish), nuts and seeds and fruit. 

We both were saying when you dwell or focus on the "can't'" have foods you and your body crave them. Yes, my body cannot handle grains or dairy. I will still not focus on the can't haves... instead I will focus on the can haves! I love vegetables and I love fruit and I love nuts and seeds and I love grassfed meats. May I suggest a great read on Paleo by our friend, Craig. It is not a FAD!!! 

This is my new lifestyle of eating! 

Another week --- Another fish dish!!! 

The Ingredients:

4x 6oz Pacific cod fillets

Pepper

1/2 lemon – juice

drizzle olive oil
2 carrots – peeled, chopped

2 parsnips – peeled, chopped

1/4 cup homemade organic chicken stock or homemade veg stock

drizzle olive oil

Pepper

 The Directions:

Began by cooking the carrot and parsnip in salted water ’til fork tender. Drain and mash. Add splash of organic chicken or veg stock along with drizzle olive oil. Taste and season with Pepper. I add the stock and olive oil in place of butter, you’ll be surprised how well it works. Leave in same pot to warm on low heat.

Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Season cod fillet with pepper and lemon juice. Bake for 24 minutes or until fish forks off. This also helps retain the heat and steam the fish ’til cooked thus making the fish moist.

Sweet Potato and Kale with Chicken Apple Sausage

I am using the last of my food share vegetables. I still have a lot in the freezer and am thankful that I saved throughout the season! I had just a little bit of Kale left and needed to use it! 

See we are cleaning out our fridge for next week... we will be enjoying a week in beautiful CABO!!!! :) I do not want to waste and vegetables so I am coming up with new mixtures and combos! 

The Ingredients:

1/2 lb diced, peeled sweet potatoes

1 medium-sized bunch of kale

4 links Chicken and Apple, Applegate

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard

2 - 3 TBSP maple syrup

pinch of Cajun seasoning

salt, to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer pot. Steam for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop the kale to yield a half pound. Wash it, then add to the sweet potatoes in the pot a few minutes into the cooking time.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Slice the chicken sausage thinly and add to the skillet, cooking until browned on both sides. When the potatoes and kale are finished steaming and the sausage is browned, add the sausage to the bowl with the potatoes and kale. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to the skillet, and cook the shallots and garlic for one or two minutes. Add the cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes, kale, and sausage to the skillet and turn to coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt.

The winner did not email me so we have picked another winner. Will Heather (allkindsofgoodies) please email me by TODAY to claim the price! CONGRATULATIONS!!! You were lucky #36.

Sweet Potato

Kale Chips with Cashew Cheese

Tuesday is Glee Day! Yes, I am a Gleek! Proud of it!!! This Tuesday was the Rocky Horror Halloween Special which required planning. I scheduled the boys baths and bedtime a little earlier to insure they were down for the night once Glee started. 

I even made a special snack for this weeks Glee! Cheesy Kale Chips!!!! When I posted my Kale Chip recipe, several people shared their love for Cheesy Kale Chips. Being new to Kale Chips, I had NEVER heard of Cheesy Kale Chips. I was missing out!!! 

It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I really realized I was missing out!!! While shopping at Whole Foods, I saw a bag of Cheesy Kale Chips. I bought them. (Way over priced but worth a taste test!)

 I LOVED THEM. I ate the whole bag in one sitting. I knew that it was time for me to make my own Cheesy Kale Chips.


When looking back to my plain Kale Chips recipe, I remembered they took a long time. The texture was not exactly wheat was described in the recipes I read and the pictures I saw. The Kale Chips were left soggy and I had to re-cook them the next day.


I decided to go a little different route this time with a little help from Tasha. When discussing Kale Chips, she said she was going to go with Coconut Oil.  I still thought Coconut Oil could leave them a little soggy too so I used Coconut Oil Cooking Spray. I decided that the weight of the oil made them soggy and not crispy which then made me cook the Kale longer.


It worked!!!! These Cheesy Kale Chips tasted just like the store bought ones, if not better! I ate them all!!! I know terrible, but they were warm and delicious!!!!

The Ingredients:

Cashew Cheese

1/2c unsalted cashews

1/4c nutritional yeast

1T coconut oil

A bunch of Kale

The Directions:

Wash and Dry Kale. Preheat oven to 170 degrees - or the lowest oven temperature. 

I had extra Cashew Cheese from the Southwestern Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos and just used what I had left. 

I laid the Kale out on a cookie sheet and spray the Coconut Oil over the Kale. 

In a bowl, I mixed the Cashew Cheese and the sprayed Kale. Coating the Kale with the Cashew Cheese. 

I then poured the Kale back on the cookie sheet and sprinkled the remaining Cashew Cheese on the Kale. Then I sprayed the Kale one more time with the Coconut Oil. 

I did not have a full bunch of Kale. I baked mine at 170 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Just watch the Kale until crispy. 

ENJOY!!!

Kale-Potato Soup

Abundance!

Yesterday while I was standing in front of the refrigerator deciding what to make for dinner I noticed an abundance. An abundance of healthy choices. An abundance of this and that. An abundance of vegetables for last Wednesdays food share. An abundance of possibilities!

While standing there a light bulb went off... my creative light bulb - that is!

Why not make roasted vegetables and turn it into a soup?

WOW - my creative light bulb did not fail me... It was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!!

Kale and Roasted Potato Soup

The Ingredients:

Small potatoes, cut into 4th's or 8th's. (Do not peel!)

a bunch of Kale

4 carrots, chopped (I did not peel... washed really good!)

4 - 6 ribs of celery, leaves and all, chopped

1 whole garlic

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

4 cups

homemade vegetable broth

salt and pepper

Italian Seasoning

The Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place potatoes skin side down on a cookie sheet (lined with foil). Drizzle Olive Oil over the potatoes and then sprinkle Sea Salt and Pepper. Place 4 Garlic Cloves, Whole on the cookie sheet. Cover the Garlic with Balsamic Vinegar.

It is ok if a little gets onto the potatoes.

Roast the Potatoes and Garlic until the Potatoes are browned and softened (not mussy). I did mine for about 25 - 30 ish minutes...

Add all the other ingredients into a soup pot. Turn on HIGH heat and let the Kale and carrots boil. Add the Potatoes and Garlic into the soup. Add Italian Seasoning.

I left the garlic whole so that it could be picked out easily. I think it was just a good source of flavor!

Let the soup boil for 10 - 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

I left our soup chunky but you could blender it for a creamy soup.

This soup would be awesome with some chicken/turkey sausage. I might even roast the carrots next time.

** I kept the peels on the potatoes and carrots for extra vitamins!!!

Kale and Black eyed pea soup

In advance, I am going to apologize that I did not take a picture of the soup. I will make this again and I will promise to add a picture soon! :)

Yesterday was another Meatless Monday in our house! We enjoyed soup and salad :)

This recipe is for a small batch of soup. I just didn't want a large amount of leftovers which would end up down the sink so I made enough for dinner and next day lunch! Please feel free to add more vegetables to make more soup.

The Ingredients:

2 carrots

3 - 4 big handfuls of Kale

2 cans of black eyed peas (or 3 1/2 - 4 cups dried black eyed peas)

1/2 of a purple onion, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

Italian Seasoning

Garlic

Salt and pepper

The Directions:

Start with a medium sized pan on medium high heat. Pour in vegetable broth. Once the broth is at a boil add carrots and onion. * Once carrots are tender add the Kale. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes and then add in the black eyed peas. Finally add the rest of the ingredients and seasoning to taste!

* next time I will add some potatoes.

Kale Chips

More Kale this week! Several of my friends suggested that I try and make Kale chips. Kale Chips I was told are suppose to be so delicious they will take the place of potato chips. Well, I do not eat potato chips but I thought I may as well give Kale chips a try!!!!

First batch I burned. Oops. So for my second attempt I drizzled olive oil on them, cracked some sea salt over them, stuck them in the oven and watched them like a hawk. Score! Nice and crunchy. It was more roasted than crispy, but the oil and salt were finger-licking good. Way better for you than chips!

Before

After

• 
• The Ingredients:
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

The Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. ith a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

I have already been told I need to try Cheesy Kale Chips. Maybe next week!

http://goneraw.com/recipe/cheesy-kale-chips

Greens and Beans

Thank you to my food share we have a gorgeous bunch of kale.

Kale is so good for you! Kale is king. Along with broccoli, it is one of the nutrition stand-outs among vegetables. It fights fat through its ability to mingle in a variety of roles -- in side dishes, combined in main dishes, or in Salads.

For a green, kale is unusually high in fiber. This helps create the bulk you need to fill you up and to keep you full for a good amount of time. Kale is also an excellent source of nutrients, especially vitamin A andcalcium. With a combination of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, kale is a dieter's dream food.

Health Benefits of Kale
Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest. Not only is it one of your best sources of beta-carotene, one of the antioxidants believed by many nutrition experts to be a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases, it also provides other important nutrients.

In addition to beta-carotene, kale posses other important carotenoids: lutein and zeaxathin. These carotenoids help keep UV rays from damaging the eyes and causing cataracts.

According to recent research results, kale is an incredible source of well-absorbed calcium, which is one of the many factors that may help prevent osteoporosis. It also provides decent amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.

The manganese in kale helps your body's own antioxidant defense system, superoxide dismutase, protecting you from damaging free radicals. Its folate and B6 team up to keep homocysteine levels down, which may help prevent heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis bone fractures.

Greens and Beans

The Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Chopped Onion

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (Optional)

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper

2 cups kale, washed, stems trimmed and chopped

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained (I used dried beans)

3/4 cup chicken stock

The Directions:

Heat Olive Oil over medium heat in a large Dutch Oven.

Add onion and garlic slices. Saute until tender about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper; stir until fragrant. Add the kale and let saute until it cooks down slightly. Add the beans* and the chicken stock.

Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.

* Tip if you are making your own beans. Soak beans over night. Drain water and cook in water, salt and bouillon cube. Cook on medium heat until beans are tender.