Apparently green is the new black... January is the traditional time for reflection, renewal of purpose and tied in with that are all of the resolutions for improved health and fitness. It's all good!
Buzzword = KALE!
Wondering if any of you have tried Kale Chips? A bit of buzz among my fitness connections on this one... will have to try it out. I am thinking it may go the way of yams and yam fries in my house -- can't fill the void now that my kids have developed the taste for the healthy, oven baked french fry replacement - hard to squirrel away a few to take for lunch the next day; actually impossible :) Anyway, I love kale and I am thinking this could be a nice, quick and healthy side to a meal of baked pickerel (walleye) mmmmm...
I first got into kale one winter when I began to have problems with nose bleeds. I suspected they were are result of the dry, cold winter (it was December) but I had never had nose bleeds before, and they kept on starting up (a tad inconvenient at work, and a bit scary for me personally), and so I went to see my doctor as a precaution. She advised me to increase my intake of dark leafy greens to get more Vitamin K - an important nutrient for blood clotting. A week or so of adding spinach and kale to my daily diet and voila, no nose bleeds since (over three years).
So that was my introduction to kale. I would stir fry it in a small amount of olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper and splash with a bit of wine vinegar for variety. I also incorporated chopped kale in place of beet greens in my borscht (the beet greens were not nice in the store at that time of year). For those of you unfamiliar with kale, it is slightly rubbery in texture as compared to spinach greens, and the taste is very mild; slightly cabbage-y.
While comparing kale chip recipes online, I also found a great, free nutritional analysis site where you can look at different foods. What I like about this site is that it functions quickly and also provides values for the raw food, versus cooked variations. ((http://www.nutritiondata.self.com/)) Check it out!
Kale Chips
Ingredients:
6-8 ounce bunch of fresh kale
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp. apple cider or red wine vinegar
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash kale and separate leaves into 2-1/2" morsels ("chip" sized!). Dry kale thoroughly on paper towels or in a salad spinner. Place kale in a large Ziploc bag, add in the oil and gently toss and massage the kale pieces through the bag to evenly distribute the oil. Place the leaves in a baking dish and distribute so that all leaves are exposed evenly. Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on desired crispness.
Sprinkle baked chips with salt (and pepper, if desired) and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Hope you will try and enjoy xo!
Showing posts with label olive oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label olive oil. Show all posts
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Monday, August 31, 2009
August 31, 2009
Monday Musings
We were all moving pretty slow today at work - surprisingly, though in a Tai Chi dream sequence of sorts, we got a lot accomplished! Tonight I am puttering - payed bills online and I am now doing laundry that I thought I had finished on the weekend (where does this stuff come from?).
What's your vibe?
If I had to assign a colour to my experience today it would be dove grey. I wore red shoes, a red enamel bracelet and a red sweater with a rhinestone encrusted zipper to offset the mellow vibe, but even sitting in full sun on a patio at lunch hour I felt the ole brain fuzz trying to set my mood on STUN!
Ode to the garden tomato!
We are enjoying lemon yellow tomatoes from our garden and splendid basil these days - I can't seem to get enough of a simple salad I once ate in a local eatery called Pelegrino. The owner's girlfriend was an art model for me in my university days and I had given her some quick ink and charcoal studies as gifts. Years later, these were lovingly framed and hung in their small restaurant.
As I write this I am sipping a late night coffee with cream as a last ditch antidote... before I doze off, here is the simple recipe for the former Pelegrino's Tomato Salad with Basil - I urge you to get your hands on some late summer tomatoes and try this! Simple and so addicting...
TOMATO SALAD WITH BASIL
Four medium tomatoes, picked at the peak of ripeness and sliced 1/4" thick
3 ounces thinly shaved mozzarella cheese
Eight leaves of basil, chopped
Sea salt and coarse grind pepper to taste
Olive oil to taste
On a medium size plate arrange the tomato slices, tuck in the slivers of cheese between the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chopped basil over all and drizzle with olive oil. Wonderful as an antipasto, with fresh bread - if your diet allows - sadly mine does not.
We were all moving pretty slow today at work - surprisingly, though in a Tai Chi dream sequence of sorts, we got a lot accomplished! Tonight I am puttering - payed bills online and I am now doing laundry that I thought I had finished on the weekend (where does this stuff come from?).
What's your vibe?
If I had to assign a colour to my experience today it would be dove grey. I wore red shoes, a red enamel bracelet and a red sweater with a rhinestone encrusted zipper to offset the mellow vibe, but even sitting in full sun on a patio at lunch hour I felt the ole brain fuzz trying to set my mood on STUN!
Ode to the garden tomato!
We are enjoying lemon yellow tomatoes from our garden and splendid basil these days - I can't seem to get enough of a simple salad I once ate in a local eatery called Pelegrino. The owner's girlfriend was an art model for me in my university days and I had given her some quick ink and charcoal studies as gifts. Years later, these were lovingly framed and hung in their small restaurant.
As I write this I am sipping a late night coffee with cream as a last ditch antidote... before I doze off, here is the simple recipe for the former Pelegrino's Tomato Salad with Basil - I urge you to get your hands on some late summer tomatoes and try this! Simple and so addicting...
TOMATO SALAD WITH BASIL
Four medium tomatoes, picked at the peak of ripeness and sliced 1/4" thick
3 ounces thinly shaved mozzarella cheese
Eight leaves of basil, chopped
Sea salt and coarse grind pepper to taste
Olive oil to taste
On a medium size plate arrange the tomato slices, tuck in the slivers of cheese between the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chopped basil over all and drizzle with olive oil. Wonderful as an antipasto, with fresh bread - if your diet allows - sadly mine does not.
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