Yummy Kale & Collards!
Ribollita Soup - This is a great soup for Fall, Winter and early Spring when the greens are plentiful. It's filling enough to be the main course of any meal.
4-5 stalks organic celery - diced
1 1/2 onions - diced
2-3 garlic cloves - minced
Place the above in a large stock pan with the bottom covered in a good EVOO. Put a lid on it and sweat the veggies down with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Stir occasionally. When those are nice and translucent, add 12 cups of water or Organic chicken stock (be careful about adding salty stock). I sometimes add water with 1 tbsp of organic chicken base. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 min.
Meanwhile, slice a loaf of Ciabatta bread, drizzle (or spray with a mister) the slices with EVOO. Save 1 large garlic clove to rub over the slices when the bread is done toasting.
Wash, clean and remove stems from 1 bunch of Organic Kale and 1 bunch of Organic Collard Greens. Roll leaves and chop into small pieces. Add greens to the soup and simmer 10-15 min, when greens are almost done and soft, add 1 can of butter beans and 1 can of Cannelini beans, and a little Celtic sea salt & pepper. (You can use dried beans, but you'll need to soak them overnight). After the greens are completely cooked and soft when you test a bite, then add a whole Rotisserie chicken that has been shredded. Cook 10 more min. Toast your bread in the oven on broil till golden brown, then rub garlic cloves over each slice.
To serve:
Tear pieces of bread into the bottom of each large bowl. Add soup on top of bread. Then use a vegetable peeler to shave off large pieces of Pecorino Romano cheese on top. Add crushed black pepper. Enjoy!
Ribolita SoupWhole Wheat Pancakes:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; or a mix of spelt flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
heavy dash of cinnamon
Whisk in 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 eggs, and a dash of vanilla. Mix until combined. Ladle onto hot buttered skillet and flip when bubbly. I add slices of banana or blueberries right on top of the batter on the skillet for an infusion of fresh fruit. To add more protein and calcium, top with Greek Yogurt and honey or reduced fresh blueberry syrup. No Aunt Jemina syrup!! Makes about 8-12 regular-size pancakes.
Organic Spinach/Yogurt Dip - I fooled my dad, who doesn't eat spinach, into thinking this was made with avocado! He was eating it like a champ until I told him what it was!
1 cup tightly packed Organic Baby Spinach - washed very well
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup organic plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with Organic tortilla chips or pita chips.
Spinach Pesto - This was a trial-by-error recipe - portions are guestimates! Who needs basil & pine nuts?!
2 big handfuls of Organic baby spinach, processed in my mini-chop food processor with...
a handful of walnuts (any nuts will do really), 2 cloves of garlic, sea salt, fresh-cracked black pepper - process and drizzle in the EVOO till the consistency is smooth, but not too runny. Taste and add more S&P if needed. You could spread this on bread for sandwiches, use as a dip with pita chips, or as I did - fold into hot, yummy pasta. This made about 1 cup.
Salad Nicoise
Just back from France and I loved this salad. Here's my home version.
- 1 large bunch of Organic baby spinach, mixed greens and/or green leaf lettuce
- handful of Kalamata Olives (pit removed)
- 3-4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into 4 slices
- small cherry tomatoes or 1 large cut into bite sized pieces
- good handful of blanched green beans (boil for 4-5 min, then toss in icy water to stop cooking)
- few anchovies (optional)
- can of tuna fish in water (or cooked salmon)
- Dressing: 3 T red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup EVOO, sea salt, pepper, 1 T Dijon mustard, shake in a jar and pour over salad just before eating.
Spaghetti SquashCut in half lengthwise, with a very sharp knife (those suckers are tough!)
Scoop out the guts and seeds (like you would a pumpkin)
Place on a foil-lined baking sheet
Rub a little butter along the edges, tops, and inside
I put about a tsp of brown sugar inside each half (more if you like it sweeter)
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 min, testing with a fork to see if it's stringy
When it's done, the edges and insides pull away easily with a fork into strands that resemble spaghetti! I scooped it all out and tossed with a little bit of sea salt and 1 tbsp more of raw cultured butter. You could add more veggies, feta cheese, more brown sugar - whatever you like! Yum!
Braised Kale
Wash one large bunch of Kale (preferably Organic - it's on the Dirty Dozen list)
Roll the leaves and cut the leaves into long pieces, then turn the board and cut again in the other direction.
Dice 1/2 onion and saute in a little EVOO or sunflower oil. Add 1-2 minced garlic cloves. When the onions are soft, add the kale, pinch of red pepper flakes and S&P. Pour in about 1/2 to 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock. Put a lid on the kale and stir occasionally. It takes about 15-20 min for the kale to get soft. I just stir and taste test until it's the texture I like.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets:
Cut up a few chicken breasts into 3 inch pieces
You could dip them in an egg wash or for a little zip (for older kids), mine like Dijon mustard. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
Then coat in Organic breadcrumbs (read the label, most have junk in them) or make your own.
You can either pan fry them in a little bit of cold-pressed olive oil for a crunchier texture or bake them for a healthier version. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min. on foil-lined cookie sheet. You can also spray the tops with an Organic oil to give them a crunchy top.
Serve with HFCS-free ketchup, honey mustard, or ketchup mixed with Sriracha (for the grown-ups)
I bake up a sheet of extras and freeze them for nights when we are on the go.
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