Category Archives: vegetable

kale chips!

Posted in vegan, vegetable, vegetarian by

Yep, I said kale chips.  Wha-wha-what?  This from the same lady that brought you cherry pie, blueberry cobbler and strawberry cupcakes in recent weeks?  Yes, and those are precisely the reasons why kale chips are now called for.

I’m going to be honest with you, until about a year ago I had never eaten kale.  It just looked (and sounded) like it would taste bad.  I envisioned it being bitter and chewy and not nice at all.  But oh was I wrong!

There are several kinds of kale– I usually buy the curly-leafed kind that you find in grocery stores, but this weekend at the farmer’s market they had this lovely blue-green, flat-leafed variety and I couldn’t resist.  I’m all about aesthetics.  Plus, the flat-leafed kind takes less time to bake– a major bonus during the summer months when you want to have your oven on as little as possible.

Apart from kale the only other ingredients you need are olive oil, salt, and pepper.  So simple!  You just rinse the kale (I put mine in my salad spinner to dry it off, but you can also pat it dry with a paper towel), toss it will a little olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper and that’s it!  Anyone can do this. 

You might think that you are making more kale chips then you really need but be forewarned: what starts out looking like the above image winds up looking like the below image:

Yeah, it shrinks a little…

This is the tastiest health food you’ve tried in a while.  It tastes like it should be bad for you but is really so good for you.  It’s packed full of beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and calcium.  I just read that on wikipedia.  Apparently it is also an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory and may contain anti-cancer properties.  Can Doritos do that?  I think not.  Better get to it!

Kale Chips

  • bunch of kale, rinsed and dried
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Remove kale from thick stems.  (Discard stems.)  Toss in bowl with small amount of olive oil (just enough to coat the kale) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake on rimmed cookie sheets for 25 minutes for flat-leaf kale or 32 minutes for curly-leaf kale.  (You want the kale to be crispy like a potato chip!)

 

a late spring

Posted in vegetable, vegetarian by

I can’t believe I didn’t like asparagus when I was younger– what was I thinking?  Probably just that it’s green in color and therefore I must not like it.  Same goes for kale which I now love and spinach and Brussels sprouts.  What a silly kid.

Last spring a friend and I got dinner at a fancy pants restaurant in a posh neighborhood in New York and ordered an appetizer that consisted of asparagus, eggs, and parmesan– very simple, and very delicious.  So this spring when a coworker brought me asparagus from her garden I decided to recreate it.

I started out by roasting the asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Then, I poached a few eggs.

Poaching eggs looks a little ghost-like.  Spooky.

While the asparagus was roasting and the eggs were poaching I shaved up a little parmesan with my vegetable peeler.  Parmesan tastes better shaved than it does grated.  Totally true.

And then I put it all together.  Voila!  No need to spend fancy pants money in a fancy pants restaurant for food like this when you can easily make it at home.

You’re welcome.

Asparagus with Eggs and Parmesan

1 serving

  • 10 to 12 asparagus spears, ends snapped off
  • Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 cup shaved parmesan
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 16 minutes.  (Note: cook time depends on width of spears.  I had a variety so roasted in batches.  The fattest spears needed all 16 minutes while some of the really skinny ones only needed 6.)

Bring water to boil in skillet over high heat.  Break eggs into boiling water and let boil for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how well done you like them.  Remove eggs with slotted spoon and shake off excess water.  (Note: this would also be good with fried eggs if you are not into poached eggs.)

Plate asparagus and place eggs over the asparagus.  Top with shaved parmesan and salt and pepper.

simple summer salad

Posted in salad, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian by

I figured it was high time I featured something green on the blog and with summer upon us and lots of picnics and barbecues ahead of us this here recipe is one you need to have in your arsenal.  People who don’t even like salads like this salad.  Small children who normally run away from vegetables and that neighbor of yours who eats a steady diet of fast food and not much else like this salad.  You get the point.

The ingredients are simple and few: spinach, strawberries, and dried cherries (or cranberries).  I like to add pecans or walnuts for a little crunch, but it is just as good without them.  And it’s even better with candied pecans or walnuts.  Trust me on this one.

A tangy and sweet poppy-seed dressing that is equally easy to make pairs nicely with it.

Bring this one to your next party– it can be thrown together in no time and is a total crowd pleaser, I promise.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

  • 8 oz bag of spinach, rinsed and dried
  • ½ cup strawberries, rinsed, stem caps removed and sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, optional
  • Poppy seed dressing (see recipe below)

Place spinach in large salad bowl and top with strawberries, dried cherries or cranberries, and nuts.  Add desired amount of poppy-seed dressing (note that recipe yields enough for several salads) and toss to coat.

Poppy Seed Dressing

  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Whisk all ingredients together in small mixing bowl.  (Stores nicely in refrigerator for future use.)