Vinegar Kale Chips 2 Ways

Kale Chips, getcher Kale Chips!!! Kale Chips Two Ways, Sweet n Salty, or Vinegar and Salt.  I feel like a vendor at the beach with popcorn. These things are flying off the pan as fast as I can make em. And last night as we were eating Kale Chips with garlic and paprika on them, I thought hmmm these would be good with salt and vinegar I bet! So I looked around and found this article: http://www.foodess.com/2012/01/salt-vinegar-kale-chips/ and apparently I'm not the only one. I also looked up Vinegar and Salt Potato Chips, because that's what I was emulating here. But it wasn't until afterwards, when I didn't quite get that vinegar pop that I went searching for that old flavor I was looking for that reminds me of the board walk. And this recipe from Bon Appetit had the trick. VINEGAR POWDER! I had no idea it even exists. I will have to keep my eyes open for some, because I think that would be more likely to get from hmmm that's a nice light vinegar and salt flavor, to WOW! Yes! Check it out: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/10/salt-and-vinegar-potato-chips

I'm not saying the Vinegar and Salt Kale Chips aren't delicious, but I am saying I much prefer the Sweet and Salty version. We will see what Patch  and Carlie say. Or try them both and let me know what you think for yourself!

Tips:
- I have made Kale Chips quite a few times now, and I have discovered that the temperature I'd previously used was too high. I think it worked when I stuck the Kale in the oven without preheating first. But now that I've learned to preheat the oven consistently, (shocker) I had to bring the temperature down to avoid burning.
- If using black Kale, expect a slightly darker leaf at the end, but you still want to avoid over browning as the chips become bitter if burnt. So just cook until crisp, even if you have to keep checking. Sometimes I take the smaller bits off first and leave the larger bits on there to cook a bit longer.
- a teaspoon of baking soda in a large bowl of water is great for washing leaved veggies. Just put the leaves in the water and swish them around, the dirt will fall to the bottom

Ingredients:

Vinegar and Salt Kale Chips:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon White Vinegar
Salt to taste

Sweet and Salty Kale Chips:
1 Tablespoon Walnut Oil
1 Tablespoon Pear Balsamic
1 dash of Cinnamon

Instructions:
Wash Kale and dry well. I'm told a salad spinner works great for this, but if you don't have one you can dry them by hand by pressing them between super absorbent towels.
Break Kale into chip sized pieces, and then they will cook down to popcorn sized or larger
Place in large, dry bowl
Add ingredients
Stir well
Lay out on non stick baking sheet
Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes, then turn over and cook until crisp. If edges start to brown, pull them out.

Let me know what fun recipes you come up with!

Super Easy Kale Chips

I have always thought Kale chips sounded interesting and a fun way to get kale (which is not my favorite veggie) into my diet. Kale has multiple reasons to eat it. High fiber content (a dark leafy green) and vitamins that my body craves. Here are some interesting nutritional facts about raw Kale:
 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2

Personally, Kale always makes me think of working in a noisy, smelly, disgusting kids restaurant as a teen. We stuffed it between bowls at the salad bar, and would be required to pull the dirty leaves and replace them with clean ones if and when something from a bowl spilled. I did mention it was a restaurant that catered to kids right? There were many spills. It was a disgusting job, but someone had to do it. And for this reason alone, I never wanted to eat Kale.

Now that I'm an adult dealing with diabetes and multiple allergies, it seems to make sense to try vegetables which I am NOT allergic to, and which are good for me. So when we saw Kale on sale at the store the other day, I grabbed it up and announced we would be making "Kale chips" which sounded good to Patch, and she promised to make a delicious Kale salad which she learned from Roger, her friend at work who is a wonderful chef. So far, no salad has materialized, but my friend Jenn came over and we braved the chip making process.

Guess what?!?! It is not disgusting or difficult. In fact, it was so easy, I made more TONIGHT! I just couldn't even wait till someone was around to enjoy them with me and made a single serving size from a single Kale leaf. Below is the super easy recipe I used tonight, which makes one bowl of Kale chips. I ate them with almonds to add some healthy fat and protein. I recommend only making enough for one serving so that they are perfectly crisp and delicious. If you want more the next night, they are so easy to whip up that you can do it again like I did. Easy peasy!  Now ON to the recipe.

Super Easy Kale Chip Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 Kale leaf per person
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Super Easy Kale Chip Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
Tear popcorn sized pieces off the spine of the Kale Leaf/s
Wash the Kale and DRY WELL (it helps them be crispy for the chip like consistency)
Cover non insulated baking tray (cookie sheet) with parchment paper
Toss Kale in EVOO
Sprinkle with seasoned salt and mix
Cook at 350 for 8 minutes, then turn over and cook for 2-4 more minutes or until edges are brown

HINT: Make sure to take out of the oven when edges are brown and do not cook too long or I was told they will become bitter. I found if torn into popcorn sized bits they cooked up perfectly in about 10 minutes, turned once in the middle

At the turning point you can sprinkle on some Parmesan Cheese if you wish, but it's not necessary. We turned them with wooden tongs, which turned out to be perfect, but you could also simply flip them with your fingers if you're more daring (EVOO on the leaves will be hot)

Super Cheesy Kale Chips:
1 tablespoon EVOO (or 1/2 a tablespoon per leaf)
1 Kale Leaf per person
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of Parmesan Cheese per leaf (or Vegan Parm if you are one of my Vegan friends)

Follow the instructions above!

You can change these recipes to your preference. You only need enough EVOO to coat the leaves and you don't want them to be overly coated, so I would recommend about 1/2 a tablespoon per leaf.

I used sea salt seasoned with garlic and rosemary and forgot to cut the amount down since I cut the recipe in half. Actually, I didn't measure just shaked it over the leaves, turned them and shook again. OOPS one shake too much They are VERY salty and I tend to avoid salt. But they are still delicious!

Smoothies not dead?

When I was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this week I thought smoothies were a bygone pleasure. And since spring is very short here and summer is starting in Laveen, I was looking forward to some creative smoothies. Then I noticed that my sparkpeople.com menu was recommending an orange smoothie. I altered it a bit, but it's pretty yummy. A bit tart, a bit sweet. I think the amount of sweet depends greatly on the sweetness of the fruit you use.

Here's the recipe they recommended:
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
6 oz orange juice
2 tablespoons 1/2 and 1/2

Here's the recipe I used:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (not vanilla, i'm allergic to that plus it usually means more sugar in the yogurt)
1/2 cup orange juice (another thing I thought I couldn't have now)
3 tablespoons almond milk (plain, unsweetened)
5 medium strawberries (these would give a great texture and more sweetness if frozen, but I believe that also might alter it's healthfulness so didn't use frozen ones)

Let me know what you come up with. Smoothies are very personal and unique. I used to LOVE strawberry banana smoothies, sometimes with a bit of peanut butter. But when I found out bananas were one of the foods causing my hives I quit eating those immediately. I still miss the flavor, but there are plenty of other smoothie flavors to be enjoyed, so I look forward to trying some of them out this summer.

Accidentally Veggie

Vegetarian meals for the day:

Breakfast: pear, strawberries and blood orange salad with toast.

Lunch: mango date shake at the fruit and bread barn plus some of carlie's chili fritos. We were going to share the shake and sandwich, but it turned out the store put mayo and mustard on the bread without asking. They also gave us packets of mustard. I can't eat mayo and have always hated mustard, so missed out on the meatloaf sandwich. Interestingly enough, that meant a meatless day. Who knew? Didn't try for it, which is clear when you look over what I ate. Not enough protein, and not enough at all.

And best yet, a dinner of tomato, red bell pepper, dark lettuce, and jack cheese on french white bread, toasted. We bought the bread and veggies 2 days ago at the Fruit and Bread Barn and the cheese Patch got from her work. It was Deeeeelicious. You have got to try this sandwich, preferably with home made bread or freshly made bread from your favorite local bakery. Gotta tell ya, these tomatoes are incredibly flavorful and juicy. I can only imagine how much better they are straight off the vine. If my sister reads this she'll probably flip cuz I hated tomatoes as a kid. I still get a little squeamish when I think of it, but I know they are good for me, and I know that I like the taste if not always into the texture. This one however was amazing.

Snack: apples, crackers and cheddar cheese with unsweetened tea

Dessert: strawberries

Gluten-free Baked Cucumber Fries

If you've tasted zuchini fries, you'll enjoy these. Tho they aren't actually fried, I decided to keep calling them fries because that's what people are used to. I recommend you use egg substitute if allergic to eggs as I am, it works just fine for this purpose. So, I promised I would share the recipe if they tasted good, and here it is:

Gluten-free Baked Cucumber Fries:
2 medium cucumbers
1/4 cup egg or substitute
1/4 cup teff flour
1/4 cup All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I used the stuff from Bob's Mill)
1 tablespoon white cheddar cheese powder (or appropriate vegan substitute)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Spray oil
baking tray/cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 475
Cut cucumbers in thirds and then each third into halves and then each half into thirds again. (equal portions makes for equal cooking time)
Mix dry ingredients (flour and cheese mixture)
Coat cucumber slices in egg substitute
coat cucumber slices in flour mixture
spray baking tray with spray oil
Place coated cucumber slices on tray so they are not touching

Place in oven for 3 minutes, then turn 1/3 and spray lightly with cooking oil. 3 more minutes, then repeat, cook for 3 more minutes or until golden brown.

These were so delicious I ate the entire batch for lunch. They were crunchy on the outside, soft and hot on the inside. YUM!  Happy birthday to me!

My Favorite Snack is Gluten-Free!

Surprise, surprise, my all time favorite snack is accidentally gluten-free. Initially I thought this snack would be a no no, but it turns out there are gluten-free lime chips. Corazonas no less! It's nice to know I won't have to go without my favorite snack food.

And for lunch? I love me some lime chips with black beans and cheese. I heat up some canned organic black beans, squish some of them with a fork, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack, keep heating until they reach that slightly soupy slightly refried bean consistancy, and boom you got my favorite snack which apparently turns out to be gluten free.

Not all Corazonas are guaranteed gluten free so don't go eating them randomly without checking, especially the one with oats in it if you're a celiac. But the corn tortilla chips with lime are gluten free. Since it's my favorite snack, I did check and had thought they were not gluten free because I was looking up the kind with oats in them. But they apparently had enough people writing in with this question that they added a specific marker on certain bags of their chips. YAY! Now I can have my favorite snack and/or lunch food without worrying about it. I just love when things work out that way.

Cheesy Treats of Goodness

I attempted a new gluten free recipe "Roman Gnocchi" from the Gluten-Free Italian, and realized as I set out to do it that I did not have the correct ingredients. So these delicious wafers of cheesy goodness were created instead. They are flat, round, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I like them best when warm, but they're great cold too. This makes about 6 servings or 40 little snacks.

Cheesy Treats:
1/2 cup polenta

1/2 cup Bob's Baking Flour

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups lowfat milk or rice milk

3/4 cup Grated Parmigiana-Reggiano

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pan and gently stir in gluten-free flour and polenta. Slowly add 2 cups milk stirring briskly for about 5 minutes until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmigiana allowing it to melt into mixture. 

Spoon small dollups of dough onto baking trays, allowing an inch or more between them sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Mixture will melt down into cheesy treats of goodness with golden brown edges. We enjoyed the texture with slightly crispy edges and warm soft middle. 

We ate this with my lime potatoes and some lemon kale salad from Whole Foods which has deliciously sweet dried cranberries, pine nuts, lemon juice mixed into a dark leafy green kale. I recommend a nice glass of water to go with this because the cheesy treats are very rich.

Afterwards we ate a really delicious gluten-free desert which a dear friend was kind enough to make for us. It was basically a huge meringue with whipped cream and fresh berries. If I can get permission to share the recipe from her, I will post an entire entry for this amazing dessert. I LOVE meringue, so perhaps I'm biased, but I loved the texture of this. Of course anything made by a friend's loving hands tastes better.

I love that my friends are supporting me in going gluten-free. I suspect it is because those who have stayed in touch with me through these migraines truly hate seeing me in pain and are willing to do whatever it takes to help me get rid of the migraines.  I feel very loved and supported that they would not only come over and try my latest creations, but also bake a gluten-free dessert for me.

Fried Polenta Sandwhiches

Yesterday Carlie opened the fridge and noticed a tube of polenta. What shocked me was that she had never tried polenta before. What kind of Italian has never tried polenta?!? I teased her about it, but insisted she had to try the stuff and she agreed.

It was such a nice day. I had several delicious gluten free meals. In fact, a friend asked if I'd gone 100% gluten-free. I haven't, because I'm hoping to get tested for gluten intolerance and celiac disease along with food allergies this coming Wednesday. But I had almost no migraine all day, and was able to sit outside in the shade on the patio enjoying time with Carlie and some educational reading.  She admitted that she had been avoiding my gluten-free cooking because she knows we're going to go gluten-free soon and she's enjoying the "bad stuff" as long as she can. I told her I had been trying to ease us into this new lifestyle and that I was worried it would be even harder for her if she didn't start eating gluten-free now and then.  


I opened up The Gluten-Free Italian by Jacqueline Mallorca and read parts of it to her.We enjoyed some of the ideas so much, that we couldn't help but put together our own version of her fried polenta sandwiches. Here's what we ended up making:


Fried Polenta Sandwiches:
1 tube ready-made/formed polenta
Thin slices of Italian cheese (we have some amazing cheese selections on hand due to Patch working at AJ's deli) 
deli sliced ham
gluten-free flour
1 egg
gluten-free bread crumbs 


You can buy pre-made gluten-free bread crumbs or you can make your own.


Slice Polenta into 1/4 inch slices. slice cheese into thin slices with a mandolin slicer or potatoe peeler. lay cheese and ham slices on a piece of polenta then lightly press another piece over it, and repeat until several sandwiches are put together.

Dip each mini sandwich into gluten-free flour. Beat the egg and then dip each flour dusted sandwich into the beaten egg mixture, and then into the panko-style gluten-free bread crumbs. Then fry till each side is golden brown.


This recipe left us with an awesome crispy outside, and a warm and soft inside to the polenta. It made me think of a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich somehow. Next time I'll have to try this with the cheeses and prosciutto recommended in the book! Meanwhile Patch bought the ingredients for an Italian recipe I thought we'd all like, and Carlie has decided to go through the book herself and mark the recipes that call to her. Plus we're in the search of a good gluten-free lasagna so that she can make her family recipe of lasagna which is SOOOOOOO good.


Obviously this is not a vegan nor even a vegetarian meal, but it could easily be made into one by replacing the ham and/or cheese in the recipe with some sliced vegetable you like such as tomatoe, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. 

By the way, I loved these fried sandwiches so much I could see them becoming a frequent fixture on the dinner table. I'll have to take a picture of them then, because they smelled so good that when Carlie handed me the plate I just wolfed them down without stopping to take a picture of their golden-brown goodness.

Rustic Lime Potatoes and Gardening Thoughts

I've been looking at a lot of recipes which include butternut squash so that I could use up the rest of the squash leftover after the making of corn chowder. I hate tossing out produce even tho we do have a compost bin to put them in, and knew the squash would go bad if I didn't use it this morning.

All left over produce in our home be it rinds or uncooked unused fruit and veggies eventually end up in our garden. We use home made compost to help add nutrients to the dry, desert soil. Last year we only managed to grow a few tiny mutant carrots and a lot of pumpkin that the dogs ate before we could harvest it. This year we are hopeful for more success since there is now more healthy nutrients in the soil from a year of composting. Even the hybrid plum/nectarine fruit tree which we planted last year is starting to blossom and sprout it's leaves! Perhaps we will taste home grown plums and nectarines this year.

Growing our own fruits and vegetables will really cut down on the cost of eating whole, organic foods not to being the most locally grown you can get. Gives me a chuckle to think of all the gas saved and elbow grease spent..  It also allows us to choose NOT to put harmful chemicals on our food. Knowing where my food is coming from has become more important to me as I realized that I had eaten a lifetime of pesticides etc. And although part of me felt like tossing my hands up and saying it's too late now, I've seen enough people regain their health after improving their way of eating that I just have to give it a try.

This morning, I was wanting to use up the leftover squash tho, so all the compost bin got were the rinds and some seeds. Maybe some of the seeds will take sprout in the compost and I can transfer them into the garden. It's happened before, so who knows.

But enough of that! In looking at the various squash recipes in the gluten-free vegan, I found myself inspired. One recipe called for orange juice. We are out of oranges, but we do have lime juice on hand because I love the flavor of limes. I hear there is a lime flavored olive oil that would probably be great in this recipe...I'll have to keep my eyes open. I wasn't sure how much lime to put into this meal because I didn't want to overwhelm the sage and thyme, but it came out great. The following is the delicious meal I had for breakfast. I'd say this would make a great side dish for a main meal.

Rustic Lime Potatoes:
(serves 4-6)
4 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 medium butternut squash
macademia nuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Clean and cut red potatoes into large chunks. I cut each potato in half, each half into fourths and then halved the larger cubes. Seed, peal and cut butternut squash into chunks of a size similar to the potatoes.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix olive oil and herbs in medium mixing bowl. Add potato and squash chunks and stir until herbs and oil coat thuroughly. Add 1/4 cup lime juice and mix well.

Pour entire mixture onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until soft. Stir periodically making sure all sides stay well coated. I stirred after 5 minutes, and then about every 10 minutes. Poke largest chunks with a fork to test for firmness. I felt it was done properly when the texture was soft but not squishy as this is how I like my potatoes.

Serve with macedamia nuts sprinkled on top for a nice little crunch, their delicious flavor, and of course the added protein. I use them sparingly; these little babies do have quite a bit of fat in them. They'd be eve better. chopped up and sprinkled on top

Carlie has been avoiding my gluten free meals almost as if she's afraid they're going to be tasteless or somehow "too healthy" tasting, but we spoke about it today as we read a gluten-free Italian cookbook, and she decided to give my breakfast a try. She went back for seconds, so it must have been good!

Pineapple Coconut Yum

Today Patch was feeling up to cooking. I encouraged her to wait another day because I don't want her overdoing it, but she was determined. I can't say I blame her, I know what it's like to be forced to rest when you want to be up and at 'em.

She prepared a sweet rice dish which is full of calories and full of yum. When she has made it in the past I have both craved and portioned it out so that the leftovers last for as long as possible and so that I don't use up all my weight watchers points in one sitting. It makes a great breakfast, snack or dessert. So now you've been fairly warned that this may add pounds to your midsection if overindulgence is the key word of your day.

That said, it is gluten-free goodness that she's been making for quite some time without ever trying! I like to notice when things we normally eat are accidentally gluten-free so that Patch can be encouraged that such a change won't be impossible.

Pineapple Coconut Rice  (Gluten, caesin, and soy free)
16 oz coconut milk
1 oz pineapple juice
8 oz rice
8 oz pineapple
4 oz shredded sweetened coconut
2 oz craisens (dried cranberries)

mix coconut and pineapple juice and bring to a boil. stir in the rice and bring it back to a boil, cover and turn to low, simmer rice in coconut milk 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the reset of the ingredients. Serve warm, or chill and serve.

I prefer this dish reheated on the 2nd day, and patch prefers it served cold. She says that's the way it is "supposed" to be. So the chef has spoken, but with a wink I say, it's your stomach, do whatever tastes right to you!

Related resources:
http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php#R <<--the down low on rice and gluten
http://oolong.co.uk/veganing.htm <-- breaking down vegan ingredients