More Food

Well, I haven't felt up to working on jewelry much these past few days, and Matt's been so sick that I haven't had a lot of backup in the childcare realm, so I've been cooking a lot. I thought I'd share a couple of recipes that turned out well.

(sorry for the blah photo; decent natural light is scarce this time of year)

Lemon-Basil Kale Salad - a great way to get your greens!
This is adapted from a couple of recipes in Raw Food Made Easy.

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
about 8 leaves of fresh basil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
dash of black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large bunch kale (about 6 cups chopped) *
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 cup raw pine nuts

* If your bunch of kale yields less than 6 cups of chopped greens, reserve some of the dressing to use later on a salad, and reduce the olives, red peppers, and pine nuts by a little bit to compensate.

Combine first six ingredients in blender and process until well combined.

To prepare kale, cut away the tough center stem from each leaf. If your leaves are very wide, slice them into a couple of long, thin sections. Then chop very thinly in the other direction. Place the chopped kale into a large bowl and pour dressing over the top. Work the dressing into the kale leaves with your (clean!) hands and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes. Then add chopped olives, chopped peppers, and pine nuts, and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.

And another bonus recipe, which I didn't bother to photograph because it doesn't look like anything special (it tastes special though!)...

Potato Broccoli Chowder
Adapted from a recipe in The Imus Ranch

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 heads broccoli, chopped (include chopped stems if you like)
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
6 Yukon gold potatoes, diced (I don't bother peeling them)
2 cups non-dairy milk
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, chopped broccoli, dill, and thyme and saute for about 7 minutes. Add the broth and potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Slowly add the non-dairy milk, stirring constantly while incorporating. Return the soup to a boil and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture is smooth and light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the flour mixture into the soup until the soup thickens (this happens pretty quickly). Remove from heat, add salt and pepper, and serve.