Archive for Recipe
How to prepare Kale Chips
Posted by: | CommentsKale Chips!
My new favorite food!
I love potato chips but they are not healthy and they give me a tummy ache. I have found a wonderful substitute, kale chips!
Many people have been asking me how to make kale chips. Here goes:
The Best Kale Chips Ever!
1. Start with fresh kale (actually wilted, limp kale works just as well). I like the red kale the best but I’m not sure why they call it red, it looks purple to me. 
2. Cut the stem out of the kale.
(As you can see I use both red and green kale)
3. Cut the kale in to bigger than bite size pieces. (It shrinks when it cooks)
4. Dry any excess moisture from kale (use a towel or salad spinner). Place the kale in to a ziplock bag or plastic Rubbermaid type container (which is what I’m doing now because it’s easier to re-use the container than the bag).
5. Add grape-seed oil, garlic, cayenne pepper, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. (Olive oil will also work but I heard grape-seed is better for you when heated. You can add any spices you like.) Seal the bag or container and shake really well to get oil and spices evenly coated on the kale.
6. Place coated kale on a greased cookie sheet.
7. Turn broiler on low. Updated: Preheat oven to 295°F. Put cookie sheet on middle or upper rack. Set timer and check kale in 10 minutes, stir, then check every 5 minutes until chips are almost crispy. Gently stir kale around on cookie sheet each time you check, try to keep kale in a single layer on the sheet. Kale chips are tricky and can turn on you fast* (ie. burn to smithereens).
8. When kale chips are almost crispy but still a tiny bit un-cooked turn off the oven, keep oven door closed and let them sit for awhile to finish dehydrating.
9. Remove crispy kale chips from the oven. Eat and enjoy! Please come back, leave a comment and tell me how your kale chips came out.
*Kale chips burn easily and quickly. It’s important to watch as they cook and check them often. They taste horrible when burned.
PS. Kale is good for poop. Keeps you regular.
It’s Crab Season in the Bay Area
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s crab season here in the Bay Area!
Did you know you can go to Whole Foods or Safeway and ask them to crack and clean the crab for you and it is ready to eat! Just serve it up with some melted garlic butter and yum!
Quinoa Salad with Beets
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s one of those rare hot weeks in the Bay Area. It’s actually 90° in my house right now. For Wordless Wednesday I thought I’d share a great summer salad recipe with you. I know I’m not exactly being Wordless but this salad is too delicious to not talk about.
The original recipe is from epicurious.com but I tweaked it a bit (thanks to advice from my friends at rel.ish catering). I added Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar from Trader Joe’s and feta cheese. If you don’t have the orange vinegar you can add a splash of orange juice to get the sweet flavor.
Enjoy. Be sure to let the quinoa cool in the fridge for 2 hours before adding the other ingredients. I got impatient once and threw it all together while the quinoa was still hot and ended up with a big bowl of mush, still tasty but not as pretty. I prefer to use golden beets, if you use red beets the whole salad turns red.
quinoa salad with beets
Created by Susan Spungen
The whole grain quinoa in this salad helps you feel satisfyingly full long after the meal is finished.
5-6 Servings
Submitted by anadeau
December 14, 2008ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups quinoa
• 1 1/8 teaspoons salt , plus more for dressing
• 4 medium beets , trimmed
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper , for dressing
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large, seedless cucumber , chopped
• 1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes , halved
• 1 cup green beans , blanched and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsleypreparation
Rinse quinoa thoroughly. Place in a medium saucepan with 2 1/2 cups water. Add 1/8 tsp. salt; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until quinoa is tender, 12–15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours.Meanwhile, place beets in a large saucepan; cover with cold water (by about an inch). Add 1 tsp. salt; bring to a simmer. Cook until beets are tender when pierced with a paring knife, 35–45 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, beets, cucumber, tomatoes, green beans and parsley. Toss in dressing to serve.
How to cook Tara Firma Farms Chicken
Posted by: | CommentsChicken from Tara Firma Farms is one of my kids’ (teenagers) favorite meals. I was asked to share the recipe, so here it is:
Sally’s Roasted Chicken*
Preheat oven to 375
Mix salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, thyme and dried parsley together.
Separate skin from the chicken and spread herb mix on chicken between the skin and the meat part.
Place chicken on an upright chicken roasting pan. I heard you can also use a beer can if you don’t have this special pan.
Spray chicken with olive oil then sprinkle some salt and herbs on the outside. Squeeze a little lemon juice over it and insert a meat thermometer. It’s important to make sure you chicken is fully cooked. I cook my chicken to 165 – 170. (The government recommends 180 but that’s for the mass produced chickens. If you get a chicken from Tara Firma Farms, you know where it comes from, how it is handled and you know it is not mass-produced.)
Depending on the size of the chicken it usually takes an hour (more or less) to cook. I also rotate it every 15 -20 minutes to get an even crisp.
Let the chicken cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. The skin should be crispy and the meat juicy.
I serve with brown rice, a mixed green salad and a veggie like green beans or broccoli.
How do you cook your chicken? I’d love to hear your recipes.
*This recipe is loosely based on Leanne Ely’s Garlic Lime Chicken. I originally discovered via FlyLady years ago.
With the leftovers I made Chinese Chicken Salad for lunch the next day.
Chicken cut in small cubes, tossed with sliced almonds, sesame seeds and romaine lettuce with Comfort’s Chinese Chicken Salad dressing (from Comfort’s Cafe). You can also add green onions. Yum!
PS. You can also purchase Comfort’s salad dressing at Paradise Foods.
