Archive for Recipe
Sunday Gratitude
Posted by: | CommentsInspired by my Twitter friend Michelle’s (@RiteHereNow) writing prompt:
I am thankful for…
Friends
Family
Forgiveness
and
Food!
Thankful for my hike with Twitter friend Maria (@alembic) yesterday in China Camp.
Thankful for the wonderful dinner shared with @ernestoadiaz and family last night. Also thankful for the opportunity to try new recipes. For instance, Mejillones con Chorizo prepared by Ernesto. This recipe will most likely show up on his new blog soon.
Thankful to my friends who have invited me to watch the Oscars with them tonight!
Thankful for my mom who is open to going on a last minute adventure with me next week. She’s coming up here for a whirlwind 24 hour trip to attend one of Marilyn’s vision book workshops.
Finally, thankful for forgiveness, for those people who have stuck with me through all the ups and downs and drama over the last 20+years.
Thank you.
Bok Choy: 5 minutes 5 ingredients
Posted by: | CommentsIngredients:
- Baby Bok Choy
- Olive oil
- Vegetable broth
- Soy sauce
- Ginger
Rinse bok choy.
Heat pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add bok choy. Saute for a few minutes.
Add about a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (if you don’t have any pre-made broth you can use a bouillon cube mixed with water).
Add grated fresh ginger and a splash of soy sauce. I found this great gluten free soy sauce. Let simmer until bok choy is soft.
Serve as a side dish with your meal.
Enjoy your bok choy!
You might also enjoy 7 Steps to Super Simple Kale Chips
Super Simple Kale Chip Recipe (7 Steps)
Posted by: | CommentsSince “How to prepare Kale Chips” is my number 1 blog post of ALL time I thought I would share my updated, super simplified kale chip recipe with you.
Easy, affordable kale chips!
Sally’s Super Simple Homemade Kale Chips
What you need:
Kale
a cookie sheet
oil (olive, coconut, grape, whatever)
garlic
salt
cayenne pepper
7 Easy steps to make tasty kale chips:
- preheat oven to 285º
- spray cookie sheet with oil
- remove stems from kale (rip them out, cut them out, whatever is easiest for you)
- pour a little oil onto kale and massage (squish) until it gets limp
- add a little garlic, salt, cayenne or your favorite spice
- spread out on cookie sheet
- bake 10-20 minutes
Tips:
check kale every 5 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn
cooking time varies based on age and dryness of kale.
Kale Chips
Good Old Fashioned Home Cooking
Posted by: | Comments
Home cooked meals are my focus this summer. I want to have more of them. Since I started commuting to work almost 2 years ago I got in the habit of going out to eat more than what I want. I have been missing my home cooked meals. It is not easy to work outside the home full time, plan meals, grocery shop and have time to cook.
I found my last 30 day challenge so helpful with my writing process that I decided to give my self the challenge of eating from home more often. I didn’t go public with this challenge though because honestly the thought of not going out to eat for 30 days in a row seemed daunting to me. I like to set realistic goals. I decided to take the one day at a time approach with this and I am happy to announce I have made it through Day 10 of home cooked meals.
The local Farmer’s Market has made this goal a lot more fun and easier to do. Every Tuesday on my way home from work I stop at the Tam Valley Farmer’s Market and stock up on fruit, veggies, eggs, chicken and fish. I do my best to make this last for the whole week of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I’m still not ready to commit to #30days30meals but I am committing to more home cooked meals. The last 10 days have been great, not to mention better for my budget. Keeping in mind the Happiness Spreadsheet, right now there are things I would rather be spending my hard earned money on than restaurants! Plus I can write during the down time of waiting for things to cook to. Right now, writing is my priority.
How often do you go out to eat?
What are your favorite summer recipes? Here is one of mine: Quinoa salad with beets and of course Kale Chips!
Rainbow Chocolate Chili – Vegetarian
Posted by: | CommentsFun, healthy, affordable meal!
Rainbow Chocolate Chili
This chili is super healthy and works great if you are doing the Sugar Divorce, Four Hour Body or Weight Watchers lifestyle.
Ingredients
1 Onion, chopped
a few cloves of Garlic, chopped
Bell Pepper, chopped (optional – I don’t like peppers, Yuck! But they do add pretty color to the dish)
Lentils – I used the pre-cooked ones from Trader Joe’s sold in a box in the fridge section (usually near the vegetables)
1 can Pinto Beans, rinsed & drained*
1 can White Beans, rinsed & drained*
1 can Black Beans, rinsed & drained*
(you can use any beans – I just pick these 3 to make it more colorful)
1 can diced Tomatoes in juice
1 can of Corn.
1-2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1-2 tablespoons Chili Powder
1-2 teaspoons Oregano
Cayenne pepper – as much or as little as you can handle
3 cups fat free Veggie broth
1-2 chunks semisweet Chocolate, choppped
a handful of Quinoa
Miscellaneous veggies – I like yellow squash and green zucchini for the color
Spray bottom of large pot with olive oil. Add onion, garlic and yucky peppers and sauté until soft, I add a splash of the broth to help soften up the veggies and to avoid burning the garlic.
Add Miscellaneous veggies, saute some more.
Add spices: cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper.
Add tomatoes in juice.
Put top on pan to allow veggies to cook.
Drain and rinse beans (rinse a few times for maximum gas avoidance).
Add lentils.
Add beans.
Drain corn and add.
Add chunks of chocolate.
Add rest of the broth, throw a little extra in if you need to feed more people.
If too watery, throw in a handful of Quinoa to thicken up and add more texture to the chili.
Season with salt & pepper.
Serve.
If too spicy, a dollop of sour cream cools down the chili and gives it a creamy flavor.
Enjoy.
Come back here, leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed the chili!
Rainbow Chocolate Chili recipe was inspired by they Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili recipe I found on epicurious.
*rinsing and draining canned beans seriously reduces any side effects of gas. I read this in the 4 Hour Body book and it is true. I’ve been testing it on my friends and family.
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 (save the stems for juicing, if you have a juicer).
(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). Put kale directly on cookie sheet.
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.) Stir kale, spices and oil together on cookie sheet. Seal the bag or container and shake really well to get oil and spices evenly coated on the kale.
6. Turn broiler on low. Updated: Preheat oven to 300°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).
7. 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.
8. 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.
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You might also enjoy reading: How to prepare Bok Choy in 5 minutes
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.
