Kale with Caramelized Kumquats

Melicious alerted me to this yummy dish via Pham Fatale. Remove the agave nectar, which you shouldn't eat at all and swap the soy sauce for some wheat free tamari... ENJOY!



3 cups kale, fresh
1-½ tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 kumquats
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (see tips), freshly grated
2 tablespoons orange juice (or lemon juice), freshly squeezed
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Prepping the kumquats: Wash the kumquats and thinly slice them using a sharp chef's knife. Discard the seeds and the white center membrane (if any).

Caramelizing the onions and kumquats: Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onions. Cook over low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion from burning, until the color is evenly golden brown. Add the ginger and sliced kumquats. Cook for about 4 minutes until the kumquats are soft and tender. Add the orange juice. Transfer to a plate with the citrus-infused oil from the pan.

Cooking kale:

Wash the raw kale thoroughly in several baths. Remove and discard the fibrous and older part of the stems. Drain and remove all the excess water using a salad spinner. Roughly chop the kale leaves.

In the same pan, add the rest of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic. Cook the garlic for a minute until fragrant. Add the kale to the pan, constantly toss the kale leaves until they're shiny (coated in oil). The leaves will start to wilt after 30 seconds or so. Season with salt (this will prevent the kale from changing color and help keep its bright green color). Add tamari. Turn off the heat. Stir well. Cover and let sit for about 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and spiced kumquats with the oil. Check seasoning and add black pepper.

Steamed Broccoli with Kale and Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Steam a bunch of broccoli and kale, put in a bowl, drench* in tahini and the juice from one lemon then roll around on the floor, BECAUSE IT'S SO DAMN GOOD.

*Use your best judgment. Add spoonfuls until you reach a desired consistency.

Veggie of Week!

I've been so busy lately that Veggie of the Week has fallen through the cracks! Please accept my apologies!

Mel Posted a great bit on Okra and since this is one of my favorite veggies to cook, I decided to profile it here in the food blog. Just like brussels sprouts, this veggie has a hard reputation to overcome. Most people in the south eat it battered and fried (YUM) or stewed with tomatoes, but really, this little guy has so much more to offer....



What is it? Okra's origin is traced to the Ethiopian Highlands, and made its way gradually to parts of the world via trade routes. It came to the United States by way of the slave trade and is in the same family as hibiscus and cotton. Okra loves the southern climate and is very easy to grow.

Why should I eat it? 1/2 cup of okra supplies 2g of fiber and is abundant in these vitamins: vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and folacin. That same serving has 257mg of potassium and 50mg of calcium. It's good stuff.

How do I cook it? Very, very carefully! My mom made okra plenty of times when I was growing up and I never understood what the big deal about the sliminess was, until of course, I went to make it myself. The more I stirred, the slimier it got. The sliminess can be beneficial if you are making a stew, as the mucous acts as a natural thickener for stocks. I complained to her about my okra failure and she let me in on the secret: Be gentle. Don't stir.

Try out Mel's recipe! She's usually spot on with the goods, so don't delay!

The more you move the okra, the more you break the membranes thus releasing that slime that has turned you off for years and years. My favorite dish to make with okra is a kind of Indian beef pan casserole with a tomato base:

1 can tomato paste
1lb grass fed ground beef (or lamb)
1/2lb-1lb okra, cut gently into 1/2" pieces, set aside
1 bay leaf
seasonings: ground coriander, ground cardamom, curry powder, tumeric

Brown the beef and mix in the tomato paste. Add in water to thin the paste into a desirable consistency. Begin adding in amounts of the seasonings, careful to allow some time for everything to mix (ie- dash here, dash there, stir, simmer, taste). I usually start with a tablespoon each of the curry powder and tumeric, half a tablespoon of the coriander and cardamom, and move up from there. Now, once you've reached your appropriate level of flavor and consistency, gently take the okra and place it on top of the tomato/beef/curry, cover with a lid, turn the heat off and walk away from the stove for appx 10-15 minutes.

After 10-15 minutes, stir the dish and serve. The okra should be crispy but not raw, and should not be slimy. Pair with cauliflower "rice" (cauliflower pulverized in a food processor and cooked in a pan with olive oil). Yum. Yum.

How does this fit in with the Zone? 1c of okra has 9g of carbs (one block), which makes it a perfect option if you are running low on allotted carb blocks for your day.

Please Step Away From Your Salad

...and do something different with your veggies. Melicious sent me a lovely article last week detailing ways to cook fall greens. For those of you who are new to this world of sans corn and potatoes, I hope the article inspires some new dishes.

Cooking Fall Greens

Carrot Coconut Salad

2 medium organic carrot, grated
3 T. shredded organic coconut
1 T. organic extra virgin olive oil
1 T. organic balsamic vinegar
sea salt

Grate the carrots with your food processor/grater. Add coconut, olive oil, balsamic, and sea salt. Mix thoroughly and serve cold.

For extra yummy factor add in raisins and pineapple.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters

Ingredients
1 Spaghetti Squash cooked
*cut the squash in half and place in a roasting pan with a little water. Roast in the over at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes (sometimes longer, depending on the size). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Scoop out insides.
Coconut oil (a few tbs for frying)
1-2 Beaten Eggs

Directions
1. Heat oil in a pan, medium to high.
2. Coat a spoonful of squash in the egg and then place in the oil for frying.
3. Fry until golden brown.

Repeat until desired number of fritters have been made

You can make all kinds of veggie fritters this way! Just grate the vegetable and coat with egg, then fry them up.

Sweet Potato Chips

Son Of Grok shout out!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes (We usually do 1 or 2 at a time)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Optional)

Sea Salt (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees

2. Very thinly slice sweet potatoes into chips. You can use a food processor or other method for this but I have found that for us, using a knife and doing it by hand is worth the effort.

3. (Optional) Toss your chips in a small amount of evoo and some sea salt to give your chips that salty and slightly oily flavor. I say that this step is optional because these chips can be made with just the sweet potatoes plain. My wife likes them plain while I like them flavored so if you like the plain, skip this step.

4. Arrange the chips on baking sheets in a single layer. Stacking the chips will cause you baking problems.

5. Put in the oven to bake for approximately 1.5 hours. Every 30 minutes or so, take out chips and flip them over. Your chips will be done when they appear crispy and many of them are turning a slightly darker brown.

6. Enjoy!

Bright and Zesty Broccoli

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces with stalks peeled
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the orange zest and red pepper flakes and allow to heat briefly, about 1 minute. Stir the broccoli into the mixture; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking about 5 minutes more; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the orange juice over the broccoli and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Brussel Sprouts ala Katherine G.

This recipe comes from Katherine over at the Crossfit Women blog. Everything is better with bacon, no?

Roasted Brussel Sprouts


1. Heat oven to 425. Cut off the bottoms. Cut each sprout in half or into small chunks if they are big.

2. Pour some EVOO onto a cookie sheet and shake it around until the whole sheet is covered with a thin layer of oil.

3. Place sprouts cut side down onto cookie sheet.

5. Place cookie sheet in heated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. I started with 10 minutes then did a few extra so they would be nice and caramelized.

6. Take out the sheet and shake it around. Then place the cookie sheet on top of the stove for about 5 minutes for a little extra heat/cooking time.

7. Sprinkle with Sea Salt.

8. Devour.

Brussel info: contain significant amounts of Vit.C and antioxidants plus some fancy cancer-fighting phytonutrients. 1 block= 1.5cups of sprouts

Side Note: Brussel Sprouts taste better when they are fresh, not frozen. Their bitterness also depends on your genetics (yes! crazy!) so if you try them out and the taste is too much, thank your ancestors. You are what is known as a "super-taster" and probably find lots of things too intense for your uber sensitive taste buds.