Fast Food Coup

At Life Source in Salem, I bought "Gourmet On The Go - Tuna & Pasta" by St Dalfour (France) this weekend. It's a can of tuna/pasta salad, all cooked, vaccuum packed, and ready to eat. The only drawback to this can of tuna ... there is no way it serves 2 as per the package nutrition facts!

Decided to heat it up, and mix in a cup of kale (the whole can). It worked! Dinner was ready in 5 minutes, and it was pretty darn good. On a par with Lentil Soup & Kale for ease of meal making.

Heat in skillet:

1 can, St Dalfour Tuna & Pasta Gourmet To Go
1 tsp black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash

Add, and wilt:

1 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 C. kale, cut into small pieces


Serve.


Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Tempeh #2

This recipe was from over the weekend. I really liked the tempeh on day 1, but I wonder if tempeh looses its oomph if you try and keep it around for a couple days. This concoction was ok, but not as good as the first time I used the tempeh.

While sauting, soak tempeh:

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 C. hot water

1 Tbsp olive oil

These ingredients weren't factored into the nutritional count. They serve to rehydrate the tempeh, just a bit, but most of the liquid is left after the good soaking.

Saute:

1 tsp olive oil

1/3 C. onion, chopped

Add and continue:

1/3 C. red cabbage, chopped

1/4 C. snow peas (in pod), chopped
3/4 large orange pepper, chopped

Mix and then add to pan:

1 oz white wine

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tsp hoisin sauce

Add, cover and wilt:

1 C. kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Serve with 1 tsp sesame sprinkled on top.

Rated a 4.3 on Kale Scale.

Kale, Cabbage, Pepper

Trying to keep it simple.

Saute:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/3 C onion, chopped

Add and continue saute:
1/4 C red cabbage, chopped
1/4 C snow peas
3/4 orange pepper, chopped
1/2 red pear, chopped

Mix sauce:
2 tsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tbls white wine
2 Tbls soy sauce

Add sauce, and kale, cover and wilt:
1 C kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Serve!

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale

Tempeh Kale

Used tempeh for the first time. It is a hard cake of some pressed tofu type of material. After you cut it up into squares or strips, you soak it for 20 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, water, garlic and ginger. I built my recipe off the "basic tempeh" recipe found at the Tofurky site. I bought an 8oz cake of tempeh and used about 1/2 of it for my concoction.

Saute:
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 C onion, chopped


Add:
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 oz Tempeh, sliced in 1/4 in pieces or 1/4 thick squares


Add and cook down the liquid a bit:
1/2 C diced tomoatoes, canned type, use their juice too.
3 Tbsp soy sauce, lite
1 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp cooking sherry
1 tsp balsamic vinegar


Add, cover and wilt:
1 C kale, ripped to bite size pieces


Mix it all up and serve.


Rated a 4.6 on the Kale Scale.

Beans, Pine Nuts and Kale

I made a tex-mex stuffing for an acorn squash (recipe from Prevention), which was really good. Squash is gone, but had left over stuffing. So I sauted it, added 1/2 pear and kale. Worked pretty good!

Saute:

3/4 cup Tex-Mext Acorn Stuffing mix

1/2 red pear

1 oz white wine

1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese, lite

Add, cover an wilt:

1 C. kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Serve with:

2 T. nonfat greek yogurt

1 T. worcestershire sauce

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

December Saute

Another meal from a couple of days ago.

Saute:

1 tsp olive oil

1/3 C. onion, chopped fine

2 tsp, garlic, minced

Add and continue saute:

1 orange pepper, chopped fine

10 grape tomatoes, halved

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash

Add, cover, wilt and mix up when done:

1 oz. white wine

1 C. Kale, chopped finer than bite size pieces

Add and scramble, mix with the veggies:

1 egg mixed with 1 egg white - beat and then scramble

Top with:

3 fake bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 T. worcestershire sauce

[Optional - serve with non-fat greek yogurt. I didn't have any, wish I did.]

Rated a 4.6 on the Kale Scale.

December Salad

It's been a couple of days since I made this salad. I was too busy to write this post at the time.

Toss or layer these ingredients, serve and eat:

5 Strawberries, cut up
1 grapefruit, peeled seeded, chopped
2 clementines, peeled, chopped
3/4 apple, chopped up
2 T. pecans, chopped up
2 T. olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing (Safeway Select)

Rated a 4.67 on the Kale Scale.

Fruited Saute

Change in weather to bitter cold, reduces my interest in cold kale salad. So I went shopping hungry again, and bought another bit of pasta and marinara sauce with port and asiago cheese. That was very tasty.

Paired this with a fruit'n'kale saute. For an experiment, put in a wedge of lite laughing cow soft cheese with a bit of wine and balsamic vinegar to make a bit of sauce. Turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Saute:

1/2 tsp coconut oil

1/3 C onion, chopped fine

1 tsp garlic, minced

Add and saute more:

3/4 Bosc pear, chopped

2 clementine oranges, peeled and chopped

Add and swish around til cheese is melted:

1-2 Tbsp dry sherry

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 wedge lite laughing cow cheese

Add, cover and wilt:

1 Tbsp white wine

1 C. Kale - used rainbow kale today - ripped to bite size pieces

This concoction ended up being sweet enough, it could have been dessert!

Rated a 4.56 on the Kale Scale.

Soup'n'Kale

Last couple of nights have been eating soup in which I have mixed 1 cup of kale all cut up. It really bulks up the soup. With AkMak crackers the meal is filling. I am using Amy's Lentil Soup, and Amy's Split Pea Soup.

Rated a 4.4 on the Kale Scale.

Nov Fruit Salad

This was paired with oven baked salmon fillet. Fillet was sprinkled with pepper and Mrs. Dash; some sherry and 2 tiny bits of butter.

Layer or toss to make salad:

1.25 C. Kale, ripped to bitesize pieces

1 apple - I used a small Empire apple, chopped

1 clementine - peeled and chopped

1 persimmon - peeled and chopped

11 grapes - halved

Dress with:

2 Tbsp Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar (Safeway Select)

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale

Kale with Fruit Medley

Layer or toss these ingredients to make a salad meal.

1 C. kale, ripped to bite size pieces

Arils from 1 pomegranate

1 papaya, chopped (peeled and seeded)

2 clementines, peeled and chopped

1/2 avocado, peeled, chopped

1/2 red pear, chopped

Dress with:

2 Tbsp. Annies Tuscan Italian Dressing

Rated a 4.4 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Persimmon and Pear Salad

Baked salmon, wild Alaskan coho, for dinner and paired it with this salad. I am surprised at the calorie count - 504! The avocado and persimmon each are over 100 calories on their own.

Layer and/or toss - depends on how you like to make a salad:

1 c. kale, ripped in bite size pieces

1/2 red pear, chopped

1 persimmon, peeled and chopped

8 grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 avocado, peeled, chopped

Dress, and top with:

2 Tbsp. Annie's Naturals Tuscany dressing

1 Tbsp. Flaxseed meal (Bob's Red Mill), sprinkled on top

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Ravioli and Kale

Today, I went shopping when hungry. Came home with butternut squash ravioli, and a jar of Port and Asagio Marinara sauce.

I put the ravioli in boiling water, put a steamer on top with my 1 c. of kale chopped fine.

All done, I served the ravioli on a bed of steamed kale.

Very tasty. The ready to cook ravioli was delicious; the sauce tangy and very good. It all made the kale quite paletable. I am sure the calorie count isn't so good, but I don't have all the details to find out for sure. So eat and enjoy!

Rated a 4.65 on the Kale Scale.

Bleeding Kale

While the end result was tasty, it wasn't the most pretty meal. The onion, beans and beets by themselves, looked good. Adding the kale, still not bad. It was adding the egg, and then watching the eggs turn red that was a surprise. But, all mixed up, who can tell? I added the sesame to help deflect the redness of it all.

Saute:

1 tsp coconut oil

1/3 C onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

Add, saute:

2 small beets, chopped

1/2+ pinto beans, canned

Add, cover and wilt:

2 T. cooking sherry

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 C. kale, bite size pieces, cut finer

After the kale is done, mix it all up.

Beat together, add and scramble:

1 egg

1 egg white

a smidge of milk

Serve with 1 tsp of sesame seed on top.

These aren't in the calorie count, but I did use them:

Optional - sprinkle with worcestershire sauce.

Optional - serve with non-fat greek yogurt.

Rated a 4.35 on the Kale Scale.

Salmon, Figs and Salmon

This was a satisfactory way to deal with several leftovers. I prefer my salmon as a filet or steak, not in a stew, soup, cake or saute. But this alternative turned out fine.

Saute:

1 tsp olive oil
1/3 C onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fennel bulb, chopped
1 tsp garlic minced

Add and continue saute:
1/2 red pear, chopped
1/2 persimmon, chopped
4 figs, quartered or chopped more
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only
1/2 tsp fresh lemon thyme, leaves only

Add and continue:
3 oz salmon, already cooked, break into bite size pieces, remove bones

Add and reduce sauce:
1 oz cooking sherry
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp pepper, ground

Add, cover and wilt:
1 oz white wine
1 C. kale, ripped into bite size pieces

Serve with 4 oz, nonfat greek yogurt (optional and not included in the calorie count)

Rated a 4.3 on the Kale Scale.

October Fruit Salad

To go with fresh, wild, Alaskan salmon filet - a fruit salad with kale.

Layer or toss:

1 C. Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

1/2 red pear, chopped

1/2 persimmon, peeled and chopped

1 red plum, chopped

4 dried apricots, chopped

Dress with:

2 Tbsp Annies Naturals Tuscan Italian Dressing

Rated 4.45 on Kale Scale.

Egg Beans Kale

Still working on those organic eggs.

Saute:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 C onion, chopped
2 Tbl, fennel bulb, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp oregano, ground
1/2 tsp chili powder

Add and continue saute:
1 red bell pepper, chopped
7 grape tomatoes, halved

Add, cover and wilt:
1 C. Kale, ripped to bitsize pieces
1 oz white wine

Mix everything all up together.
Add and scramble:
1 egg beaten with 2 egg whites

Serve with worcestershire sauce.

Rated a 4.25 on Kale Scale.

Rock Fish and Kale

Using things I had around from yesterday's ingredients, I put this together.

Saute:

1 tsp olive oil

1/3 C. onion and fennel bulb, chopped. Combine a bit of each to get this a total 1/3 c of aromatics

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

1/2 tsp Mrs Dash

Add and continue saute:

1/2 red pear, chopped

1/2 persimmon, peeled and chopped

3 oz snapper (prepared previously; almond meal coating; pan fried in 1 tsp coconut oil), break up into bite size pieces, discard bones as you find them

Add, cover and wilt:

1 oz white wine

1 C. kale, chopped fine

Serve with worcestershire sauce and non-fat Greek yogurt.

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale.

Red Kale Fruit Salad

To go with a meal of rock fish and fresh corn.

Build salad in layers, as you like:

1 C. red kale, ripped to bite size pieces

1/2 red pear, chopped

1/2 persimmon, peeled and chopped

1 papaya, peeled, diced

1 clementaine orange, peeled, segments chopped in half

Dress with:

2 Tbsp. olive oil and basalmic vinegar

Serve and enjoy!

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Egged Kale

I received a gift of 1 dozen eggs, free range, organic. So what to do. I decided to scramble, mostly egg whites, and combine with kale.

Saute:

1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. fennel bulb, chopped
1/4 c. red cabbage, chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Add and continue saute:
1 small red pepper, chopped
5 grape tomatoes, halved

Add, cover and wilt - about 2 mintues:
1 oz white wine
1 c. Kale, chopped fine

Stir up the mixture, and add:
1 egg mixed with 3 egg whites
another 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground chili pepper

Serve with some worcestershire sauce.

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Pav Bhaji with Kale

I was thinking it would be nice to have fast food tonight, a burger and fries. But, I reminded myself that I have fast food at home - open a can of soup, zap 2 minutes and done. So when I got home, I found I had a packet of Pav Bhaji from Trader Joe's -Indian Fare "from Bombay, this traditional Indian receip has potatoes, tomatoes and diced vegetables in spicy aromatic sauce."


1. Put contents of Pav Bhaji pouch in a microwave container.
2. Zap 30 seconds. Stir.
3. Cut up fine, 1 cup of Kale, and add.
4. Zap the Pav and kale 1 min and 30 sec.
5. Stir.
6. Serve with dollops of Greek non-fat yogurt (up to 2 oz total)

Rated a 4.66 on the Kale Scale.

Tuna Beet Kale

At first I was making a sandwich stuffing for some pita bread. I chopped the ingredients very fine, including the kale. But, the pita fell apart so I mixed the saute with some Greek yogurt and just ate it using the pita bread as a pusher.

Saute:

1/2 tsp cocunt oil

1/4 C. onion, chopped fine

1/4 C. fennel bulb, chopped fine

Add and continue saute:

1 beet, chopped fine

1/2 green pepper, chopped fine

1 yellow roma tomato, chopped fine (squeeze out the seeds and juice)

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp black pepper

Add, break into small pieces, saute:

1 packet (3 oz) tuna, albacore in water

Add, cover and wilt:

1 oz white wine

1 C. kale, chopped fine

Serve with 1/3 C. non-fat greek yogurt.

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Salmon Hash Kale

Working with leftovers on this one. Leftover scrambled egg (with green pepper, onion, olive, and corn), and the other 1/2 of the of the salmon filet from yesterday. I really prefer my salmon by itselft, but took a chance on scrambling it up with the egg mix.

Saute until heated through:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
Leftover scrambled egg mix (about 1/4 of a 4 egg, green pepper, olive and corn scramble)
1/4 lb cooked salmon filet, cut up and mixed in.
1 Tbsp olives, sliced (this is the rest of the small can opened this morning for the scramble)
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of Mrs Dash


Add, cover and wilt:
1 oz. white wine
1 C. kale ripped into bite size pieces

Microwave 3 fake bacon strips (Morningstar)

Serve with fake bacon crumbled on top, and 1-2 tsp. worcestershire sauce.

Rated a 4 on the Kale Scale.

Yellow and Orange with Kale

Yesterday's recipe. I fell asleep before remembering to document. I bought some Chinook salmon, and wanted a salad to go with. But, the kale I was using wanted to be cooked, so I changed gears and sauted.

Saute:
1 Tsp Olive oil
1/4 C. onion, chopped
1 small yellow pepper (from McMinnville Farmer's Market), chopped
4 yellow roma tomatoes (from Portland Farmer's Market), chopped
1/2 nectarine, chopped
1 persimmon, peeled and chopped (the hard kind)
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

Add, cover and wilt:
1 oz. white wine
1 C. red kale (Portland Farmer's Market), ripped into bitesize pieces


The wine and spices made a bit of sauce, tasty.

Serve.

Rated a 4.25 on the Kale Scale.