Kale Corn Masala Spiced

A little side dish for Sunday dinner. Tasty, and quick!  Very good.

Saute
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 roma tomato, chopped
3 oz yellow corn kernels, canned
1/2 tsp raw ginger
1/2 tsp Momo Masala spice

Add, cover and wilt
1.3 cups kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1 oz orange juice
1 oz white wine

Serve and enjoy!


Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Shiba Spiced Tofu with Kale and Fresh Grapes

Looking in fridge for what to do for dinner... Tofu that I needed to use up; red pepper and onion waiting to be used; and rest of some asparagus from this week. I was inspired by Shiba's Hot Curry Chutney that I spied in the fridge too. Thus began the cooking of dinner.  It was spicy hot, and delicious!  This makes 2 servings.

Saute until tofu is a bit browned and onion somewhat cooked
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Shiba's Popping Seeds
1/3 cup onion, chopped up
1 tsp raw ginger
7 oz Tofu, cut into 1/2 in squares
1 tsp Mrs Dash
1 tsp ground turmeric


Add, and continue saute
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
10 stalks of asparagus, cut up

Make simmer sauce:
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp yellow mustard (Portlandia)
3/4 tsp Shiba's Hot Curry Chutney

Add sauce and simmer on low for couple minutes

Add, cover, wilt
2 cups kale, ripped to bite size

Serve and top with
20 fresh grapes, halved

Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.

Smoothie After Labor Day

Summer has less than 20 days left! Here's a smoothie that turned out bright green and delicious!

Blend together (Vitamix is what I use)

1/4 C pomegranate juice (100% juice)
1 C Perrier water
1 orange, peeled
1/2 cup pineapple, raw
1+ C kale
1/2 C yogurt (Danon Light'n'Fit Vanilla)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Blend for 1 minute or so.

Enjoy!


Rated a 4.68 on the Kale Scale.

Smoothie Redemption

This smoothie, much improved over the last one!

Blend together and serve:

1 cup skim milk
1/2 blueberries
1 orange, peeled
2 Tbsp cooked quinoa
1+ cup kale
1 oz yogurt, Dannon Lite n Fit Vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Rated at 4.66 on the Kale Scale

Smoothie for a Hot Day

Hot today. Felt like 90+. Doldrums, no wind. Great day for a smoothie! Delicious!

Put in Vitamix and blend

1 cup	MILK, NONFAT (SKIM)
2 tbsp	hemp protein powder, Bob's Red Mill
1 fruit	ORANGE
3/4 cup	GRAPES
30	BLUEBERRIES
2/3	CARROT
4 medium	STRAWBERRIES
2 oz	YOGURT, VANILLA, NONFAT, Dannon
1/4 tsp	CINNAMON, GROUND
1/2 tsp	NUTMEG, GROUND
10	Tomato, grape

Rated a 4.7 on the Kale Scale.

Citrus Smoothie with Hummus

Tossing things in the vitamix to make this smoothie.  It was pretty good! 

However... I have been reading Fat Chance by Dr. Robert Lustig. Finally, a book about how bad added sugar really is!  He is offering evidence for why we have an obesity pandemic.  I highly recommend the book.

He also talks about other facets of food, including the role of fiber and how soluble fiber can’t do its job without insoluble fiber being present (which gets completely destroyed in all processed or blended food, yes blended, as in a blender, as in a vitamix).  So I won't be going full blended meals; and I'll probably still have smoothies, cause it's just so easy.

Blend

1 orange
1+ cup of Kale
3/4 cup raw pineapple
2 Tbsp hummus
5 grape tomatoes
1/2 yellow pepper

Rated a 4.51 on the Kale Scale.

Vitamix Orange Kale

After I put the fruit and veg in the Vitamix, I noticed it was all orange food. The end result still came out green - I guess that's the power of kale!  I find that citrus alone fails to make for real yummy kale drink. Thus the rating below 4.5. But, it is still good. Grapes and citrus have made the best base for a kale blender drink, so far.

Mix in blender:

1 cup milk
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 carrot, cut up
1 apricot, cut up
1 cup+ kale, ripped up

Serve!

Rated a 4.48 on the Kale Scale

Vitamix #2

Drinking my kale is turning out to be pretty easy! I researched some to learn that the fiber is still all there, even though it's blended into a liquid. Today, I was trying to add more vegies to the mix. Consequently, it wasn't as green, and not as 'sweet'  as if I'd used another orange or more pineapple. But it was still good!

Put in blender and whirl:

8 oz skim milk
2 oz non-fat yogurt
10 edible pea pods
2/3 cup cut up Chiogga beet (it's striped!)
1 blood orange, peeled
1/2 Cameo apple
1/3 cup diced pineapple
Dash to 1/4 tsp each nutmeg, coriander, ras el hanout

Enjoy!

Rated a 4.5 on the Kale Scale.

Can a Vitamix do kale?

I succumbed to the call of the Vitamix - it was on sale at Costco. It certainly does a smoothie like no other blender! 

Blend together:

1/2 c soy milk
1/4 c yogurt, nonfat Danon vanilla
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1/3 c pineapple chunks
2 Tbsp ginger root (put in ginger chunks)
1 Tbsp parsley
1 C kale, ripped up

Rated a 4.67 on the Kale Scale.

Orange Glazed Tofu on Steamed Kale

I've had the tofu for a week, and decided today is the day.  I varied a recipe from Natural Health magazine - one in my archives that I'd never tried before. The original is Orange Glazed Tofu and Turnips - gee, I didn't have turnips. I subbed with fingerling potatoes. I'm pretty sure it tastes better this way!

The recipe serves 4. Nutrition count is for 1 serving. (In reality, I used about 1/3 of the recipe for my meal, but technically, I loaded up my plate..)

Prepare and set aside in a cup
3/4 C orange juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce, lite

Prepare and set aside in a bowl
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ginger root, freshly grated
3/4 C onion, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper, ground
1 sweet red pepper, chopped

Prepare for use
14 oz tofu, extra firm, patted dry, cut into cubes

Saute and cook until tofu is browned, about 6-8 minutes, and then set aside
1 Tbsp olive oil
Tofu sprinkle with:
Mrs Dash, 1/2 tsp
Chili powder, 1/4 tsp

Saute for 3-5 minutes
3/4 Tbsp olive oil
5 fingerling potatoes, chopped up

Add and continue to saute for another 4-5 minutes
Garlic and onion mixture

Add, and reduce the sauce by simmering on medium for 4-6 minutes
Orange juice and soy sauce

Add and continue to reduce the sauce until tofu and potatoes are nicely covered/glazed.
the cooked tofu

Serve on a bed of
1+cup kale, steamed.


Rated a 4.699 on the Kale Scale.