Kale Salad

Kale Salad

This beautiful salad recipe was recommended by our daughter Barbara and is taken from the blog "Oh She Glows".  Kale is so nutritious  but is a very fibrous green.  The dressing, which is applied 15 minutes or more prior to serving, massages and tenderizes the Kale.  The lemon in the dressing is used to tenderize the leaves.  Serves 4.  I doubled this recipe for our Thanksgiving Dinner.

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Ingredients:

1/2 large head Kale (about 4 to 6 cups)

1 cup finely chopped onion.

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped carrot (2 small carrots)

1 English cucumber (2 cups chopped halves)

1 avocado, chopped

1 1/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes

1/2 cup mixed raisins or Goji berries

1/4 cup hemp seed 

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Lemon Tahini Dressing recipe follows

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Directions:

Chop vegetables and mix in a large mixing bow.  Reserve hemp seed and walnuts for sprinkling on top.

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Make the Tahini-Lemon Dressing in a food processor and process until smooth.

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Tear the leaves off the Kale stem and rip into bite size pieces.  Wash and dry the kale leaves.

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Mix the vegetables, kale leaves, and full batch of dressing, (3/4 to 1 cup) in large bowl until thoroughly combined.

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Place in refrigerator to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serves 4.  Keeps in refrigerator in a sealed container for 1 day.

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Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tahini

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Nutritional yeast

2-4 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

1 teaspoon Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

3 Tablespoons water or as needed

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In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth.  Makes just under 1 cup.

Dinner Rolls My Favorite

Dinner Rolls   My Favorite

These rolls are soft like wheat bread but have a nutty whole-grain flavor that comes from wheat germ.  Placing the rolls together in a pan so that they touch as they bake makes them especially tender.  These rolls were served at our Thanksgiving dinner. 
Yield: 18 delicious dinner rolls.

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
pinch of sugar

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine, softened, plus more for greasing bowl and brushing dough.

3 Tablespoons honey or 1/4 cup packed brown sugar.
3/4 cup water

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Directions:

Stir yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (105'-115' F) until dissolved and add a pinch of sugar to proof.  Let stand 10 minutes.

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Combine flour, wheat germ, and salt in bowl of food processor, stand mixer, or regular bowl.  (Reserve 1/3 cup flour if kneading by hand.)

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Stir butter and honey into 3/4 cup warm water.  Stir yeast mixture and butter mixture into flour mixture.  (If using food processor, add liquids through feed tube with processor running.  If using stand mixer with dough hook, add liquids in steady stream with mixer on low speed.)  Follow kneading instructions below.

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Place dough in buttered bowl, and cover.  Let rise in warm place 45 minutes to one hour, or until doubled in volume.  Deflate dough and divide into quarters, then divide each quarter into 4 pieces.  Roll dough into balls on floured surface.  Place dough balls in 4 rows in greased 9 inch baking pan.

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Cover dough; let rise 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.  Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375'F.  Brush dough with melted butter, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops of rolls are golden and edges are browned.  Serve warm.

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Stand Mixer Directions:  (with dough hook)  Place dry ingredients in mixer bowl, and fit mixer with dough hook.  Mix on low speed 1 minute to combine.  With mixer running at low speed, add yeast and liquids bu pouring them down the inside of the bowl.  Increase speed to medium-low and mix 2 minutes.  Let dough rest 5 minutes.  Mix at medium-low speed 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth.  Increase speed to medium, and mix 2 minutes.  Kneading is done when dough makes a slapping sound as it hits the side of the bowl.  Dough temperature should be close to 90 F'.

Edaname Dip

Edamane Dip

This is a healthy dip that has a wonderful nutty flavor!

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Ingredients:

1 cup toasted slivered almonds 

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen edaname 

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Zest and Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1 garlic minced

1 Tablespoons cilantro

2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Vegetable slices \ rice crackers

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Directions:

Whirl almonds in a food processor until finely ground about 2 minutes.

Add 1/3 cup water and remaining ingredients through soy sauce.  Whirl until blended, about 3 minutes.

Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve with vegetable sticks and rice crackers.

Delicious and Nutritious!   

Cranberry Relish

Cranberry Relish

Yesterday the lady ahead of me at the checkout in the grocery store was buying six bags of cranberries.  The cashier questioned what her plans were with six bags.   Her friends request this "gift" each year and they all have brought their jar with their name.

This sounded interesting to me and worth the try.  No more jello.

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Ingredients:

1# bag of cranberries

1 orange

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons Burbon

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Directions:

Cut both ends from the orange and cut into smaller pieces and removing seeds.  Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it is well chopped and mixed.

Quick Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts and Lemon

Quick Sauteed Brussels Sprouts With Toasted Walnuts

This is an Associated Press recipe found in the newspaper of my hometown.

The simple tricks for perfect Brussels sprouts

The simplicity of this technique is, of course, a huge bonus on Thanksgiving Day, when you are trying to cook 500 other dishes at the same time. You can either pre-saute the sprouts, then quickly reheat them when the moment is right, or just cook them from start to finish while someone else is carving the turkey.

Even more impressive than the process is the result — the surprising deliciousness of these shredded sauteed Brussels sprouts. You don't need a lot of fat to cook them in, and the little guys pair up nicely with all sorts of toasted nuts. I've opted for walnuts in this recipe, but swap in your favorite. And a tart little spritz of lemon provides the finishing touch.

Take my word for it; when it comes to Brussels sprouts, this recipe has turned haters into believers over and over again.

By the way, who put the Brussels in Brussels sprouts? The Belgians, of course. The sprouts were first cultivated in large quantities in Belgium in the late 1500s, and introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s.

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Quick Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts and Lemon

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Put the walnuts in a pie plate and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are fragrant and are a shade darker.

Trim the Brussels sprouts and discard any damaged outside leaves. Use a food processor fitted with the thin slicing blade to shred the sprouts.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the sprouts and lemon zest, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. The pan will seem very crowded in the beginning, but the Brussels sprouts will shrink down quickly. Season with salt and pepper, 1 to 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the walnuts. Serve right away.

Roasted Fennel With Parmesan Vinaigrette

Roasted Fennel With Parmesan Vinaigrette

This recipe was found in the Vegetarian Times magazine.  It sounds much like the recipe our daughter uses to prepare the nutritious vegetable.  Roasting fennel concentrates its natural sweetness.  A sprinkling of Parmesan gives it a crunchy crust.  Serves 4

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium fennel bulbs, quartered

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.  Coat baking sheet or roasting pan with cooking spray.

Blend oil, garlic, vinegar. mustard, salt and pepper in mini food processor until smooth.  Toss fennel with oil mixture and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

Place fennel on prepared baking sheet and roast 35 to 40 minutes until fennel quarters are tender and the outer edges are golden brown.

Butternut Penne With Pistachio Pesto

Butternut Penne With Pistachio Pesto

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Last evening I prepared dinner at our son's home.  We all have a fondness for butternut squash.  I gave this recipe as an offering for dinner and all agreed that it sounded like a winner.  A WINNER it was indeed.   This recipe came from the blog, Sprouted Kitchen.

I have decided their reason a Meyer lemon is suggested in the recipe.  I used a regular lemon and the lemon flavor had a very slight dominance in the pesto flavor but it wasn't distasteful.  This is a recipe that I would definitely make over and over again.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. (one large) butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1'' pieces
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
2 tsp. smoked paprika (Pimenton)
1 tsp. sea salt
bit of fresh grated nutmeg
8 oz. brown rice, quinoa or whole grain penne pasta
2 huge handfuls (about 3 cups) well chopped baby spinach or swiss
chard

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Pistachio Pesto

1 large/ 2 small cloves garlic
zest and juice of one meyer lemon or lime
1/3 cup toasted, unsalted pistachio nuts
1 jalepeno or serrano, seeded (I leave a few seeds for spice)
1 cup packed herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, chives, basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan or pecorino, plus more for garnish
1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
few pinches of salt and pepper

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Directions:Preheat the oven to 450' and set a large pot of salted water to boil.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the butternut cubes with the olive oil (enough to coat), smoked paprika, salt, a grate of nutmeg and toss to coat. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are charred.

Cook the pasta according to instructions, reserving one cup of the cooking water.

For the pesto, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice to the processor and pulse a few times to break down. Add the jalepeno, pistachios, herbs and parmesan and run the processor to mix, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in the olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper until combined. Taste and alter as desired. If you want it thinner, add a splash of water or oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pesto, greens, drained pasta and half of the pasta water and toss gently. The warm pasta and water will wilt the greens perfectly. Add water if needed.

Garnish with a fresh grate of cheese, pepper and any leftover herbs.