Garlicky Kale Chips

Garlicky Kale Chips

Ingredients
-1 bunch of kale, stems removed and torn into pieces (the pieces may be any size, but make sure they are relatively the same size)
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 tbsp olive oil
-Pinch of salt and black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Combine minced garlic and olive oil in large bowl. Add kale and toss to evenly coat all leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Evenly pour kale onto a baking sheet and put into preheated oven. Do not overcrowd a baking sheet; use two if needed! Flip kale after 10 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until leaves are crispy.
4. Remove from oven and serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!

Easy as “ABC” Salsa

Did you know that February is American Heart Month? The purpose is to raise awareness of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death among both men and women (sorry to be a Debbie Downer). But fortunately, one super easy way to help prevent heart disease is to choose foods with heart-healthy benefits!

Enter my shamefully simple but super delicious Easy as “ABC” Salsa!

ABC stands for avocado, black bean, and corn. I most chose to name it that though cause it sounded better than “Heart-Healthy Salsa,” don’t you agree? 

What makes this salad so heart-healthy? Well almost every ingredient has at least one nutrient that decreases your risk of developing heart disease.

Avocado and Olive Oil: Although 1 avocado has about 30 grams of fat, the majority of the fat is monounsaturated fat, which helps decrease LDL (artery clogging) cholesterol and increase HDL (artery clearing) cholesterol. Similarly, the majority of the fat in olive oil is monounsaturated.

Black Beans: Protein-packed legumes, including black beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans, are full of soluble fiber, which has been shown to help decrease levels of LDL cholesterol. Make sure to rinse and drain canned beans to lower the amount of sodium added to your salsa!

Corn and Tomatoes: Vegetables, such as corn and tomatoes, contain important nutrients that may decrease your risk of developing heart disease. Corn contains fiber and protein, while tomatoes have been shown to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Just like the beans, make sure the drain and rinse the corn, if using canned corn, to minimize added sodium.

Garlic, Cilantro, Lime juice, and Cumin: The ingredients in the dressing really make the salsa by adding lots of flavor and minimizing the need for tons of salt. Garlic may also have cardiovascular benefits.

Enjoy this salsa over fish or chicken, in a wrap, or alone (it is after all a great combination of protein, healthy fats, and fiber)! This time, I added mine on top of taco salad 

So make the tasty and smart choice this month and protect your heart with this delicious salsa! Enjoy!

Easy as “ABC” Salsa
Ingredients
-1 avocado, diced
-1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
-1 15 oz can of corn, no salt added, drained and rinsed thoroughly
-1 large tomato or 3 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
-1/3 c cilantro, chopped
-Juice and zest of 1 lime
-1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp cumin
-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix the cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, garlic, and cumin in a small bowl.
3. Toss dressing with corn mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve chilled. Enjoy!

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season so far! Aaron and I spent Christmas day watching a “Bones” marathon (maybe not the most appropriate show for Christmas…), and spent Christmas evening watching Skyfall while eating dumplings (we had to fulfill our Jewish duty of seeing a movie with Chinese food  ).

Since the holidays are so busy, I’ll keep this post short with an easy recipe that is perfect to serve at a NYE or holiday party or to snack on during a car trip: Crispy Roasted Chickpeas. When looking for a good snack, I like foods that are high in fiber and protein, like chickpeas, to keep me satiated and full until the next meal.

The key to using canned foods, like chickpeas, is to drain and rinse the food before you eat them. Studies have shown that both draining and rinsing canned beans and vegetables may decrease their sodium content by more than a third.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Toss chickpeas with remaining ingredients and spread out on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until chickpeas are crispy and crunchy. Enjoy!

Cinnamon-Spiced Apple Chips

Cinnamon-Spiced Apple Chips

For my first post, I thought I’d keep it simple- cinnamon-spiced apple chips! These are so easy and delicious, require only two ingredients, and there’s no need to measure anything, all pluses in my book. Even better, I feature apples in my blog header, making this recipe even more appropriate for my first post.

I started with a fresh Fuji apple from my CSA. Not sure if you can tell in this picture but this apple was huge!

To make these chips, I used a mandoline to thinly slice the apple. There’s no need to peel the apple, especially since there is a ton of fiber and vitamins in the skin. If you don’t have a mandoline, a sharp knife works too. Just be super careful if you use a mandoline! I (knock on wood) have yet to have an accident, but it is all too easy to slip and slice a finger when using or cleaning one.

Next, I removed the seeds and placed the slices on sheet trays lined with parchment paper.

I sprinkled cinnamon all over the apple slices and then placed the trays in a preheated oven for 2 ½ hours, flipping halfway through.

Here’s the finished product. Yum 

This batch only lasted about 5 minutes before they were gone- a perfect snack or dessert. I’ll have to make them again and experiment with new spices! Have you made apple chips before? What other spices or toppings have you used besides cinnamon?

Cinnamon-Spiced Apple Chips
Ingredients:
-apples
-ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Thinly slice apples, using either a mandoline or a sharp knife.
3. Remove the seeds from the apple slices and place on sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
4. Top apple slices with cinnamon and place in the oven for 2 ½ hours, flipping halfway through.
5. Remove from the oven, cool, and enjoy!

Toasted Israeli Couscous and Parsley-Lemon Lentil Salad

Toasted Israeli Couscous and Parsley-Lemon Lentil Salad

Confession: I don’t think I ate many lentils until I became a dietitian. I always felt that there wasn’t much to them, but really, I just didn’t know what to do with them.

So why did I start eating lentils?

Lentils are an amazing source of CHEAP nutrition. In most cases, proteins are the most expensive part of a meal. Think about chicken thighs at around $3-5/lb or fresh fish at more than $10/lb. Sub in lentils every now and then for $1-2/lb dry (aka, the yield is ever cheaper when cooked) and the savings will add up. Plus, eating vegetarian sources of protein has an environmental benefit, but thats another story for another time.

Need to add some protein and fiber to your meal? Add lentils! Just 1/2 a cup of cooked lentils has 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein.

Need a super flavorful side dish? Try this Toasted Israeli Couscous and Parsley-Lemon Lentil Salad.

This salad was so good! It was another “I really don’t want to go to the grocery store so I’ll use what’s in the fridge to put off shopping” kind of meal. In full disclosure, I did have to buy the parsley, but that was a quick walk up to the corner store near our apartment; why go to the grocery store tonight when you can put it off until tomorrow!

The flavors of this dish work really well together, in my humble opinion. If you want to make the salad vegan-friendly, try using nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese.

How do you like to cook lentils? Any favorite recipes?

Toasted Israeli Couscous and Parsley-Lemon Lentil Salad
Ingredients
1 cup dry lentils, cooked
1 cup dry Israeli couscous
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cup water or broth
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup parsley chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Cook lentils according to package. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add couscous and saute in oil for about 5 minutes, or until couscous turns a golden color. Add about 1 1/4 cups of water or broth, according to couscous package directions, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until couscous is tender. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and parsley.
4. Add lentils and couscous to the bowl and toss well to combine. Add parmesan cheese and mix. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot or cold. Enjoy!

Tabouleh-Style Couscous Salad & Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

Tabouleh-Style Couscous Salad & Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

Maybe I was channeling spring last night when I prepared dinner. Or maybe I was thinking about how Passover is coming up next month. But either way, I was thinking parsley.

You’re probably wondering, “Who thinks about parsley??” Fair.

Poor parsley is so often shrugged off as a main ingredient and demoted to garnish. But it has so much flavor, so it deserves to be the star every once in a while!

Last week, I made a recipe that needed a few springs of parsley. So naturally I bought a whole bunch for $2 and had about $1.90 worth of the bunch left after making the dish. So now what?

That’s when I thought of tabouleh and chimichurri! Two totally different cuisines, I know. Tabouleh is a Middle Eastern dish normally made with buglur (remember bulgur?) and includes cucumber, but I didn’t have either at home so used whole wheat couscous and left out the cucumber. Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce; my mom made a variation of this before and the sauce is so flavorful! Great on grilled or roasted steak, chicken, fish, vegetables- anything!I I use the chimichurri sauce to top an oven-roasted chicken breast seasoned with chili powder.

Try them both together or make just one, but definitely give these  dishes a try!

Tabouleh-Style Couscous Salad
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 heaping cup parsley, chopped
1 medium tomato or 2 plum tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest and half the juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1. Cook couscous according to package.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked couscous with parsley and tomatoes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together, garlic, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt.
4. Drizzle dressing over couscous and mix well. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator to chill. Enjoy!

Chimichurri
Yield: approximately 1/2 cup
Ingredients
1 small shallot or 1/2 of a large shallot
1 garlic clove
1 heaping cup of parsley
1 heaping cup of cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions
1. Add ingredients to blender or food processor in the order listed, through salt. Turn blender on and drizzle in olive oil until you get the consistency you want, about 1/4 cup.
2. Serve over grilled chicken, fish, steak, or vegetables. Store extra chimicurri in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Snow Pea and Quinoa Stir-Fry

The other day, Aaron went to the grocery store to grab just a few ingredients for dinner and came back with three full grocery bags. I should know better  This just meant I had to become creative with our meals! What do I do with a pound of snow peas, sliced mushrooms, and leftover quinoa? Put a new spin on stir-fry: Snow Pea and Quinoa Stir-Fry!

I love stir-fries! They are simple and quick, my preference for a recipe just about every time.

This stir-fry didn’t require a ton of ingredients. I almost always have onions and garlic on hand plus I had water chestnuts from a previous grocery trip.

After sautéing the onions and garlic in some olive oil, I added in the snow peas, mushrooms, and water chestnuts, and continued to cook until the vegetables were tender. Then I tossed in cooked quinoa and soy sauce, and cooked until the quinoa was heated through. Right before I took it off the heat, I added a few dashes of sriracha and sesame oil. Voila!

I served it up with broiled salmon marinated in Soy-Vey sauce. Perfect combination.

This stir-fry could  be made with cooked brown rice instead of quinoa, but I love that quinoa has so much protein and its texture holds up well when cooked. You could also add chicken, eggs, or tofu to make this a complete meal instead of a side dish.

Do you like stir-fries? What do you add to keep them interesting?

Snow Pea and Quinoa Stir-Fry
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
-2 onions, sliced
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 lb snow peas, trimmed
-8 oz sliced mushrooms
-1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts
-1 1/2  cup cooked quinoa
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp sriracha, to taste
-2 tsp sesame oil

Directions:
1. Add oil to a saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until they start to become transparent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
2. Add mushrooms, snow peas, and water chestnuts and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir in quinoa and soy sauce and cook until quinoa is heated through.
4. Mix in sriracha and sesame oil and serve immediately!

Hearty Mushroom and Farro Risotto

I have a confession: I love risotto. It is creamy and hearty and warms you up on cold nights. What I don’t love about risotto? Standing by the stove constantly stirring. And stirring. It took me a bit of courage to make risotto for the first time because it seemed like so much work.

The constant stirring is necessary in a risotto to bring out the starch of arborio rice and create the creamy texture. It takes about 20 minutes of constant attention to make a traditional risotto. I made a risotto for the first time a few years ago and until now I’ve just dealt with all the stirring. Then I stumbled upon this recipe, stating that using farro instead of arborio rice removes the need to stir! Hurray! Farro does not release starch the same way rice does and therefore does not require constant stirring. Instead, the dish simmers on its own, only require occasional attention.

Have you seen or tried farro before? It is a whole grain, similar to rice, but with more protein and fiber. You can use farro in place of any dish calling for rice. Since it is a bit heartier and chewier than rice, it can be a great addition to salads have ahead of time, even with dressing. Farro is located in the grain section of the grocery store, near the rice. In this risotto, I used the 10-Minute Farro from Trader Joe’s, which decreased the time the dish needed to simmer from 50 to 30 minutes.

I paired this dish with roasted chicken and roasted parsnips and celeriac. I know my plate is pretty bland in color, but trust me, it was delicious together!

Celeriac is not the prettiest ingredient, agreed? I received celeriac in my CSA but I hadn’t had it before so I roasted it like I do all new veggies. I liked it, but I also couldn’t tell the difference between the celeriac and parsnips when they were roasted together. I’ll have to try them again separately!

Have you cooked farro or celeriac before? How do you like to prepare them?

Easy Mushroom Farro Risotto
Yield 4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8oz portobella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups pearled farro
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about three minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir.
3. Once mushrooms are soft, add farro. Cook and stir another 2 minutes then add white wine.
4. Once all the wine has been absorbed, add 5 cups of stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until farro is tender and all the stock is absorbed. Make sure to stir the farro while it is simmering, every 5 minutes or so. If you run out of liquid before the farro is fully cooked, add more stock and continue to stir and simmer until tender.
5. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

Curry Lentil and Butternut Squash Stew

A Protein-Packed Curry Lentil and Butternut Squash Stew

I hope everyone had a fun New Year’s Eve! Aaron and I joined a group of friends for dinner at a restaurant in DC on NYE and stayed there to ring in the new year. It was great to be out with friends but still have a somewhat low key celebration! What did you do on NYE?

After putting together the Lentil Soup Jars before the holidays, I was inspired to make a lentil stew to warm up in this cold weather. I love lentils- they are cheap and super nutritious. Just half a cup of cooked lentils has 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber. While I am not a vegetarian, this is a hearty and delicious meal that both vegetarians and non-vegetarians will love.

Here are all of the ingredients (minus garlic; I don’t know how I left that out of the picture!). I had one last remaining butternut squash from my CSA, so I added that in, too!

I started off by sauteing the butternut squash, onion, carrots, and celery. I love all these colors together.

After a few minutes, I tossed in the garlic and ginger. Once the vegetables were softened, I added in the remaining ingredients and spices, except for the spinach and lemon, and let it simmer until the lentils were fully cooked. I then mixed in the spinach until it wilted down and then added a squeeze of lemon to each bowl after serving. I served up the stew over quinoa (told you this dish was full of protein!) in these beautiful bowls that we bought from a local artist in Asheville this past fall. Each bowl is made by hand and no two bowls are the same. I love them!

The stew is hearty and light, filling but not heavy. Perfect for cold winter nights!

With a winter storm and cold temps hitting the northeast today, I’d say this is a perfect dish to keep you warm tonight 

Curry Lentil and Butternut Squash Stew
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of ginger, grated
1 cup of red lentils
1 tbsp curry
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
4 cups broth
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 -6oz bag fresh spinach
1 lemon, quartered

Directions:
1. Add oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add butternut squash, onion, carrots, and celery. After 2-3 minutes, add garlic and ginger.
2. Once the vegetables are softened, add lentils, spices, and broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 35-40 minutes, until lentils are cooked but tender. Add spinach and wilt down.
3. Serve in bowls alone or over quinoa or rice. Top with the juice of 1 lemon quarter and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Coconut Milk-Braised Greens with Cranberry Beans

Here we go, part III of my From the Farmer CSA basket. In my last post, I talked about my first time cooking and eating garlic scapes. Now, I am happy to report that I am no longer a stranger to dried beans and have successfully cooked dried cranberry beans! That may not sound like much, but it is something I can cross off my culinary bucket list. 

Oh, and as an aside: remember when I told you my basket came with an English cucumber? Well I also planned to share my dill-cucumber salad recipe that Aaron requested after trying some at a wedding over Memorial Day. I prepped it on Monday, then let it marinate in the fridge. When I got home from work and planned to take pics to show you,  this is what I found:

Have you ever have a roommate eat your food from the fridge like it was his/her own? Well, I should have told Aaron to hold off until I got home. I wasn’t kidding when I said he loved cucumber salad! At least he enjoyed it.

Anyways, back to the cranberry beans. So I received the beans and braising greens in my From the Farmer CSA basket. I thought they would make a good pair: lots of protein and fiber in the beans, with even more filling fiber from the greens.

Remember, I had no idea what cranberry beans tasted like when creating this recipe. (Spoiler: they do not taste like cranberries.) I thought about one of the few times I eat cranberries: in my brother’s cranberry relish at Thanksgiving. The relish is unique in that he uses fresh oranges, so I figured I’d add fresh orange zest to the coconut milk to lighten it up. I also added red pepper flakes, which gave the zesty-coconut milk a bit of a kick. I bumped up the protein and kept the dish vegan and gluten free (for no particular reason) by serving over quinoa.

I’ll admit, I get nervous testing out new recipes on Aaron for dinner, without a back-up plan, but this went off without a hitch! I would highly recommend this dish, and it passed Aaron’s “sriracha test.” If you can’t find cranberry beans, you could use dried pinto or kidney beans instead.

Coconut Milk-Braised Greens with Cranberry Beans
Ingredients
1/4 lb dried cranberry beans
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 pinches of red chili pepper flakes (1/8 tsp)
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
8 oz braising greens (ex. collards, Swiss chard, rainbow chard, kale)
Zest of 1 orange

Directions
1. Place dried beans in a large bowl with a tablespoon of salt and fill the bowl with lots of water. Cover and allow beans to soak overnight.
2. Drain and rinse beans, add to a large pot, and cover with lots of water. Much of this water will be absorbed or lost as steam, so be generous! Bring water to a boil, then cover and allow to simmer for 60-90 minutes.
3. In a medium or large sauté pan, add oil over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute.
5. Add coconut milk and red chili pepper flakes and bring milk to a boil.
6. Add braising greens, stir well to combine, bring heat to medium low, then cover and allow to braise, about 10 minutes.
7. Two minutes before greens are done, add orange zest and stir.
8. To serve, layer beans and grains over your favorite whole grain. Serve immediately and enjoy!