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!

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!

Super Bowl Sunday Three Bean Turkey Chili

Super Bowl evening is a wonderful time of year. A time for football fans to see the culmination of 16 weeks of football+the playoffs, and a time for non-football fans to throw a party and make lots of food. I am a big fan of both food and football (I still love you, Redskins), so I wanted to make something special for the game.

And what better way to enjoy the game than chili! For simplicity, I chose to cook a Three Bean Turkey Chili in a crock pot so I could make the most of my Sunday without having to tend to the stove.

This was a simple recipe, as all crock pot recipes should be. I started by browning ground turkey with onions and green peppers.

I like to use lean ground turkey as an alternative to ground beef, since it is lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Just make sure to look at the nutrition label when you are buying ground turkey, because some companies use more dark meat than turkey breast and therefore it may not be as healthful as you might think.

While the turkey browned, I added a can each of diced tomatoes, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, and black beans. Another tip- make sure to drain and rinse your canned beans thoroughly to wash off up to a third of the sodium.

I topped off the beans with the ground turkey, added a few spices (including, chili powder of course!), and then mixed it all up! I cooked the chili on high for 4 hours- set it and forget it.

Once  the chili was done, I topped it off with some shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. So good! Adding Greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a great way to add creaminess (and protein!) to the dish with less calories, fat, and saturated fat.

This was a hearty chili- you could also leave out the ground turkey and the beans would be enough on their own. I hope you try it and let me know what you think!

Three Bean Turkey Chili
Yields 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1lb ground turkey
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1- 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1- 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream or Greek yogurt to garnish (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet of medium high heat, cook ground turkey with peppers and onions until meat is browned. Drain.
2. Add beans, tomatoes, turkey mixture, and spices to a large crockpot. Mix to combine.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
4. Garnish with sliced scallions, cheese, and sour cream/Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Cold Night, Hot Meal: Lemon Roasted Chicken

Brrrr, it’s cold out around here in DC! 

One of my favorite cold weather dinners is whole roasted chicken. When I was growing up, this was my favorite dish that my mom made; I even would request it when I came home from college on breaks. Little did I know just how easy it was! Whole roasted chicken can feed you for several meals and you can use the bones to make homemade chicken stock.

The ingredients are pretty simple, mostly spices from my pantry.

After removing the giblets, I stuffed the inside with lemon halves and garlic, brushed olive oil over the outside of the bird, seasoned with a bunch of spices, and topped with lots of lemon slices.

Let me tell ya, this smells great while its cooking!

Since the oven was already on, I served the chicken with some roasted brussels sprouts and parsnips. Yummm!

The chicken came out so juicy with a subtle taste of lemon, and I love that I have leftovers for at least a couple more meals! I’ll have to make chicken stock next for a good soup. Any suggestions? What is your favorite food to eat in the winter?

Lemon Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
-1 small roasting chicken, about 5-6 lbs
-4 lemons, 2 halved and 2 sliced
-3-4 cloves of garlic
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 tsp onion powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. On a rack over a roasting pan or sheet tray, prep chicken by removing giblets and flipping the wing tips underneath the bird to prevent burning.
2. Place lemon halves and whole garlic inside cavity of chicken.
3. Brush oil over the outside of the chicken.
4. Season with remaining spices and top with lemon slices.
5. Place tray into oven. Every 30 minutes, brush chicken with juices at the bottom of the pan. The chicken will roast for about 1 1/2 hrs, until the juices run clear when cut between the leg and breast and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Guacamole Turkey Burgers

This past week, I faced an all too common problem in this dietitian’s household: my avocado was about to go bad! I’m not sure why this keeps happening, but I have developed a bad habit of buying avocados before they are ripe then forgetting about them once they are ripe. Instead of just making tried-and-true guacamole, I decided to use the avocado to flavor my turkey burgers for dinner!

Super delicious! Super flavorful! Super fast! Super easy!

Ok enough of the exclamations. But trust me, all those are true.

Instead of using egg and breadcrumbs to bind the burger, I mashed the avocado into ground turkey breast. I then seasoned the burgers as I would guacamole.

The burgers were awesome. They were moist and light (and green! St. Patty’s burgers, anyone?).

While they held together in a skillet, I don’t know how they would work on the grill since they didn’t have the egg and bread crumbs to bind it. If you want to add these on the grill, I would add 1/4-1/2 cup of bread crumbs.

Guacamole Turkey Burger
Yields 4 burgers
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 avocado, very soft
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c minced red onion
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp cumin
Lime juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together, except olive oil. Form into 4 equal patties. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Add patties and cook for about 5-8 minutes per side, until cooked through.
4. Serve on whole wheat buns, or alone, and top with your favorite burger toppings. Enjoy!

Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry

Easy Weeknight Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry

Ready for a super simple curry using just 7 ingredients? You can’t beat that!

I highly recommend that you give this curry a shot. This dish only took about 20 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to actively cook (aka me standing at the stove), and 30 minutes to simmer while I did other chores. Plus I only needed one pot!

Delicious and fragrant. Perfect for a weekday night! What have you been making recently?

Chicken & Sweet Potato Curry
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3-4 chicken breasts), cut into chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
2- 13.5 oz cans coconut milk

Directions
1. Add oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add chicken, sweet potatoes, onions and cook until chicken has browned, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer.
2. Add curry powder to pan and mix well. Add coconut milk and stir to evenly combine.
3. Bring milk to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken and potatoes are cooked and tender. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Balsamic-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Balsamic-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Yields 2-4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, up until the chicken.
3. Toss chicken in the mustard mixture and place in a roasting pan.
4. Bake chicken for an hour, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!