Crispy Kale Chips



Believe it or not these are super crispy!!



Sometimes I just feel like snacking on something salty but I am loathe to sit down with a bag of potato chips because I know I won't be able to stop after just the one serving. (BTW who makes the serving sizes nowadays? I am not a big girl but I eat WAY MORE than 8 chips in a sitting...) So this week, after FINALLY finding kale in my market, I decided to experiment with kale chips. I have bought them from health food stores before but they are really expensive and I can't find them anywhere in Europe. Anyway, the experiment was a success and it is really easy to do. I love having a snack which is really healthy for you (did you know 1 cup of kale has 1327% of your daily vitamin K, 354% of your vitamin A, 89% of your vitamin C, 10% of your fiber, and 5% of your protein?) and still salty and crunchy. And, I swear, it doesn't taste like "vegetables."

Crispy Kale Chips

Ingredients:

-lots of kale (washed)

-salt

-olive oil

-any other seasonings you want (powdered)

Method:

Preheat oven to 300F. After washing the kale, you should make sure it is REALLY dry. This is because if there is even a little water on them when they go into the oven, it will produce steam and that will result in wilted kale chips instead of crispy. To do this, I tore the kale into roughly 2" segments (discarding the large spine in the middle) and laid them out in single layers on paper towels. Then I put more paper towels on top, added more kale pieces, more paper towels, etc and let them sit like that for a while, gently patting.

Then once they're dry, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and pour about 1 tbsp olive oil over them, as well as a healthy sprinkling of salt (and whatever other spices you want, such as onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, etc). Now here is the key - unlike with other roasting veggies, you really need to use your fingers and pick up each leaf and massage the oil and salt into each one to ensure it's oiled up nicely and shiny. (Not dripping with oil, just a light sheen.) This is because without the oil and salt the leaves will just go really dry and not taste very good. 



About to go into the oven - oiled and salted up

Put the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove, let cool slightly on a rack, then carefully remove each leaf with your fingers (not a spatula!) and lay on some paper towels to absorb any extra oil. I needed to do a few baking sheets worth because I had a lot, and they do need to be in a single layer. You won't believe how crispy they are when they come out of the oven!

Finished product - crispy and salty

Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal

This is a little variation on the oatmeal recipe I put up several weeks ago - it's perfect for fall, especially if you have fresh pumpkin (i.e. not canned). If you need to use canned, a plain one is best (no seasonings - not pumpkin pie filling). Also, I used walnuts in mine but I think pecans would be great too!

Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

-1/2 cup rolled oats

-1 cup almond milk

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp nutmeg

-dash salt

-1 tsp vanilla

-1/4 cup pecans or walnuts

-maple syrup (as desired)

-raisins (optional)

Method:

Heat pumpkin puree in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add oats, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (and raisins if using) and bring to a low boil just for a few seconds, stirring. Then turn heat down to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, until oatmeal has absorbed a lot of the liquid and is cooked through. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, pour into a bowl. Top with nuts and as much maple syrup as desired.

Yum!

Extreme close up!

Creamy Rosemary Potato Leek Soup

One of my favorite things is really creamy soup... and I always felt guilty about eating it even before I was vegan because it just seemed like so much fat in the heavy cream, and the butter, etc etc. So when I find a recipe for a soup which turns out to be rich and creamy WITHOUT the cream and butter/oil, I jump on it. This recipe is really rich and very flavorful - and easy with not too many ingredients. Great flavors for fall.



Extreme close up!

Creamy Rosemary Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:



Soup, after pureeing, simmering on stove



-2 large Russet potatoes, or 6-8 small roasting potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed well, and roughly cut into 1-2" cubes

-2 small yellow onions, or 1 large one, peeled and roughly chopped

-3 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed and sliced

-4 cups vegetable broth

-1 tbsp olive oil

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

-1 tsp chipotle powder, or 2 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar

-salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add onions and leeks. Stir for about 5-6 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and stir for another minute or so. Then add the veggie broth and potatoes, turn up to a boil, and then stir and turn down to a low simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes get soft. At this point, add the rosemary, a dash of salt and pepper, and stir.

Remove from heat and let cool just a little so it's not very hot. At this point, put another pot on the stove which is big enough to hold all the soup (or if you don't have one, put out a big bowl that can hold it all). Bring the soup pot near where your blender (or food processor) is and ladle the soup into the blender about halfway full. Blend until well pureed. Then pour the pureed soup into the other pot/clean bowl you have put out, and repeat with the rest of the soup in batches. If you like some chunks, don't puree the last batch and just mix it back into the pureed soup.

Put the soup back on stove on a low simmer and add apple cider vinegar, chipotle powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with bread!

Finished product

Dark Chocolate-Coconut Brownie Bars

"This is the best dessert you've ever made." -my live-in recipe tester
This recipe is pretty decadent - not necessarily the healthiest dessert recipe but definitely one of the most delicious I have had in a while.  You can eat the finished product a bit warm, with your favorite vegan ice cream on top, or just like a cookie bar or brownie.

Dark Chocolate-Coconut Brownie Bars

Ingredients:

Out of the oven

-2 cups flour 
-3/4 cup softened vegan butter (like Earth Balance or margarine)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 cups brown sugar
-3/4 tsp salt
-3 egg replacers (1 tsp ground flax and 1 tbsp water per egg, or Ener-G, or another store bought egg replacer)
-1 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 cup shredded coconut
-1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (optional; I didn't use)

Method:

All ingredients mixed together

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13" glass Pyrex dish and set aside.

Mix together the softened (almost liquid) vegan butter, egg replacers, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl.

Add the baking powder and salt and combine well.  Then add flour and combine.  Then stir in chocolate chips and coconut (and nuts if using).

Spoon the dough into the baking dish and use a large spoon or spatula to pat down evenly.  Bake for about 35 minutes and cool on a rack.  Serve!

Dough patted down and ready for the oven

Garlic-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I like my sweet potato fries about the size of my fingers and WITH the skin on.  The skin is really good for you and also gives a little texture and crunch.  This is the best recipe I have tried for sweet potato fries and makes the kitchen smell great!

Garlic-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

-2 very large sweet potatoes
-1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
-1/2 tsp onion powder

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut potato lengthwise into strips/fries about 1/2-3/4 inch wide and keep them long (don't cut the potatoes width-wise or in half).  Pour them into a large bowl, pour the olive oil and spices all over and mix it up to coat with your hands.

Spread over 2 baking sheets (ungreased) so that each fry is not touching any other fry.  Bake for 20 minutes, then take out and shake the baking sheets to "flip" the fries.  Turn the oven down to 350F and put baking sheets back in the oven for another 10 minutes (watch to see how dark they're getting toward the end so they don't burn).

Take them out and pour the fries onto a plate covered with paper towels.  Enjoy!  I love dipping sauces but these were so flavorful they didn't need any!

Creamy Curry Coconut Corn Soup

This soup has so few ingredients and takes so little time, you can throw it together in minutes - maybe even with things you already have in your kitchen.  It is warming and great served over rice to make an even thicker kind of chowder.

Creamy Curry Coconut Corn Soup

Soup over rice

Ingredients:
-1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
-2 tbsp curry powder
-1 can (400 ml) coconut milk (tryto find one with the highest percentage of coconut and a lower percentage of water)
-2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
-4 cups corn kernels (I used organic canned)
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-salt and pepper to taste
-rice of your choice (optional)

Method:

In a medium soup pot, water stir fry the chopped onion (this means to cook the onion over medium heat with 1-2 tbsp water - just enough to prevent it from sticking to the pot).  Cook until soft, maybe 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the curry powder in a small nonstick pan and dry-roast it over low-medium heat for about 5-6 minutes to bring out the flavor.  Shake the pan every couple minutes to move the powder around.

Add the vegetable stock, corn, and curry powder to the onion in the soup pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Then add the can of coconut milk and cayenne pepper and stir together.  Taste and add salt/pepper if needed.  Serve over rice or alone!