Kale Salad With Cranberries

What's the secret to glowy skin and a happy belly? You might not like the answer. Raw kale! Despair not friends. I know how to make it delicious!

You'll need:

1 large head of kale

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 carrots, finely shredded

a half of a red onion

a palmful or so of hemp hearts

feta (optional, to taste)

for the dressing:

2 tbsp cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

the zest of an orange

a few tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix salad, then add dressing. Allow it to sit for a few hours, I promise it'll be worth the wait!

Veggie Biscuits and Gravy

Well gimme a stick of butter and call me Paula Deen, I made biscuits and gravy this morning. I'd never attempted this southern sunday morning classic before, and I had no IDEA what I was missing. Here's my recipe for a veggie version of buttery biscuits and creamy, salty, sausage gravy.

Biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Mix together dry ingredients. Cube butter, and crumble into flour mixture. Make a well in the center, and add the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Place dough onto a floured surface and turn it over on itself 4 or 5 times. Pat dough until it's about an inch thick. Cut out rounds with a cup (or something) and reform the dough when necessary. Place rounds onto floured baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes.

Gravy:

5 or 6 maple sausage patties, crumbled

1/2 cup milk

4 tbsp flour

s&p

Heat the sausage in an oiled pan. Whisk together flour and milk, add to pan and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for a bit, perhaps adding more milk depending on how think you prefer your gravy.

Spoon gravy over biscuits, add friends, devour.

Well, I don't mean eat your friends. Share with your friends. Sheesh.

The VEGGIE THING

At a festival in late July, my friends and I discovered this magical creation. It's simple:

-flour tortilla

-colby jack cheese

-broccoli, cut up into very small pieces

-spinach or spring lettuce

-really, whatever yummy raw veggies you have on hand

-dill sauce (recipe follows)

Heat the grill pan and drizzle olive oil. Brown one side of the tortilla, and turn it over. Sprinkle the desired amount of cheese on the tortilla. When the other side is gorgeously golden, place the tortilla on a plate and squirt the dill sauce on the cheesy side. Place veggies on the tortilla and fold it in half. Devour!

Dill sauce:

-2 parts mayo

-1 part sour cream

-onion powder

-garlic powder

-dried mustard powder

-dill weed

- salt and pepper

Stir ingredients together, gets better as it sits. :)

Tomato Pie

At a recent wednesday night summer cookout, I offered a piece to a friend. He looked my way and said, in his bashfully beautiful and charming southern twang, "Tomayta pah? I'd love some tomayta pah." And from then on it was decided that the correct pronunciation for the dish I am about to iterate is in fact, tom-aytah-pah.

-pie crust

-2 or 3 large and beautiful heirloom tomatoes, cut into rounds

-fresh mozzarella, also cut into thin rounds

-olive oil

-garden basil, chopped

-salt and peppa

Bake a homemade or store-bought pie at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Take the pie out, and drizzle the crust with olive oil. Layer the tomato rounds and the mozzarella rounds into the crust, and sprinkle the basil, salt, and pepper over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take it out, stare at it longingly for a few minutes, and then dig in. This sweet, salty, flaky, and juicy concoction was one of my summer favorites.

Hazelnut Eggplant Lasagna

• Perfect for a chilly winter night.
• 
  
• 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 3/4-inch thick (8 slices)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus more for baking dish
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
• 3/4 cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts
• 2 cups béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
• 
  

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on 2 sheet pans. Brush on both sides using 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant until it is soft and golden. Turn slices halfway through, about 25 minutes.

  Meanwhile, in a medium skillet add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the sliced mushrooms. Saute until soft for about 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped thyme. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once the mushrooms are cooked remove and set aside to cool.

  In a large bowl add the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, mushrooms, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Brush an 8-inch baking dish with oil.

  Layer the bottom of the baking dish with some of the sauce. Layer the eggplant, then the ricotta, then the rest of the sauce. Top with the remaining parmesan and the hazelnuts.
  
  
  For the Bechemel:
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

  
  

Fresh Pah-sta!

You haven't had pasta until you've had it fresh, okay? Here's my recipe for homemade pasta without a pasta maker:

-2 1/4 flour

-3 eggs

-a dash salt

Give your countertop a good scrubbing, and then put the flour right

there on the counter. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Starting from the center, mix in the eggs with your hands; just get all up in there. After about 10 minutes of kneading and mixing, separate the dough into four balls and let rest for 30 minutes. Drink wine. Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball of dough until it's an eighth to a sixteenth inch thick. Cut the dough into strips, or nice organically-shaped polygons. Flatten the strips a bit more with your roller, and allow the pasta to dry on a cookie sheet covered in wax pape

r for at least an hour (after this critical hour is up, you are free to cook OR store the pasta how you please.) Fresh pasta takes about 5-8 minutes to cook, depending on how large your pieces are. Two pasta-making-rules of thumb: generously salt and water, and don't forget to stir at least every minute. Well there you have it, hope you enjoy, my fellow pastafarians!

Coconut Almond Butter Granola

Goooood morning! Or good afternoon, or good middle of the night, because this yummy snack can be enjoyed any time of the day.

You'll need:
-2 cups rolled oats
-3/4 cups of your favorite trail mix (sans M&Ms)
-4 tbsp honey
-1/4 cup coconut flakes
-1.5 cups almond butter

Preheat oven to 300 F. Melt the almond butter in the microwave, it takes about 30-40 seconds. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and then transfer to an oiled pan or baking sheet. Cook for 30-35 minutes.

Warm Turmeric Hummus

This hummus is yellow, and a little spicy, and all kinds of different!

You'll need:

-2.5 cups boiling water

1.5 cups dried garbanzo beans, rinsed

-3/4 tbsp turmeric

-1.5 tbsp tahini

-1 lemon

-2 tbsp olive oil

-1 tbsp red pepper flakes

-salt n' peppa

Add beans and turmeric to boiling water. Bring to simmer, and cook for 1-2 hours. Drain beans, and place in food processor. Add tahini, lemon, olive oil, pepper flakes, and s&p (all to taste!) I find that this tasty treat is yummiest when warm, and tastes wonderful rolled in spinach leaves, with any other raw veggie like carrots or celery, and of course with fresh pita or naan. MMMMM. Dip up!

Chocolate Cake with Sweet Cream Strawberry Frosting

The cake

• Butter, for greasing the pans (or cooking spray)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder (free trade cocoa if you can!)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shaken whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• • • 1 cup freshly brewed coffee

The frosting

1/4 cup softened butter
1 8 ounce container mascarpone, at room temperature
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons raspberry (or whatever you have) jam
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Butter and flour two 8 inch round non-stick cake pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder in salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Using the electric mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry. With the mixer on low, add the coffee. Use a spatula to finish mixing (the electric mixer could potentially over-mix the batter!) Pour the batter into the cake pans and cook for 35-40 minutes.

When you take out the cakes, allow them to cool completely before you frost them. Trust me... it's worth the wait.

I've got a secret to share with you... whoever you are. Right after you put the cake in the oven, fill a large basting pan with ice and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. I use this trick for a lot of oven baked goodies, and it makes everything so moist!

Sweet Cream Strawberry Frosting:

Cream butter and mascarpone with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy. Mix in the jam and strawberries. Slowly add in the powdered sugar to your desired consistency. Eat some.

Red Potato and Leek Soup with Thyme Crunchies

Mmmmmm. Winter food. Soul food. Couldn't be easier.

For the soup:

-2 tbsp olive oil

-2tbsp butter

-6 (or so) cups vegetable stock

-3 whole leeks, chopped

-6 large red potatoes or 12 small, chopped

-1 white or yellow onion

-3 cloves garlic

-salt and pepper

-dill, to taste

-thyme, to taste

Crunchies (croutons, whatever)

-half a loaf of french bread

-olive oil for drizzling

-salt and pepper

-5 or 6 sprigs of thyme

Melt the butter in a pot, toss in minced garlic and diced onion. When onions are translucent, drizzle pan with olive oil and throw in chopped leaks. Cook for 5 minutes, and then add the remaining ingredients. Bring pot to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow soup to cook and get all yummy for 30-40 minutes, depending on how tender you like your potatoes. Season to taste, and don't forget to add the croutons! I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top... because cheese = YUM.

For the crunchies, prehead the oven to 400.

Cut up the bread into cubes and throw the pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread, and then sprinkle the salt, pepper and time over top. Mix the bread around with your hands to coat the pieces. Bake for 10 minutes. *Cronsh* :]