15
Feb

Ginger-Lime Kale over Quinoa

If you’re anything like me it took you awhile to jump aboard the kale train. Normally I’m a sucker for anything green, and vegetables are no exception, but kale and I did not have a good start. The first time I ate kale was in a raw salad and it was so bitter that I had to discreetly hide a mouthful in my napkin under the table (don’t laugh- you’ve all been there). After that I was afraid to try it again and for years either substituted other veggies like spinach and broccoli for kale or avoided dishes that called for it all together. After that first experience I was determined kale would not pass though my lips again. Here’s the thing about kale though… it’s really good for you. I mean really good for you. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamins like A and C, has incredible anti-inflammatory properties, is known for lowering cholesterol, fighting cancer and one measly serving contains over 20% of your daily fiber needs. Wow! And all I have to do to reap those nutritional benefits is to choke down some of that tough bitter leafy green stuff. But wait…stop those negative thoughts. I am proud to say that this winter I put my fears aside and bravely tried kale again.Guess what? It was really good. In fact it was more than good, it was clean my plate and go for seconds good.

Turns out that cooked kale is not bitter or tough at all, just the opposite. So what happened, how did I go from kale hater to kale lover in just one dish? Let me set the scene for you. Let’s call it… The Great Kale Revival. About a month ago I ventured out to the grocery store list in hand. On that list were ingredients to make Linguine with Swiss Chard and Sausage. Much to my dismay the Swiss Chard at the store was a bit tired looking- actually really tired looking, so limp that when I picked it up the leaves drooped over like a cooked noodle- yuck. I hemmed and hawed for a bit considering what I could use for a substitution . Just then a bunch of vibrant green leaves with curly edges caught my eye. I’m talking, of course, about kale. Could I do it? Would I do it? Before I could talk myself out if it the kale was in my cart, in my grocery bag, and in my fridge. That night I made the dish using kale instead of Swiss Chard. It was delicious. After only a few minutes of cooking the kale had yielded its bitterness and turned into a slightly sweet, slightly crunchy, absolutely wonderful green vegetable.
Since then I’ve become borderline obsessed with kale. Just this week alone we’ve eaten it in scrambled eggs, pasta sauce and meatloaf. Yesterday afternoon my husband was unpacking the groceries that I brought home and said, “oh look, more kale” as he pulled out a new bunch and added it to the other two already in the fridge. We now have one entire drawer that is filled with nothing else but kale .What can I say- I’ve been converted, this is good stuff. I want to share my new found love of kale with you. Even those of you who, like I once did, think you don’t like kale. I am here tell you tell you, to implore you, to give it one more shot. And what better way to enjoy kale than with one of my favorite flavor combinations ever- ginger, garlic and lime.
I’m convinced that you could add these three things to an old shoe and it would taste good. Seriously. There is something about this combo that I’m totally in love with. And since I’m also in love with kale right now…why not combine them? The idea for this recipe came from a wonderful magazine and website called Clean Eating. They follow a pretty simple philosophy over at Clean Eating: consume whole foods and prepare them close to their natural state. Sounds easy right? The dish that I created didn’t end up resembling the original inspiration dish very much (you can find it here if you’re interested) but I used the flavor combo as a jumping off point, and I definitely stayed true to the clean eating philosophy. So whether you’re on the fence about kale, a self-proclaimed kale lover,or like I used to be and convinced that kale is a no good,dirty rotten scoundrel – this dish is for you.

Print Recipe

Ginger-Lime Kale over Quinoa
inspired by Clean Eating Magazine
Serves 4

1 cup uncooked quinoa
8 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped small
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 oranges, peeled and pith removed, cut into small pieces

1. In a medium pot bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the quinoa has turned translucent .

2. In a large sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the kale and toss with the garlic and ginger. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes until the kale has turned bright green and begun to wilt.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lime juice, salt and orange pieces. Toss to combine. Serve over the quinoa.

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10
Feb

Chocolate Pavlova with Blood Orange Cream

I made you a dessert. A magnificent dessert. A dessert with chocolate and cream and tropical fruit. A dessert that will make your heart fill with joy and your mouth cry out for more. A dessert that is impressive to behold yet surprisingly simple to prepare. A dessert that is truly worthy of a holiday meant for love. ♥
You’re welcome.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of enjoying a Pavlova before, you’re in for a real treat. This meringue based dessert boasts an airy crisp crust and a chewy, almost marshmallow like center. It’s topped with whipped cream- I infused mine with a bit of fresh squeezed blood orange juice- and piled high with fresh fruits and berries. Pavlova is the perfect dessert to make for the one you love…or to ask the one you love to make for you. It does take a bit of time to prepare because the meringue needs to cook at a low temperature for about an hour and then cool slowly for another hour. But the hands on time is pretty minimal. And I promise…it is totally worth it.

Whipped egg whites and cocoa
Meet fresh fruit
All together now

Print Recipe

Chocolate Pavlova with Blood Orange Whipped Cream
barley adapted from Fine Cooking

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons blood orange juice, from 1 orange
2 cups fresh fruit and berries ( I used 2 kiwis, 1 mango, 1 blood orange, and about 1/2 a cup of raspberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 9 inch circle and place on a baking sheet.

2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, or using a large bowl and an electric hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tarter for about 30 seconds on medium speed until foamy. Slowly add 3/4 cup of sugar, cornstarch and vinegar. Raise the speed to medium high and whip for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks when the beater is raised out of the bowl. With the mixer on low add the sifted cocoa and mix until almost combined. Turn off the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and finish mixing in the cocoa by hand until it is completely incorporated.

3. Slide the meringue out of the bowl and onto the parchment circle. Spread it out so it fills the entire circle and smooth the top a bit. Don’t worry about making it perfectly level, the ridges and bumps will give the finished product character.

4. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 300ºF. Bake for another 45 to 50 minutes until it cracks around the edges and puffs in the middle. Turn off the oven and open the door a crack. Leave the meringue in the oven to cool for 45-60 minutes. The slower it cools the less it will collapse in the middle. You can make the meringue the day before you plan on serving it and leave it in the oven to cool overnight.

5. Right before serving beat the heavy cream, blood orange juice, and remaining two tablespoons of sugar in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Mound the whipped cream on the meringue and spread it almost to the edge. Top with fresh fruit and serve immediately.

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7
Feb

Maple Biscuits- Valentine’s Day Breakfast

Valentine’s Day is a stay at home holiday around here. We’re not dress up and go out to a fancy restaurant kind of people anyway, and the thought of trudging out on Valentine’s Day when the restaurants are all packed and the menu prices are sky high is frankly quite unappealing. Besides, I like to cook and Tim likes to eat what I cook… so it’s a win win for everyone. But that doesn’t mean I spend all day preparing a five course meal. Just the opposite in fact. Our Valentine’s Day meal is usually a simple affair. It’s more about favorite foods than fancy foods. This approach means that the Valentine’s Day meal really can last all day. I’m talking breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Okay, maybe lunch is only a sandwich cut into a heart shape or soup with a cute note taped to the lid, but it still counts in my book. Valentine’s Day breakfast is the real deal though. Homemade biscuits, crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, and fresh melon!
The best part of this Valentine’s day breakfast is how little time it took to make something that tastes sooo good. I probably only spent a total of 25 minutes on this meal and that includes the five to ten minutes it took me to dig out my heart shaped cookie cutters from the box I stashed them in last year.

First I made these simple maple biscuits. They would have tasted just as scrumptious round or square, but to make them Valentine’s Day appropriate I used a heart shaped cookie cutter.
I always use the same recipe for “Basic Rolled Biscuits” from my tattered and stained copy of the Joy of Cooking. Depending on how I want the biscuits to taste, or what I am serving them with, I add or change the ingredients as needed. This time I was going for a slightly sweet flavor so I substituted out a 1/4 cup of milk for the same amount of maple syrup. The syrup gave the dough a faint brownish hue and when I pulled them out of the oven they had deepened to the most gorgeous golden brown color.
You can certainly eat these sweet feathery biscuits on their own. I couldn’t resist the aroma of maple mixed with butter and I bit into one straight out of the oven, burning the tips of my fingers in the process. As I took a bite the soft, buttery dough melted in my mouth and the complex sweetness that only comes from real maple syrup made my taste buds step up and take notice. I could have easily consumed them all this way, leaning against the counter and licking my scorched fingers, but since this was supposed to be a meal for two I somehow summoned up enough self control to resist scarfing down the entire batch. Instead I sliced the biscuits in half and layered them with a few slabs of crispy bacon and a spoonful of scrambled eggs.
I topped them with the second half of the biscuit and there you have it- a Valentine’s Day breakfast sandwich!
We ate ours with heart shaped melon and fresh OJ…mmmm.

Print Recipe

Maple Biscuits
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking
Makes: 6-8 five inch heart-shaped biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line an ungreased baking tray with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt. Drop the cold butter into the flour mixture and toss them around a bit to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas.

3. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and maple syrup until completely combined. Pour the milk and syrup into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it just starts to form a dough. Using your hands form the dough into a ball and knead it gently in the bowl until all the dry or loose pieces are incorporated.

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the heart shapes out and place them on the parchment covered baking sheet. You will have to re-roll the scrapes if you are using a 5 inch cutter and want more than 6 biscuits. Be careful not to re-roll them too many times though or the biscuits will be tough instead of fluffy.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

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