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Baby Kale and Lentil Salad

Hi guys I have found another recipe that you all should try.  It makes a great side dish or you could eat it alone as a big salad for lunch! As you may have guessed I am a huge fan of kale and I have recently found that I love lentils so this is a great pairing.  The recipe calls for goat cheese, but I don’t really care for it so I just left that out of mine. I found this recipe on Mind Body Green.

I apologize for the quality of the photo it was taken with my phone and poor lighting conditions.

Kale and Lentil Salad

 

It is quick, simple and really taste great! Enjoy!

Baby Kale and Lentil Salad

Serves 4

1/2 lb lentils

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 red onion, sliced

6 oz baby kale

2 oz crumbled fresh goat cheese

Rinse the lentils then cover with water by 2 inches. Boil the lentils until they are tender, but still whole, about 20 minutes. Drain them and cool to warm.

While the lentils cook, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a serving bowl. Stir in the onion and let sit 10 minutes.

Stir in the lentils while they are still warm, then stir in the kale and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Let’s Chat: 

What is your favorite way to use kale? I love to use it in smoothies, but I also cook with it fairly often as well.

 

 

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Hi guys! It’s been awhile since I have shared a recipe. This one is just in time for all this crazy cold weather we are having!

This one is  a “new to me” recipe.  I’ve had this recipe in my stack to try, which by the way has gotten seriously out of hand, for awhile now.  There are just too many enticing recipes out there.  This Curried Sweet Potato Soup was so easy to make and absolutely delicious.  It won over my husband and that is not an easy thing to do! It is Lindsay’s recipe from The Lean Green Bean.  I stuck with her recipe except that I did not have any leeks so I used 1/2 onion instead. Also her recipe calls for celery but doesn’t say how much so I used 2 large stalks, I added that into the recipe below. There is just enough spice in the soup to add warmth and depth.  OMG so good, I plan on making another pot of it this week.  I also garnished a couple bowls of mine with some bacon but it taste great either way. Enjoy!

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Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 leeks
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 1 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 Qt veggie broth
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Plain yogurt and cilantro to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1) In stock pot melt butter, add leeks, ginger and celery. Cook til wilted.

2) Add sweet potatoes, curry and veggie broth.

3) Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

4) Puree the soup in batches in blender. Or use an immersion blender. Add cayenne pepper and garnishes if desired.

 

 

Ginger Inspired

I am crazy about ginger. I love in it in teas, food, smoothies, juices…basically everywhere.  One of my favorite sauces to use is this

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Oh my goodness it is so good you can put it on anything!  Anyway so last night for dinner J sauteed up some chicken, I steamed some broccoli then added a little celtic salt and drizzled it with the ginger sauce. I also made eat live run’s Honey Ginger Glazed Carrots and they were so good!  You need to try them, so simple and alot of flavor!

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Another food that I am excited about lately is Purple Potatoes! Do you guys ever eat these? I’ve known about them for awhile but I didn’t really know much about them so I would always pass over them and reach for sweet potatoes.  I finally decided to do a little research and I when I did I could not wait to try them! The neat thing about them is that they taste like regular Russet Potatoes but there nutritional benefits are much greater. Purple potatoes contain 4 times the antioxidants than russet potatoes. Apparently Anthocyanin is the pigment that causes the potatoes to be purple and acts as the antioxidant.  All potatoes are high in potassium but the higher antioxidants in the purple potatoes make them more effective in regulating blood pressure. So basically if you want the taste of a russet potato with amped up nutritional value then reach for the purple potato!!!

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Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Let’s Chat:

Have you ever tried Purple Potatoes?

Are you a fan of Ginger? 

It’s a week til Christmas! Are you ready??

 

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I was in the mood for muffins and and decided to add a little spice to my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. The recipe is almost the same just a couple of additions.  Also please note that these muffins are Gluten and Dairy Free! I have been doing a little research on Xanthan Gum and how adding it to gluten free baking can really help with the consistency of the flour.  It helps to replicate the structural components of gluten.  I added a little to these muffins and I am so happy with how they turned out!

Here’s what you will need :

1/4 cup of canola oil

4 bananas

1 egg

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of baking stevia

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup of dairy free chocolate

1 cup of Bob’s Red Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup of Bob’s Red Mills Brown Rice Flour

Yields 14 Muffins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and slice 4 very ripe bananas into chunks. Put them in a large bowl and mash the bananas. Stir in the canola oil. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Beat the egg with a fork. Add the egg, stevia, and vanilla to the banana mixture. Stir in the xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda and the salt. Mix in the flour and the chocolate then pour it into the muffin cups. Bake for 18-19 minutes. Enjoy!!