Kale | Eat Your Heart Out

Spinach and Kale Pesto

January 7, 2013 by Stephie 13 Comments

I’m trying to watch The Bachelor while I write this.

Scratch that. I’m trying to write this while I watch The Bachelor.

I’m sorry if images of Sean with his shirt off cause me to not be quite as articulate as normal.

In fact, you know what? Let’s just get to the recipe.

What we’ve got here is a gorgeous, down-to-earth guy…oh wait. That’s Sean again. Crap.

Ok, seriously. This pesto is delicious, but packed with healthy, nutrient-packed spinach and kale. Use it as you would any other pesto! In fact, my friend Stef has a great way for you to use it on some roasted potatoes. (And no, we did not confer about our kale pesto-making ahead of time.)

Have some pesto left over? Store it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer. When you’re ready to use it again, just thaw it out and you’ll be ready to go.

Spinach and Kale Pesto

Yield: Over 1 cup of pesto

Ingredients

2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
2 cups spinach
1-2 cloves garlic
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup toasted, slivered almonds
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the kale and cook for 1 minute. Immediately drain and dunk into ice-cold water to halt the cooking. Drain and wring out any excess water.
In a food processor, combine the kale, spinach, garlic, cheese and almonds. Pulse to combine. While the machine is running, stream in the olive oil, adding a little more until you reach your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, and pulse to combine again.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Almonds, Gluten-free, Healthy, kale, Pesto, Quick and easy, spinach, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Stew

November 29, 2012 by Stephie 9 Comments

I have a confession: I am really weirdly picky about soup.

Cheese had better be involved. Also, if there is cream in that situation, that’s even better. Bean-based soups are pretty good, too. But broth-based soups? Not exactly a fan. In fact, I tend to avoid them if possible. Sure, I’ll eat them…they just aren’t my favorite.

So when I found a broth-based stew recipe in Midwest Living magazine, I was surprised to find that it was calling to me, begging me to make it happen in my kitchen. I mean, of course I had to alter it quite a bit…but the general structure is still there. And there isn’t a drop of cream or speck of cheese in sight. And you know what? I really liked it. WEIRD, I know.

In fact, my father has declared this to be his new favorite soup of all time. Big statement, right there. I think he would eat an entire pot of this soup by himself if he could. But if you’re going to eat a giant pot of soup, this might be the one to choose. It’s hearty and will warm you up from the inside out, but is full of all sorts of winter veggies to keep you healthy during these long, cold months. Plus, it freezes extremely well, making it a great option for making ahead and reheating later. Consider serving it on top of some brown rice for some extra hearty goodness.

Maybe this is all a sign that I’m starting to grow up and appreciate soups that are actually good for me…Yikes!

Adapted from December 2012 Midwest Living Magazine.

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Stew

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups cubed sweet potato
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon each dried parsley and dried oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked chicken
1 13-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, sliced
½ bunch kale, stems removed and cut into manageable pieces

Instructions

In a dutch oven, saute onion, carrot and garlic in the oil until onion is soft. Add stock, potato, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried herbs and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer 20-25 minutes, until potato is tender. Stir in chicken, sausage, and kale. Simmer until heated through and kale is wilted.
Will last for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

Notes

The longer this sits, the more the flavor of the smoked turkey sausage mingles with the rest of the soup. You might consider making this the night before, then reheating and adding the kale just before serving.

Filed Under: Main dish, Soups Tagged With: Allergy friendly, Chicken, dairy-free, Fall, Gluten-free, Healthy, kale, Main dish, Quick and easy, Soup, sweet potatoes, Vegetables, winter

Cobb Salad, Revisited

August 6, 2012 by Stephie 1 Comment

Did anyone out there have an “eat weekend”?

*Raises hand*

My cousin got married this weekend, which means I spent most of the weekend socializing with various family members and…well, eating.

After all of the food, drinks, and wedding cake…it might be time for a salad at least once this week. But let’s not just stick with our normal, boring go-to salad. Let’s take something traditional, and give it a little spin. You know…revisit it.

Let’s take a traditional Cobb salad, for example. Let’s keep the same basic components you would normally find, but give them a twist.

Let’s use kale instead of lettuce.

Let’s toss our kale in a creamy, Greek yogurt-based Dijon dressing.

Change out the blue cheese for feta.

And instead of a hard-boiled egg…you know we need to get a poached egg all up in there. The runny yolk? Well, that will just become absolute perfection once it is mixed with the cool, crisp kale and the creamy dressing. Runny yolks for days! Seriously, put a poached egg on just about anything and it’s going to dramatically improve your life.

And above all, keep it easy when you’re recovering from summer wedding season. You’ve already spent too much time contemplating what you wore to each event…no need to over-complicate things now.

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Monday marked the start of a new #shereadstruth plan! This month we are reading through the book of Proverbs, one chapter each day. Each day there will be a new blog post on the She Reads Truth website with thoughts and insights on that day’s chapter. To learn more about this new plan or to find out how you can get caught up with previous reading plans, click here. I hope you will consider joining us as we continue to delve into God’s word and gain wisdom and insight from fellowship with each other.

Cobb Salad, Revisited

Yield: 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:

¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons water
Pinch of salt

For the salad:

1 bunch kale, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, diced
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
¼ cup feta cheese
2-4 poached (or fried) eggs (1 per person being served)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, adding additional water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach your desired consistency.
Just before serving, toss the kale with the dressing. Top with the avocado, bacon, tomatoes and feta cheese. Place a poached or fried egg over each serving; serve immediately, preferably alongside some good, crusty bread.