Kale Garlic Superfood Stir-Fry

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm totally sucked into the kale trend. It's a powerhouse of nutrients (calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C), helps prevent cancer according to the Stanford Cancer Institute, and it tastes pretty darn good. I'm making all sorts of recipes with kale lately, and this is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

7 cups baby kale

½ yellow onion, chopped to your preference

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

2 tablespoons gluten-free chicken broth*

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1: In a large (and I mean large to fit all that good kale!) skillet, warm olive oil on low heat. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Step 2: Increase heat to low/medium and add onions to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sliced zucchini and yellow squash to the skillet. Continue to cook for 8-12 minutes.

Step 3: When your current stir-fry is almost completely cooked, add gluten-free chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium. Slowly stir in kale, making sure it gets covered in that garlicy goodness. Cook for 1-5 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your kale. I like mine fully cooked, but you get more nutrition out of the kale if you leave it kind of crunchy!

Step 4: Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the stir fry and cook for 1 more minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4.

*substitute vegetable broth or water to keep it vegetarian

Crispy Garlic Green Beans

"It's not easy being green." - Kermit the Frog

These green beans are my favorite french fry alternative. I realize that nothing could truly replace french fries, because really, they’re just a convenient way to get ketchup into our mouths, right? But these green beans come close. I've made them in the oven and on the stove-top, and I prefer stove-top just because it's a little easier to regulate the crunchiness!

Personally, I love these when they are extremely crunchy. The more burnt the better, and that is rare for me to say about food!  You can determine your own crunchiness—the longer you cook them, and the more oil you add, the more crunchy they will be. Try making them a couple different times and taste the difference!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ pound of green beans

Salt to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Add oil and garlic to a pan on medium heat. Saute garlic until it is lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Step 2: Slowly stir green beans into the pan, coating each bean with garlic and oil. Fry green beans, flipping frequently.

Step 3: Continue to fry green beans for 10-15 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached. Add additional olive oil if necessary.

Step 4: Sprinkle with salt and serve hot!

Serves 2-4.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

"Age is not important unless you're a cheese." - Helen Hayes

Last weekend my sisters and I went down to my grandparents house to visit. While I cleaned, my extremely talented sister Melanie cooked and froze meals. She adapted this recipe to be gluten-free, and I think it's fantastic (and super healthy too!). It is a great "hidden vegetable" recipe--perfect for kids but that adults will love too.

Ingredients:
3 cups of butternut squash (diced)
2 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 cup skim milk
2 cloves minced garlic
2T plain greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
16 ounces uncooked gluten-free brown rice spiral pasta
cooking spray
1-2 T dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large saucepan mix chicken broth, milk, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Add squash and cover, cooking on a low boil for 20-25 minutes (or until squash is tender).

Step 2: Put the contents of the saucepan, and greek yogurt, into a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture reaches a thick, liquid consistency. Transfer the liquid into a large bowl and mix in 2 cups cheddar cheese and rice pasta, stirring until all pasta pieces are covered.

Step 3: Spray a 13x9 oven safe dish with cooking spray. Transfer the contents of the large bowl into the oven safe dish. Top the dish off with the last 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the top of the dish with parsley and salt and pepper.

Step 4: Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and browning at the edges. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10. 

Kung Pao Beef

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf

Kung pao beef is one of my favorite foods! This is the closest I've gotten to making it restaurant style.  I think the key is marinating the beef and lots of peanuts. Served best with jasmine rice.

Ingredients:
3+3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white cooking wine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lemon
2 teaspoons corn starch
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 dried red peppers
1/4 cup dried peanuts, chopped
1/8 cup dried peanuts, halved
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 lb beef flank

Directions:

Step 1: Cut beef into bite sized pieces. In a gallon ziploc bag add beef, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, and cooking wine. Seal and let marinate for 30 minutes. 

Step 2: In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 cloves minced garlic, the juice from 1 lemon, corn starch, sugar, and salt. Stir and set aside.  

Step 3: In a large skillet or wok add 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1/8 cup halved dried peanuts, and dried peppers. Fry on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, longer if you wish the beef to be extra spicy.

Step 4: Add beef, onion, and chopped peanuts to the skillet. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Step 5: Pour sauce from the small bowl over the beef in the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Serve over jasmine rice.

Serves 4.

Sweet Basil and Garlic Chicken

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.” - Elsa Schiaparelli

I was about to make sweet and sour chicken when I realized that I didn't have pineapple juice. Crap! I had someone coming over for dinner and I didn't have time to run out to the store for that essential item. So I tore through my cupboards, threw ingredients into the pan, and hoped for the best. And the best is what I got! I made this exact same chicken for my fiance the next day, it was that good.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast strips
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 chopped green onions (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: In a large pan, sautee the garlic and grapeseed oil for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.

Step 2: Add chicken broth, onion powder, crushed garlic, butter, basil, and seasoned salt to the pan. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Add  the chicken to the pan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, turning twice.

Step 3: Turn heat to simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes so the chicken can fully absorb the flavor. (Add optional green onions here).  If your sauce is runny at this point, cook on high an additional 2-3 minutes to thicken, but make sure you take the chicken out first so you don't overcook.

Note: If you use full chicken breasts and not strips be sure to adjust the cook time accordingly. Also, the first time I made this I added chopped green onions, which tasted really good, but I ran out for the second batch. I think I prefer it without only because it didn't change the flavor significantly and it was extra work--but it does look prettier, so not a bad ingredient to add when serving guests! (2 scallions, chopped, added during the simmer step)

Serves 2.

Succulent Sour Cream and Onion Pork Chops

"Necessity is the mother of invention."

My dinner plans fell through last night, so I found myself gazing into my half empty refrigerator, unsure of what to make.  I realized that I had pork chops that were nearing the end of their shelf life, so I googled delicious pork chops. I discovered that pork chops and sour cream was a popular combo. My sour cream was close to going bad as well. Score! (No, I don't usually celebrate expiring milk products, but I hate wasting food haha) After reading through a few recipes to get ideas, I came up with this delicious recipe. It's one of my new favorites!

 Ingredients:
 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 large yellow onion (chopped)

1 lb bone-out pork chops

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon earth balance (or butter, if you’re feeling naughty!)

Directions:

Step 1: Cook onions, garlic (crushed and minced) in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the pork chops and cook an additional 8 minutes, turning half way through.

Step 2: Add to the pork chops 1 cup chicken broth, paprika, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and onion powder.  Bring broth to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn the chops and stir the onions. Cook an additional 10 minutes.  

Step 3: Uncover mixture and add sour cream and earth balance (or butter), stirring thoroughly. Let simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes.  Enjoy!

Serves 4.  Tastes great over jasmine rice or gluten-free noodles.