Curried Millet and Veggie Salad

At the beginning of May, the health food store that I work for (Goodness Me!) ran a Community Cleanse Challenge, both for the community to join in, as well as staff. (my store won for best overall store participation...woot woot team Brantford!!!)

Anyhoo, both my husband and I jumped on the cleanse bandwagon, and for two weeks have been eating clean and healthy. Our diet is already pretty clean, but its sometimes good to check in on all the little habits that creep back into your diet and linger. A cleanse is a great reset...it gives your digestive system a great spring cleaning!! 

I was looking for something different to cook for dinner one night, and saw millet listed on the chart  of "ok" foods. So I cooked a big batch pot of this delicious little seed (yes, it is technically a seed, not a grain!) for dinner and then had to come up with a use for the rest. I had a fridge full of veggies for eating on the cleanse, so I started chopping and this salad was born!

It keeps really well in the fridge for 3-4 days, and is great warm or cold. We  topped it with both salmon and chicken to add some protein, and I think it would be great with chickpeas for a vegan version. It makes enough for a crowd, or for several meals during the week. Definitely a keeper recipe, cleansing or not!! If you don't have any millet, cooked quinoa would be a great alternative!! 

Curried Millet and Veggie Salad

3 cups cooked millet (I toasted mine first, follow this link for cooking instructions! )   

3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

4 cups chopped kale (green, red, black or a combo!)
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup diced red pepper (red, yellow, orange…mix it up!!)
1 cup diced zucchini ¼ - ½  cup cilantro, chopped (optional if you hate it!!)

Dressing:

1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you can!)

4 Tbsp avocado or olive oil

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp herbamare or sea salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix veggies, seeds and millet in a large mixing bowl.

Measure dressing ingredients into a mason jar, shake well and toss with other ingredients. 

Eat as is, or add your choice of protein (pre-cooked chicken, salmon, beans...the choice is yours!)

(Its also delicious heated!!!)

Store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

All ready for lunch with some leftover salmon!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

When I plant my garden in the spring, I tend to be an over planter, which is all fine and dandy, until later in the season...when the plants go wild and you cannot even begin to wade thru the greenery without stepping on something. But, in the early summer, when everything is behaving well, my garden is a lovely calm place to while away the time pulling weeds,  and thinning the rows of beautiful greens. Which leads us to this salad. Instead of thinning and tossing, I like to use the thinning in salads like this, kind of a waste-not-want-not kind of thing. It makes me feel less guilty about pulling out perfectly good plants :)

Baby Kale against a backdrop
of carrots, that need to be thinned
as well!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

6 cups chopped baby Kale (packaged or picked from your garden!)

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

2 avocados, diced

2 cups strawberries, hulls removed and sliced

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white balsamic

Zest and juice of one organic lemon

1 tsp sea salt or herbamare

1 Tbsp honey

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped garlic chives (optional, you can sub regular chives if desired)

Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients into a 2c mason jar. Place lid on snuggly and shake well to combine.

Toss together well and serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator for up to a day if desired.

Squeeze lemon into your jar

use rasp to grate the zest BEFORE
squeezing the lemons...much easier!

to cool your quinoa quickly,
spread on a large plate and
set in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Perfect side dish for BBQ Chicken 

Egg Drop Soup with Kale and Miso

I was driving home the other day, and talking to my hubbie on the phone(using the  Bluetooth in my car, of course...safety first!!) about what he was going to feed me when I arrived home (He had the day off, it was his turn to cook!). He was going thru all of the bits and pieces of leftovers in the fridge, but they were all spoken for already other dinners (these lovely Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes from Against All Grain were one of those meals). I could hear his frustration building as we spoke…there was NOTHING to eat quickly….or so he thought, silly guy! I had him start sautéing some veggies, and when I arrived home threw the rest of the soup together in a flash. We had two beautiful bowls of hearty, nutrient dense soup that was absolutely delicious, and ready in about 20 minutes flat. (and the bone broth was frozen too!) Dilemma solved, and in such a tasty way!


Egg Drop Soup with Kale and Miso

Makes 2 generous bowls of soup.

 1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped

1 cup chopped kale, (approx 2 lg leaves) thick stem removed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp avocado oil (or coconut, or butter)

2 cups bone broth (use beef or chicken, I believe we used beef )

1 cup water

1 tsp Mame miso (or miso of choice)

2 tbsp water

½-1 tsp sriracha sauce (optional, look for one with good ingredients!)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Smoked sea salt to taste

This is a traditional soybean
Miso... there are many other
types. The flavour will differ
slightly, but any of them
would work!

In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped kale and sauté until the veggies just start to brown and soften, 3-4 minutes more approx.  Add bone broth and the first amount of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer. (if your bone broth is frozen, like mine almost always is, add the frozen stock to the veggies, put a lid on the pot and leave on medium heat until melted, then bring to a boil and simmer)

While it simmers, in a small bowl, mix the Miso paste with the second amount of water until well combined.  Add the sriracha if using, and stir into gently simmering soup.

Slowly drizzle the beaten eggs back and forth over the surface of the soup, taking care not to pour all in one spot. Lightly stir (you don’t want to mix the egg in totally) until the egg turns opaque, approx 1 minute.

Season with salt and serve warm. 

Chunky Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon And Kale

With fall settling in to Southern Ontario, the days are rapidly changing from salad days to soup days. Hearty stick to your ribs kind of soups that comfort , nourish and warm you to the core. This is a perfect recipe for a fall lunch or dinner, I hope you enjoy it!

The squash could be roasted in advance to save a bit of time, making this an easy soup to get on the dinner table fast. 

Chunky Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon And Kale

1 large butternut squash

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup finely diced bacon

2 onions, peeled and chopped (a very generous cup full!)

1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, and chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp turmeric

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

7 cups bone broth (I used chicken)

Preheat oven to 375F

Cut squash into manageable chunks, peel and remove the seeds. Cut into 1 ½ inch chunks, toss with coconut oil, and roast in a large pan in preheated oven for 60 minutes. The squash should be softened and just starting to brown slightly. Remove from oven and set aside. 

Sauté the bacon in a heavy bottomed large pot, stirring often until just cooked thru, approx 4-5 minutes. Add the diced onions and cook until the onions start to soften, another 4-5 minutes. Add the Kale and the spices, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the pre-roasted squash to the pot and lightly mash to break up the chunks slightly. This helps add some body to the soup.

Add 1 cup of the bone broth to the pot, and stir, scraping  to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve. 

Creamed Kale and Eggs

We like to grow  Dinosaur or
 Lacinato Kale, we find  it is
easier to harvest and wash.

I am always on the lookout for kale recipes at this time of year to make use of the over abundance in the garden. I came across this recipe and couldn't wait to try it! You will need a good cast iron pan, or something similar that can go from the stove top straight into the oven.

Creamed Kale and Eggs

1 medium sized onion

1 tbsp butter

2 cups of chopped kale

½ cup cream (or non-dairy substitute)

4 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F

Sauté the onion in the butter in a medium-ish sized cast iron pan. When it is starting to soften and brown, add the kale and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until it reduces slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Crack 4 eggs into pan on top of the kale/cream mixture, and bake in oven until eggs whites are set, and yolks are still slightly runny. Season with salt and pepper to taste, split between two plates, and enjoy!

Inspiration recipe can be found here http://deliciouslyorganic.net/creamed-kale-and-eggs-recipe/

Cheesy Turkey, Kale and Quinoa Casserole

I love it when inventions end up being awesome. As with many of my days off, I spent a large part of today in my kitchen, and was trying to come up with a plan for dinner. With another turkey day looming in the not so distant future, I figured it was about time to use up some of the leftovers in my freezer from the last turkey day. Add some fresh kale from the garden, yummy quinoa, and a grain free cheese sauce, and it turned into a tasty meal that even my Quinoa-hating-Kale-hating teenagers ate without a single complaint. The smoked Gruyere cheese added a wonderful smoky flavour that melded all of the flavours together into a tasty tasty meal. Definitely a keeper! (We followed it with this butterscotch pudding http://zoebakes.com/2012/03/21/butterscotch-pot-de-creme-a-10-name-for-a-kickin-pudding/print/  , hands down the best I have ever made!)

Cheesy Turkey, Kale and Quinoa Casserole

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken

Quinoa:

2 cups of dry quinoa

3 cups of chicken broth

Vegetables:

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

4 packed cups of chopped kale

Cheese sauce:

¼ cup butter

½ cup almond flour

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups grated smoked Gruyere cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Topping:

1 tbsp almond flour

Directions:

Cut up your chicken or turkey and set aside.

Make your Quinoa: Bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add your quinoa, and let it return to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 18 minutes, or until all the broth is absorbed. Remove lid and set aside to cool slightly. (You won’t use all of what you cooked, save the last cup for another dish)

Prepare your vegetables: Melt butter (2 Tbps) in a large cast iron skillet. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften and just slightly brown (5-7 minutes). Add chopped kale and continue to sauté and stir until it is nice and wilty, about 7 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare your cheese sauce: Melt butter (¼ cup) in a large pot (you are going to mix everything together in the pot, so be sure to use a big one!). Add the almond flour and salt and pepper and stir till combined and starting to bubble.  Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until it is well combined. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly. Add grated cheese and stir till melted.

Assemble: To your cheese sauce, add the cut up turkey, 4 cups of the cooked quinoa, and your sautéed kale and onions. Mix well and spoon into a large casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1 tbsp almond flour and bake in a 350F oven for ½ hour or until it starts to bubble around the edges.

Serve hot!