Crunchy Sesame Kale Chips

Continuing with my healthy snack food (and beyond) series, I'd like to introduce you to a leafy green superstar.

Let's hear some applause for KALE! 

Kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
Like most leafy green veggies, it's nearly impossible have too much of it in your diet.
So strap on the feed bag! Here comes the kale.

One cup of kale contains only 36 calories, it's a great source of fiber, and contains15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

All of the above facts translate to this:
Kale is extremely beneficial in lowering cholesterol and in the prevention of heart disease. The extreme vitamin K content means it's a cancer preventing superfood. It has cellular detoxifying properties and  kale also helps to maintain a normal blood sugar level and hence, is very advantageous for people suffering from diabetes.
Actually, the more research I do on kale, the more benefits I find. I've come across articles stating it improves dental hygiene, as well as overall bone health. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is able to aide in digestion. It seems as though its benefits are endless.

Now, If kale could only learn to do the dishes!  ...


The recipe that follows is so easy, versatile and delicious you won't have any problem increasing your kale intake.

CRUNCHY SESAME KALE CHIPS

Ingredients: 

1 big bunch of Organic Kale
2 tsp Garlic Gamasio
2 tsp Sesame Seed
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Organic Sugar * If you are diabetic, use Coconut Palm Sugar (I'll address the amazing properties of coconut sugar in an upcoming post)
Smoked Salt
African Smoke Spice Blend
1 1/2 tsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Sesame oil OR Truffle oil

First up, wash and "de-rib" the Kale

Since you bought organic kale, be sure to wash it well. I always like to give mine a full on plunge into a big bowl of ice water. Once it's thoroughly clean, de-rib it by holding the thick end of the stem in one hand and running a sharp knife along either side of it to remove the leafy matter.

Done! 
You should now have a pile-o ribs and a pile-o leaf 

 you might be tempted to throw away the ribs, BUT this is just the sort of thing that I hang on to for later use in soup stock ... so if you're inclined, throw the ribs into a zip-lock and put them in the freezer.  I encourage you to start you're own soup stock bag! 

Next, dry the kale REALLY well. Feel free to break out the salad spinner or simply use a towel ... Just make certain that it's completely dry or it will steam, it won't crisp up.

Preheat the oven to 300

Gather the remaining ingredients

Let's talk about the spices because there may be some things here that you don't have or aren't familiar with.  
Gamasio is a standard Japanese condiment made from a toasted sesame seed base. You can find it in most natural food stores. It comes in different varieties, I usually get the garlic blend. I use it on everything from veggies to tofu or meat, in rice, on eggs etc.  If you don't have it just substitute extra sesame seeds and some garlic powder.
Smoked Salt is readily available in many stores. I recommend adding it to your spice collection. It brings in a nice flavor profile that you can't really get from anything else. If you don't have any however, just use sea salt. 
The African Smoke Spice Blend has become a recent staple in my house. It comes from Trader Joes and its main ingredient is smoked paprika flakes. If you don't have this on hand, substitute smoked or regular paprika powder. 
In the past, when I've made these kale chips, I always used a bit of Sesame Oil along with the olive oil. Today, I found I was all out of sesame oil, so to bring on some extra flavor, I used Black Truffle Oil. All I can say is "oh, sssoooo yummy!" Truffle oil is also something I highly recommend adding to your cooking arsenal. It's a bit pricey but a little goes a long way, and boy-o-boy is it worth it! 
OK back to the recipe

Mix together the dry ingredients 

Stir the Oils into the dry seasonings. Add the kale and gently massage the sesame and oil mixture onto the leaves of the kale. The goal is to have the seasoning evenly coat the leaves without them being too oily ~just beautifully shiny

Transfer the kale to a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crispy, checking occasionally and turning if necessary. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Eat them as is, crunch them up and sprinkle on pop corn, mound them on top of a baked potato, use them to season just about anything ...
Go wild with kale! 

   

Crunchy Greek Chick Peas

A few posts back, *see GREEK GRILL, I featured some Crunchy Chick Peas that pleasantly complimented my Greek take on burgers and fries.

These little gems also make a great protein packed snack.

The Chick Pea or Garbanzo Bean is a legume super food.
High in fiber, low in fat, these golden round beauties actually have blood sugar regulating properties! They're also a good source of antioxidants and give great digestive support. In some studies, people who ate small amounts of garbanzo beans daily, noticed significantly lessened appetites overall.

Well, I'm sure I could go on and on about the multitude of health benefits of the Chick Pea, but what about the taste?

Chick Peas have a unique and pleasantly "nutty" flavor. they're mild and buttery but, they are one of those foods that some people hate because of their slightly mushy interior texture.
In this recipe that texture is transformed into a lovely crunch. Every bite packs a punch of flavor and crisp nutty goodness.

So, as promised, here's the "how to".


Ingredients:

25 oz can of Organic Garbanzo Beans
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Marjoram
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
*1/4 tsp cayenne* (optional)
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
2 cloves Garlic - crushed or finely minced
Lemon Zest from 2 lemons - divided
Olive Oil -  just enough

Drain the Chick Peas ~ Give them a good rinse to remove excess sodium. 


Now dry them! 

It's important that they are really dry. So get a towel, dump them on it, cover them over and gently roll them around to dry. As you do this, you'll notice the "garbanzo skins" will start to come off. This is what you want. It's not that the skins are bad, it's just that like our own skin, they hold moisture so the more of them that come off the quicker the crispy - crunchy effect will happen.


Preheat your oven to 400.  

Make the spice mixture ~ In a bowl, stir together all the herbs and spices plus the zest of 1 lemon.
Put the Chick Peas in the bowl with the spices and give a quick toss. Not much will stick to them because you did such a great job with the drying process! 

Slowly dreeezzle just enough olive oil to make the spices stick.

Transfer to a baking sheet ~ make sure they are arranged in a single layer. Now pop them in the oven. Set the timer for 8 minutes. Turn (or roll) the Chick Peas and reset the timer for another 8 minutes. Continue to do this, checking and rolling every 8 min. until they're crisp and crunchy. It should take 20-30 minutes. Remove when crisp and sprinkle with remaining zest.  

These yummy ~ salty ~ crispy ~ crunchy garbanzos are great as is.
OR try them instead of a crouton on a salad or in soup. Sprinkle them on top of a stir fry OR stir them into cooked rice or quinoa ... that is, if there are any left.  (~just make a triple batch!)


* Get creative.. It's surprising how versatile the chick pea can be. 
Try using sesame oil and sesame seeds in the spice mix, OR a bit of cardamon, cinnamon and sugar for a dessert mix OR maybe an Italian blend with red pepper flakes, rosemary and parmesan.
The possibilities are endless.    

Get Crunchy!

Most of us out there Love a good snack.

What makes a great snack in my opinion is crunch ... there's just something so lip smack'n satisfying about salty crunchy goodness. That's why we all love potato chips so much!
But, unless you plan on shopping for new pants that fit every week, shoveling in the chips when you have a snack-y hankering just isn't an option.

My next few posts will feature a small assortment of crunchy snack ideas that are a healthy alternative to chips. Keep in mind that these "snacks" can also serve as a creative addition to many dishes, as toppers or sides.

The recipes that follow have been put together with a good friend, who has recently been diagnosed with type two diabetes, in mind. The snack ingredients featured include Chick Peas, Kale and Pepitas, all of which are highly valuable in diabetic diets ~  I'll get into the specifics with each post.

I hope you Enjoy! 

Raw Asparagus Salad

It's springtime! At this time of year, asparagus is the veggie that reigns supreme. Because it's a perennial, its beautiful tender shoots are one of the first fresh things to erupt from the soil.
And, as an as added bonus, asparagus is chock full of great nutrition. It's a good source of antioxidants, high in folic acids, and loaded with essential vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. It also contains good levels of copper and iron and is a good source of both protein and fiber.

This salad features asparagus in it's raw form, which is something many of us are not used to. But because there is no cooking involved, it is VERY SIMPLE to make.
How simple? Well let me tell you ... The other night I was invited to a gathering. Ten minutes before leaving, I got the call. "I just found out" says my friend, "the gathering is pot luck." "But don't worry, if you have nothing to bring, I'm sure it'll be fine." Yes, I'm sure it would have been fine, but as a chef, it goes against my religion to show up to a pot luck empty handed. Don't panic! What's in the fridge? What can I throw together in 5 minutes time?
Vwah- la! The Raw Asparagus Salad is born!

Ingredients:

1 bunch Asparagus - be sure they're fresh, tender and thin
Sliced Almonds 
2 TBSP Shallot or Red Onion
1 1/2 TBSP Dijon Mustard   
Olive Oil - about 1/4 cup?
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 TBSP Vinegar - I used an orange champagne vinegar but white wine or apple cider vinegar will work too
Dill
Thyme
Salt  
Pepper
Pinch of Raw Organic Sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the mustard vinaigrette : Thin the mustard by adding the lemon juice and vinegar, add the dill, thyme, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking if needed.
Thinly slice the asparagus on the bias. Finely chop the onion or shallot. Toss asparagus and shallot into the prepared dressing. Let it sit and marinate for at least a half an hour. The acid of the vinaigrette will "cook" the asparagus. Just before serving, stir in the sliced almonds.
You're guaranteed to get rave reviews!              
   
** This salad is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free!

Buffalo Stout Stroganoff over Wide-Cut Parsley Noodles

I love playing with food!
... and by playing I mean taking new approaches to old favorites, putting a simple added touch to a dish to make it extra special
or working with unique ingredients to create unexpected flavor profiles.

With this dish, I've achieved all of those things.

The old favorite: Beef Stroganoff.
The new approach: Substitute buffalo for beef. Not only does buffalo have 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, on average it has 50% less cholesterol. And on top of that, it is higher in protein, iron and all the omega and amino acids. Plus, it's YUMMY! 
The extra special: Make the noodles from scratch. It's not as hard as it sounds ~ really. Making your own pasta is actually quite simple, especially if you invest in a pasta roller. You'll spend $25 or less to get hand crank style and it's well worth it. ( I paid $9.99 for mine on ebay ... it works great! ) 
The unique ingredients: Stroganoff sauce is traditionally made with wine, but I found a  Double Chocolate Stout  that I thought would complement the flavor of the buffalo beautifully. Additionally, I used smoked salt and flower pepper to flavor the dish.
 

To make my Buffalo Stout Stroganoff, you'll need to start by making the Parsley Noodles 

Pasta Ingredients:

1  1/3 cups Organic All Purpose Flour
1/3 Semolina Flour 
2 large Organic Eggs
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Water
1/2 c flat parsley leaves - rough chopped 

Traditional pasta makers will make pasta directly on the counter top. I prefer to contain the mess, so, in a bowl or on a plate combine the flours and salt. Pushing the flour to outer edges, create a "well" to put the eggs and oil in.

With a fork (or your bare hands if you're a traditionalist) whisk the eggs and oil. Then slowly begin to incorporate the flour - pulling a little at a time in from the sides. 

This is what my dough looked like after mixing the flour, salt, eggs and oil ... it was too dry.  
(OK, here's where pasta making can seem intimidating but DON'T  FRET,  just try and think of yourself as an alchemist.) The amount of water you will need to add will depend on your personal elements ... the elevation in which you live, the relative humidity, the age of your flour, etc. Add just enough water, a little at a time, to pull the dough together and make it firm yet supple. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.

... like this

Now slather the dough with olive oil, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit out at room temp for about a half an hour (longer is OK too) . This will allow time for the gluten in the flour to activate. 

In the meantime ... Chop the Parsley

After the dough has rested, it's time to roll it! 

Divide the dough into 4 manageable pieces. On the highest (thickest) setting of your pasta roller, feed in the dough, making four somewhat even looking pasta strips. (you may have to feed the dough through more than once to achieve this)

Now sprinkle the parsley on top of the dough. Fold the dough over lengthwise (so that the parsley is on the inside) Feed it through the pasta roller. Repeat the "fold and roll" process, decreasing the setting one notch at a time each time it's run through the rollers. This will fold in and evenly distribute the parsley. My pasta machine has 7 settings, I brought mine down to notch 3 in thickness.

The end product should look like this. Even strips of pasta, 2-3 inches wide, that are beautifully flecked with green

.

Cut the pasta into noodles that are approximately twice as long as they are wide. Toss with a bit of semolina flour and set them aside while you make the Stroganoff.

Stroganoff Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 lb Buffalo Steak -cut into cubes or strips
16 oz  plus 8 oz mushrooms (divided) -sliced thick
6 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
5-6 cloves Garlic -chopped
1 tsp Rosemary
1 cup Double Chocolate Stout
1 1/2 - 2 cups Half and Half
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
Parsley
Smoked Salt 
Flower Pepper
Flour

"The Unique Ingredients"

 

If this particular stout is something you can't find, any stout will do. However, make sure you taste it before adding it to your dish. Some stouts are stronger than others. You want a balanced flavor to permeate the Stroganoff, so you may have to adjust the amount of stout added accordingly. Smoked salt is now readily available but you can use regular sea salt instead. If you can't find flower pepper just use freshly ground black pepper.

Carefully dry the buffalo meat with a paper towel 
~this is crucial to to the overall tenderness - if the meat is damp it will steam when it cooks. 
Steamed meat = Tough meat. 
Generously salt and pepper the meat and then toss it in some flour to lightly coat it.

 In a large skillet, melt 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil. Saute buffalo and garlic. Once the meat has a nice caramel color, sprinkle on the rosemary.

 ... While this cooks, set a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  

Add 16 oz thickly sliced mushrooms and another 2T butter.Cook until the mushrooms are just tender, about 3-4 minutes  

De-glaze with the stout and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the half and half. Cook for 5 more minutes. Thin the sour cream by mixing it with the heavy cream. Now stir this into the sauce. Finish by adding another 2T butter and salt and pepper to taste.

... Put the noodles in the boiling water. They'll cook quickly, maybe 3 minutes or so.
When the are tender toss them into the Stroganoff sauce to coat nicely. 
If the sauce seems too thick add a bit of pasta water to thin.

In a separate skillet on high heat add the last 8 ounces of mushrooms. Dry saute until they sweat out and begin to brown. Add salt, pepper, chopped parsley and a wee drizzle of olive oil.

Plate the Stroganoff and Parsley Noodles. Top with the sauteed mushrooms. ENJOY!!