Tuscan White Beans With Kale

Like I promised, here's Kale. Kale has been a frequent star in our house for many reasons. It's one of the most amazing superfoods. I was afraid of Kale for a while. I could only tolerate a couple leaves in my green smoothies, but lately I have been enjoying it cooked in soups or placed on top a bean dish. Kale is one of those foods that gets more nutritious when you cook it. I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's tuscan white beans. She doesn't call for Kale and she adds fennel to hers. But I would highly recommend throwing kale in this. This is such a comfort food, the flavors are so rustic, this is a new favorite in our home.

Tuscan White Beans

Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?”

Serves 6

1 POUND DRIED WHITE CANNELLINI BEANS (OR ABOUT 4 15.8-OUNCE CANS)

1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL

1 YELLOW ONION, CHOPPED

2 CUPS CHOPPED CARROTS (4 CARROTS)

1 TABLESPOON MINCED GARLIC (3 CLOVES)

1 TO 2 CUPS VEGETABLE STOCK OR NO-CHICKEN CHICKEN STOCK (JUST CHICKEN STOCK, IF YOU’RE NOT GOING MEATLESS)

1 TABLESPOON MINCED FRESH SAGE LEAVES

1 TABLESPOON MINCED FRESH ROSEMARY LEAVES

2 TEASPOONS KOSHER SALT

1/2 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

BUNCH OF KALE

The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the beans, rinse well, and place them in a large stockpot. Add twice as much water as you have beans, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the beans are very tender. Skim off any foam that accumulates.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the fennel and carrots, and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.

Drain the beans, and add them to the vegetables.

Add 1 cup of the stock, sage, rosemary, some chopped kale, salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until creamy. (If the beans are still hard after 15 minutes, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of stock, and continue to cook until the beans reach your desired consistency. Longer tends to be better.)

Optional, but this is what we like to do. With the extra kale, roughly chop and boil for 2-4 minutes. Top off the beans with boiled kale.

Did you know...and Kamut Gingerbread Pancakes

Did you know that this is my 200th post?? Well...it is! I can't believe I have done 200 recipe posts. I have high hopes for 2012. I invision many plant strong recipes. Kale will probably be the star of many of them ;) I have made many yummy, delicious and nutritious soups and stews so far and can't wait to share them with you. I also invision many more posts for 2012. After having my baby girl I kind of neglected this blog, for a good cause of course:) She keeps me busy and I find very little time to do much else. However, I feel like I am at the point where I can start dedicating more time to this blog. Mainly because I want to share the many recipes I have been making. I have really focused on trying to nourish and feed my family the best I can, and while doing so I have been finding that eating that way can be the most delicious way to eat. That being said, let me introduce you to these kamut gingerbread pancakes.

First of all, they are delicious. Such a fun breakfast especially for this time of year. I love that they are made with kamut. Kamut has more protein than wheat and less gluten. In fact, some who are gluten intolerant can tolerate kamut. If you don't have kamut on hand I'm sure you could sub whole wheat.

Enjoy!

KAMUT Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes

1 ½ Cups KAMUT® flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground dried ginger (or gingerbread spice)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 chia or flax egg*

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup molasses

1 ½ cups water

Optional – sprinkle of walnuts on top

Method: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. Prepare the chia egg in a separate mixing bowl and let sit for a few minutes before mixing with the vanilla and molasses until smooth. Whisk in the water until completely incorporated. Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook unitll bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip and cook until browned on the other side.

*Chia or flax egg

This recipe makes the equivalent of 1 egg.

3 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon white chia seed meal or flax seed

1) Grind the seeds into a meal in a blender or spice grinder.

2) Add the water to a small bowl or cup. Add the seed meal and mix together with a whisk or fork. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes so it develops a goopy texture similar to a raw egg. Warm water will speed up the process.

Cookie Dough Oatmeal

Mmmm, doesn't that sound good? Well that's exactly what this oatmeal tastes like! A gooey bowl of cookie dough. I've been loving looking at the site Chocolate Covered Katie, she has a lot of fun ideas for putting healthy twists on desserts. I decided to give it a try and make a super yummy oatmeal. It turned out better than I expected. Yummy, chocolatey, gooey, warm.....and healthy! This recipe is a keeper, I'm planning on making this Christmas morning. Every time I have made this I didn't measure, so here is the recipe but you can always add a lil more of this or a lil less of that to your taste :)

Cookie Dough Oatmeal
serves 2

1 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups water
pinch of salt
1-2 tsp raw cacao powder (different than cocoa powder, cacao is really good for you, you can use cocoa powder, just would need more )
1 tsp vanilla
1 T agave nectar (little more if you want it sweeter)
1 T maple syrup (same as agave, more to taste:) )
semi sweet chocolate chips to sprinkle over top (or dark chocolate, to keep with the healthy theme)

Add oats, salt, and water in pan. Bring to boil and boil uncovered about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, cacao powder, agave, and maple syrup. Dish out in bowls, sprinkle on chocolate chips while it's hot (this is key so they will get gooey and melty). Add a little milk, almond milk, or soy milk to thin it out if needed. Sit down, dig in with a spoon and enjoy how delicioushly good this big bowl of oatmeal is for you!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

A few months ago when we visited Utah, my moms friend had us over to make some whole wheat pita's. It was so much fun. I have great memories in her kitchen, she taught me how to make cinnamon rolls, chicken noodle soup, and now pitas are on the list. These pita's are so easy to make and so much fun. There's just something about making some sort of bread that makes you feel like a super homemaker. The great thing about these is you can make a bunch and then store them in the freezer. The other night I made these for dinner along side some lentil and vegetable soup. I lightly drizzled the pita's with melted butter, then topped with garlic salt and oregano. Hello deliciousness! It was so yummy, I see a lot of pita's in our families future:)

first, we need to start with some good yeast, I use saff instant (can get it at costco)

dump it with everything else in mixer, and smile for the camera because let's face it,
you are super cool making pita bread:)
Now we pat one of our ten balls of dough flat into a disc before rolling,
this makes it easier to make a round pita.
Cover with flour
Let rise 30 min....
Turn over before baking and bake 5 min at 500 degrees, and viola! We made pita bread!
Imagine the possibilities of things we could stuff in there, peanut butter and apple,
greek salad, or just eat it right out of the oven warm. Mmmmmm

Yummy Pita's to use later, or store in freezer to have on hand all the time!So go ahead, take a whack at it! These are easy peasy, and I guarantee you will love them!
And like I said, you will feel like a star homemaker once you break out the yeast and
you have flour on your cheeks. And just think of the healthy goodness you are feeding
your family! :)

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

3-4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. hot water (hotter than warm, but not too hot)
1 T. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt

mix together in bread mixer. Dough will be heavy-divide into 10 pieces. Roll each piece flat. Let rise 30 min. Turn over before baking. Make sure both sides are covered with flour. Turn over before baking. Bake at 500 for 5 min. Store while warm in plastic bread bag.

Unbelievable Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, I know I said I was going to post about my banana bread french toast-but I just made these cookies today and couldn't wait another second before sharing them. These cookies are unbelievable!!!! Seriously so amazing. I adapted my favorite chocolate chip cookie a bit and added some kamut flour and replaced the egg with a flax egg (to make a flax egg you just mix 1 T ground flax with 3 T water). I couldn't believe how delicious these cookies were. The kamut made them a little crispy on the outside, but on the inside, an amazing gooeyness that is almost impossible to acheive when making a cookie. I can't wait to make these for my little peanut who is allergic to eggs. My guess is no one would ever think theses were a vegan or "healthier" cookie. They are just simply delicious. So delicious that I may have eaten 4 right when they came out of the oven....and have lost track after my last few....oops.

Enjoy!

Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil
2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax mixed with 5-6 T water, start with 5 then add more if you need to, 5 was perfect for me, let sit for a few minutes to thicken)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup kamut flour

3/4 cup flour
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 shredded coconut
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together coconut oil, eggs, and brown sugar until very well mixed. Add remaining ingredients, mixing together until all are incorporated. Use a cookie scoop and place on cookie sheet, 6 to a sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 9-11 minutes, or just until the outside of the cookies have browned ever so slightly around the edges. Remove, cool slightly, devour.

Back from Utah and Some Changes...

We got back about a week ago from a two week stay in Utah. Sorry for the long absence, but it's been really good to visit with family and come back and try and catch my breath from the long vacation. But since I have been back, there have been some exciting things happening in my kitchen!! Let me explain... :)

While I stayed with my mom in Utah we watched the movie "Forks Over Knives" it's a documentary that encourages a plant based diet vs the high intake of dairy and meat that we normally eat in our western diet. It was an amazing documentary. Very informative and very inspiring and encouraging. I think I discovered I had a passion for health when I was in high school. I also have always had a passion for the sweet things in life so I often found myself conflicted. My mom always instilled within us kids a good foundation of nutritional principles. We never had "junk" around our house and when we did it was when my mom made a special treat. Now that I have started my own family my passion for health has increased because I feel such a sacred responsibility to provide the best for my child. And to me, one thing that means is giving my child the best nutrition possible so she can have the best chance at a healthy and long life.

I have read many nutritional books, my favorite being "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Furhman, and after watching "Forks Over Knives" I feel like I know too much to keep eating the way I have been eating. After gaining this knowledge I feel it would be completely irresponsible for me to not do the best I can to live what I feel to be right. I hope everyone is picking up on how I keep saying "to me" and "I feel". This is a personal realization and I in no way shape or form am forcing what I think upon anyone:) So....what does this mean? Well I have eaten the past week a vegan, very high plant based diet. And I'd love to share with you what that experience has been:)

First of all, it's been FUN! Micah and I don't really drink milk, we also don't eat a lot of cheese, and we have a child with an egg allergy so it's been a pretty easy transition. I've taken Eleni off of milk, which I have been giving her at least 18 ounces a day since she was 12 months since I stopped nursing, because that's what the Dr advised me to do. After learning what I know about milk I am sad I've given her so much for so long. But now that has changed. I have made some of the yummiest food I have ever made this week. Micah and I have had so much fun talking about how yummy everything has been and how good we feel! One of the biggest changes I have noticed, in just a week, is how much peace I feel in my body. I would say I have struggled with anxiety for the past 5 years, if not more. I have never taken medication for it, just dealt with it. However, after filling my body with such good food this week and after cutting out much sugar, my anxiety levels are little to none. Which is like finding a pot of gold! If anyone has ever struggled with anxiety you know what a prison that can feel like, I feel like I have broken out of that foggy prison and my mind is seeing clearly and I feel so much peace of mind. So that's very exciting.

I haven't posted about this yet until I knew I was going to be serious about eating this way. Does this mean I will never have cheese? No. Does this mean I will never eat a cupcake or indulge in some cake bites when I visit Utah? Absolutely not:) BUT, it does mean I will cook this way at home. No meat, almost no dairy, maybe very little amounts of cheese here or there. And when we go out with friends or eat at others houses, that's where I will bend a little bit if I have to or want to. I will probably still make deserts from time to time, so when I post a yummy, indulgent treat, please don't call me a hypocrite:) I believe in moderation. However, after eating this way and learning a lot about what kinds of foods are best for the body, my desire to eat the things I used to has naturally fallen away, without me restricting myself and forcing myself to "Go Off Sugar", which I have done I don't even know how many times.

I know I will have good moments and bad moments, like all of us do. And I may fall off for a little bit, but what's important is that I always get back on. I think another aspect that has helped me eat this way with ease is learning about where our dairy and meat comes from. I will not be joining the PETA group any time soon:) but I have been saddened to learn what cows have to go through to give us the milk we drink and the burgers I used to love. I think I have always wanted to "not know", but after knowing it makes me rethink what I want to eat. Again, I still may have a burger on a very rare occasion, just not how I used to.

Ok, is that long enough of a post for ya?? I can't wait to start sharing with you all of the yummy recipes I have been making! I decided not to post one today because this is a very long post, but I can't wait to share with you the AMAZING vegan french toast I made today! It's really been a joy for me to cook this way, it's brought a level of happiness to me that I can't explain. Perhaps because of how good I feel inside, and how right it feels to feed my family this way. It's also made me start thinking about perhaps getting a nutrition degree.

If anyone is interested in watching "Forks Over Knives" you can stream it instantly from Netflix.

Happy, Healthy, Cooking:)

Black Bean Tacos

Can we just pretend that the picture above is a beautiful, nicely arranged plate of tacos? Can we just pretend that I didn't take a picture of them in two seconds right before I scarfed them? Because let's face it, sometimes by the time I make dinner I don't have the will power to wait on eating my plate of food before I can arrange it for a photo. This was one of those times-but now that all of our imaginations are in gear, let's talk about these super yummy black bean tacos!

I am always looking for ways to make vegetarian versions of things (by the way, if any of you have good vegetarian main dish ideas please pass them my way!) I am not a vegetarian by any means, but I do try to cook with meat only once a week, sometimes less. I've seen tacos made with TVP, but never thought that sounded very good (but I could be wrong!) So I decided to replace the meat called for tacos with black beans. I get the big spice jar of taco seasoning from costco and just followed the directions but replace the black beans for the meat. I didn't know how these would turn out, I guessed that they would be decent, but I never would have guessed that they would be amaaazing! They were seriously so good that I am excited to say I have my vegetarian version for tacos that I think I will stick to forever. They are better for you, cheaper, and just as good if you ask me. Little Eleni loved the beans, which is always nice:) I will post the recipe that I kinda made up, but it really is a "add a little bit of that, maybe a little more of that " recipe:)

Black Bean Tacos
makes 4-6 tacos

1 can black beans
1/2 cup water
2-4 tablespoons taco seasoning (I did 2ish because I didn't want it too spicy for Eleni, but if I didn't have to worry about that I would have done more)

*simmer black beans, water, and seasoning about ten minutes. Then it's ready to stuff into your taco shells! Top with your toppings and give it a fresh squeeze of lime:)

Toppings (of course you could do whatever you liked, but this is what I did)
lettuce
avocado
red onion
queso fresco (i used feta but queso fresco would be better)
thinly sliced red onion
fresh cilantro
lime

A Peanut Butter Pie For Mikey

This peanut butter pie is to honor Jennifer Perillo's husband Mikey, who recently passed away. You can read what she said on her post here. I just stumbled upon Jennie's blog through Bakerella. I saw so many within the blogging community making peanut butter pie's for Mikey, because that was his favorite. Jennifer on her blog said so many people were asking what they could do and she told them to make a peanut butter pie for someone they loved, and hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on. So one peanut butter pie for Mikey, and a big hug to my Micah. I can't imagine what Jennifer is going through, it breaks my heart to know that in this life she wont be able to hug her sweet husband and her little girls wont be able to see their dad. But I have faith and believe that they will be together as a family one day.

Big Hugs and Kisses to all of my family and friends, especially my family in Utah who I love so much!

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

I have a confession. I hate bananas. I just can't get around their mushy texture. I've tried to like them-I really have, but to no avail. However, I LOVE banana bread. This sometimes presents a problem for me. For example, why don't we take a look at the last few weeks. I bought a bunch of bananas and waited for them to get nice and ripe so I could make banana bread. The day finally arrived when they reached their perfect "ripeness", so I decided to make this coconut banana bread recipe I've wanted to try. Well, I started mashing a banana and couldn't do it anymore. It literally made me sick! I'm not kidding-I know I am sounding like a five year old but dry heaves were in the air people! I don't know why their mushy texture makes me so sick....anywho....

I decided to give it another try. Bought more bananas, waited till they were ripe, and gave it another go. Even though I got a little gaggy mashing the bananas I pressed on! And boy am I glad I did! This banana bread rocks! It's so delicious and of course I have a love affair with coconut so the coconut made it that much more delicious. It was my first time using kamut and I loved it. No one would ever have guessed it was made with anything but white flour. I can't wait to use kamut a lot more. Why use kamut? A few fun facts about it is that it has less gluten than wheat and more protein. I hope you have a chance to make this delicious bread, I know you will be more mature about it than me and not get grossed out by your bananas...

A couple things I did differently: I used coconut milk instead of buttermilk, I used half butter and half coconut oil because I was almost out of coconut oil, and I omitted the lime glaze because I didn't have limes.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
from Unconventional Kitchen

2 C flour, I used kamut, but whole wheat would work as well
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sucanat** (or raw sugar if you don’t have sucanat yet)
1/4 C coconut oil, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/4 C plain yogurt
3 Tbs buttermilk (or any type of milk, almond, rice dream etc.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C coconut, unsweetened

Topping: 2 Tbs additional coconut
Glaze: 1/3 C agave with 2 T lime juice

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl cream together coconut oil and sucanat.
3. Add in eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and apple juice (or milk) beat until smooth.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut, mix until smooth.
5. Mix together the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, do not overmix.
6. Fold in the mashed bananas.
7. Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining coconut.
8. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes (if coconut starts getting too brown, cover with tinfoil the last 15 minutes of baking).
9. While bread is baking whisk together agave and lime juice.
10. Drizzle over the hot bread and go ahead and eat a piece right out of the hot pan, you deserve it!
11. Then let it cool 15 minutes and slice it.

Quinoa and Peas side dish

I love Quinoa. We eat it all the time. My little one eats it just about every day. I am always looking for new ways to jazz it up and serve it as a side. The other night I thought was a definite take out night. I felt like I had zero food options at home. However, I decided to be creative and save money and just try to make something with what I had. So, I created a quinoa and pea dish with red onions. I then served it with a side of broccoli. Ok-not the most exciting dinner, but I didn't' spend any money on take out and I felt so proud of myself! I would normally serve this quinoa dish as a side but it also made a great main dish with another side of vegies. It's quick, easy, yummy, and healthy. Those four words usually don't go together so I would say my creation was a winner:) I will do the best I can to re-write the recipe. But it's not an exact recipe so just use as much onions or peas as you want. Enjoy!

Quinoa and Peas

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
1/4 - 1/2 cup of red onion, diced
About a cup of cooked peas (more or less if you want)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Place quinoa and liquid in pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, and let simmer for fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, cook onion over medium heat in a little bit of butter. Cook until onions are translucent. When quinoa is cooked, add onions and peas. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.