Vegetables

Quick & Healthy Toddler Meals #2: Salted Edamame with Cheese and Fruit

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Salted Edamame with Cheese and Berries

Nothing in the fridge? Head to your freezer for this quick toddler meal.

This is one of my favorite quick toddler meals to throw together when I am in dire need of a trip to the food store, as I tend to always keep a bag or two of edamame in the freezer.

While I’m not a giant fan of giving soy to toddlers, edamame is such a nutritional powerhouse for a “I have nothing to feed you” kind of day, that I reserve it for those desperate times. A great balance of protein and carbs, it is also high in folate, choline, vitamin K, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese. Edamame also provides each of the essential amino acids, meaning it is a complete protein food.

Another bonus: Faye loves squishing the beans out of their pods. If you have a toddler who isn’t a fan of sitting at the table, this “activity” might help to settle them down. Continue reading →

The Best “Cheezy” Kale Chips

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RaisingFayeKaleChips

The best kale chips in the world.

Kale chips. You either love them, or hate them. Like with most of my food, I am fickle about kale chips. Spending close to $10 for 3 leaves of kale coated in a mild-tasting vegan concoction doesn’t have me jumping up and down the isles in the grocery store for joy.  This recipe, on the other hand, has me (and my family, and friends and their toddlers) doing backflips.

These cheezy kale chips will change your world. They are hands down, by far, my absolute favorite discovery from my vegan/raw days. Bursting with intense flavor, these chips kick all other chips’ asses. I’m not kidding–even kale/veggie haters gobble these suckers down like they are going out of style.

Whether you are trying to incorporate more greens and nutrients into your daily life, attempting to replace junk food with a healthier but phenomenal tasting alternative, or looking for a nutritional powerhouse of a snack for a toddler, I urge you to try the recipe below. You will not be disappointed.

Did I mention they are also great for your milk supply?

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Slow Roasted Pork Soup with Kimchi (aka What to Do with Bo Ssam Leftovers Soup)

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BoSsam Soup

A healthy dinner for four from leftovers in 6 minutes flat.

After making that 10lb Bo Ssam dish, you may be left with a little bit of meat and a tiny bit of accompanying sides and no clue with how to use them to feed more than ½ a person. This is exactly the predicament I was in 3 years ago after our 20lb Christmas Bo Ssam Feast. A quick soup was a simple solution to using the stray bits and pieces. It comes together in approximately 6 minutes and reheats quite well. The soup can be easily stretched to feed more people by adding more stock or a few more ingredients here and there. If you don’t have one of the leftovers listed, just leave it out. I honestly think the soup would still be lovely.

Note: I always make the noodles in a separate pot because 1) they are easier to distribute amongst bowls and 2) if you have leftovers, the noodles will soak in all of the broth and turn your soup into a wet sponge.

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Slow Cooked Collard Greens with Bacon in Duck Broth

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Collard Greens with Bacon in Duck Broth

A bowl of comfort on a cold winter’s day.

Hooray for bacon! I guess I’m in love with this beast as it’s been featured in four dishes this past week.

These were the first collard greens I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t change a thing. The flavor is so deep and layered that we couldn’t get enough of them. I’m super excited that I made such a large batch as we will definitely be eating these greens tomorrow.

The dish took me longer to prep than I had originally estimated as the greens needed to first be wilted in order to fit into my crock pot. But man, was it worth that extra time. The smell permeating the house while these guys were cooking was amazing.

We served them alongside a friend’s chicken pot pie on a day when the wind chill made it feel like -20°F.  If you are looking for a comforting side for a casual dinner party, look no further. You found it.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Saffron, Onions, and Green Olives

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Saffron Cauliflower

Cauliflower: broccoli’s unloved albino cousin

I rarely come across a recipe that I don’t believe needs doctoring. This is one of those recipes.

Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the most imaginative chefs when it comes to preparing vegetables. His combinations are ones I would never have thought to try, and I love him for that.

This dish is incredibly vibrant in both color and flavor. It takes 45 minutes to bake, but less than 10 mere minutes of prep time.

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Sautéed Swiss Chard with Garlic and Lemon

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Swiss Chard with Garlic and Lemon

Swiss chard. What a great green vegetable. It can hold its own when tossed amongst pastas or chickpeas and bring out the flavor in a well prepared chicken or steak dish. Perhaps its best quality, in my humble opinion, is that it is an easy green vegetable to wash. Let’s face it–the reason I don’t make a green veggie every single time I cook is that I absolutely hate washing bits of dirt out of the myriad of places it has hidden itself amongst greens. Lettuces, leeks, and spinach are bad, but cilantro… Man, don’t even get me started on cilantro.

I made this lovely swiss chard dish last night as I felt our nutrient-less dinner of mac & cheese needed some serious boost of vitamins. It was well worth the washing time.

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Pineapple, Mango & Jicama Salsa

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PineappleMangoJicamaSalsa

Originally purchased in a minuscule container at Whole Foods for a whopping $7, I decided to make this myself the next time I served Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos. It literally took me 5 minutes to put together, and for the same amount of money, I made six times the amount of salsa which was happily scarfed down by my in-laws.

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