Tag Archives: kale

the weekend nurture menu: is the grass always greener?

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

Often, the grass seems greener on the other side…When you’re bored, you wish you had purpose. When you’re incredibly busy, you wish you had time to be bored. Perhaps you look at someone and yearn for her life absent of your problems, but inevitably that person’s life comes with another host of issues. The point being that, in theory, you’re never absent of something to complain about.

Now, I’m not saying that life is miserable. I’m saying that while we cruise along in life or make our way through a transition, how you appreciate what life has given could transform the time or you in the process. Some of the most horrific ordeals have befallen the graceful and the graceful still retain their grace. Instead of wishing yourself out of something, regardless of the situation’s magnitude, can you retain your grace throughout?

Have you ever watched yourself move through your day? Take a step back and just watch. Often we spend so much time looking at other lives or wishing we could get to the other side of the fence, that we miss the green grass that surrounds us.

Yes, be in the moment, but then go deeper. Nurture where you are in your life by sinking into the difficulties, the triumphs, the blessings, and the curses, for that is what creates a life worth your own envy.

I could find countless blessings and curses in my life. I’m not going to list them, nor am I going to run from them. I am going to nurture myself and the grass that I’m walking through. Despite office chaos, these sweet potato and quinoa patties over baby kale and avocado allow me to step back and sink to my life. I am able to dwell in the simple joy of everything that surrounds me.

sweet potato and quinoa patties
about 14-16 patties

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1¾ cups quinoa
  • 3 cups of water
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ chunks
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup oat flour
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, saute onion, optional garlic, and carrots in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add quinoa, water and paprika.
  3. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce to med-low. Simmer for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
  4. Steam sweet potato chunks for 4-6 minutes, until softened. In a large mixing bowl, mash sweet potatoes with fork or potato masher.
  5. Add cooked quinoa mixture to the sweet potato and mix together. Add lightly beaten eggs and breadcrumbs.
  6. Stir mixture until thoroughly combined. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
  7. Form mixture into hockey puck sized patties by hand and place on the cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes after baking. Serve warm or cold!

[adapted from generationyfoodie.com]

american pastime…

Ever wished you lived in another country? That grass isn’t much greener unless the national cookie is chocolate chip. Another reason to not just appreciate where you are (assuming you’re in the U.S.), but dive in deeper.

chocolate chip cookies
about 20 cookies

  • ⅔ cup coconut flour
  • ⅓ cup arrowroot starch
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 whole eggs or 2 flax mixture (3 tbsp flax meal with 6 tbsp water, let sit for 10 minutes)
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
  • 4 tablespoons coconut butter, softened (or vegan butter)
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  1. Have all ingredients out to room temperature.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. In a large bowl, place all your dry ingredients. Stir. Add in your chocolate chips and mix.
  4. Next add in your liquid coconut butter, coconut oil, and eggs or flax mixture. Stir.
  5. Add in water until you get the batter to start holding together. It will be on the thick side.
  6. Scoop onto cookie sheets then flatten with your fingers. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Cool before removing from cookie sheets.

[adapted from purelytwins.com]

“The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.” ~Robert Fulghum

xo, S

the weekend nurture menu: flashbacks

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

When you look at the past, do you see yourself as a victim or do you see yourself as empowered? Even in those happenings that you term, “mistakes,” can you turn the situation around and say, instead, “How did that experience create my strengths as the amazing person I am today?”

Instead of dwelling in the agony of what happened, have a flashback:

  1. Look the past momentarily.
  2. Decipher the best parts and figured out what you learned.
  3. Then, let it go–see the present. [Soon, the present will be the past and likely you'll look back nostalgically for this time.]

Here is a minor example…Last week, when Chicago began it’s early fall, I had flashbacks of my childhood falls. There was a running joke in my family about how whenever we went to eat, I would NEVER take the kids’ menu. I had to order from the adult menu and I had to order the most expensive thing. Generally, the most expensive thing was some kind of fettuccine alfredo. I had this flashback; I looked for the best parts and what I learned; then, I let it go.

To commemorate the learning and best parts of this flashback, I cooked. Adding whole-grain, wheat-free pasta, kale, tomatoes, and basil is not your typical creamy pasta dish. Plus, the sauce itself has so many nutritious components that I can let go of the fettuccine of my past, and relish in my new creation.

brown rice penne alfredo with kale, fresh tomatoes, and basil
makes 2-3 servings

  • 1-2 cups brown rice penne
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened and plain
  • 1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp earth balance butter
  • 1 Tbsp tahini
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp paprika (smoked is awesome)
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 2-4 leaves kale, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
  • black pepper, to taste
  1. Boil the water for the penne. Prepare as the box directs. As the penne cooks, make the sauce.
  2. Add all the ingredients from the milk to the optional garlic to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over and place on medium heat. Mix in the kale and cover. Cover for no longer than a minute (otherwise, the sauce will burn on the bottom). Uncover and stir. Take off the heat. Garnish with tomato and basil.

remember sweet fall mornings?

When I was little, there were some weekend mornings when my brother and I would let my mom sleep late and my dad would make pancakes. As much as we all love Bisquick and that second of sweet deliciousness, when I remember clearly, I did not feel my best the rest of the day.

I don’t want to forget those wonderful times. (I will never forget the infrequent times when my dad made it into the kitchen). Instead, I choose to take the best parts, take what I’ve learned, and create something new.

The chocolate chips or chocolate chunks are about only thing that could make the healthiness of these pancakes debatable. Other than that, banana, almond butter, coconut oil, and chickpeas actually make these nourishing. My flashback has created a present of healthy sweetness!

oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes
make 2-3 servings

  • 1 very ripe medium banana
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg or a flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp water and let set for 3-5 min)
  • pinch salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp almond butter
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 Tbsp almond milk (or sub other milk)
  • ½ cup rolled oats (or gluten free oats)
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • 1/3 dark chocolate bar (no dairy or added sugar), chopped, or 3 Tbsp semisweet chocolate chips (non-dairy for vegan)
  1. Preheat a skillet to medium heat or about 300-325 degrees.
  2. Mash your very ripe banana with baking powder.
  3. Add egg or flax egg, oil, salt, vanilla, almond butter, almond milk and stir.
  4. Stir in oats and flour until just combined.
  5. Sprinkle in chocolate chips and fold gently.
  6. Scoop scant ¼ cup measurements onto lightly greased griddle (I use a coconut oil spray).
  7. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side – until golden brown.
  8. Serve plain or with a small drizzle of maple syrup and a few additional chocolate chips for melting.

Remember well and learn. Flashback with love and empowerment.
xo, S

the weekend nurture menu: reawaken and revive

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[As always, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!]

It’s the Jewish New Year! Even if you didn’t know it is Rosh Hashanah, any New Year can trigger a symbolic reminder to begin again. Though I’m a big believer in beginning again every second, getting a calendar reminder to reawaken, can be profound.

I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions. Reawakening and reviving is something different. This is about discovering what you want to BE again. Then the actions, the big ‘resolutions,’ will manifest. Start with what you want to be.

I bring this idea of renewal to my cooking. Old-time favorite dishes, just like the self, are not wrong or bad for unhealthy habits. For example, fried rice, though not particularly healthy, can have some healthy qualities. Wouldn’t be exciting to harness the best qualities in the dish and make it fully nutritious? Similarly, you have infinitely beautiful qualities. But if you know something is off–your energy, your contentment, etc.–a reawakening in your mental, spiritual, and physical practices could be life-changing.

Let’s start with reviving fried rice. Below I share a healthy way to recreate this meal. Per usual, it’s a guide with tons of room for your creativity. You can put it over or under beans and greens to increase the serving size. The key is to revive, retaining the delicious, nourishing qualities and make even more fantastic for a reawakening.

tofu and cashew quinoa with lemongrass and ginger
serves 4-5

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 8 oz extra firm tofu
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp flavorless vegetable oil, such as grapeseed
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons grated lemongrass (white part only)
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (optional, if you’re taking it to work)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 kale leaves or swiss chard, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, ribboned with a vegetable peeler
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/4-1/2 cup cashews, coarsely chopped and toasted
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  1. Prepare the quinoa. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Rinse and drain tofu. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch thick slices and place between clean kitchen towels (or paper towels). Place a heavy object such as a skillet or cutting board on top to press out excess liquid. Let sit 15 minutes.
  3. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the sesame oil.
  4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the tofu cubes evenly on the sheet. Bake tofu for 15 minutes and flip over. Continue baking for about 10-15 minutes until tofu is toasted and chewy. Remove from oven.
  5. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent. Towards the end, add the greens and carrots. Put in about 2 Tbsp of water and cover for about a minute to steam the greens and carrots.
  6. Uncover and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and lime juice and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add rice and tofu and stir to combine and heat through.
  7. Remove from heat, stir in cashews and cilantro, and serve.

the sweet start-over…

So often, a New Year sparks cutting something out of your life. Instead of a drastic life change, ask what qualities in something “bad” for you make you want it. Then figure out how to find those qualities elsewhere. This creates a compromise–a subtle change.

A sweet food reawakening is a Dove Bar. The high-fructose corn syrup isn’t good for you–fact. But it tastes so damn good! These ‘dove bar’ truffles offer a compromise: the delectable coconut-y and chocolate flavor without the chemicals.

The next step is your reawakening, reviving and amplifying your best qualities without compromising you.

raw ‘dove bar’ truffles

Creamy filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups raw, shredded coconut
  • 3 Tbsp cocoa butter (Yes, this is the stuff you can use on your skin.)
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (You could use xylitol to get a white color of the filling, but I prefer no fake sweeteners. Your call!)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp coconut milk

Coating:

  • 2-3 Tbsp coconut milk, or more, if needed to reach a smooth, pliable consistency
  • 3/4 cup raw, shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 c raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa butter
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or coconut sugar
  1. Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper.  In a food processor, puree the all of the creamy filling ingredients until a smooth dough forms that can hold together well. Shape the filling into about a dozen evenly-sized rectangle or egg shapes. Place them on the prepared baking tray and freeze for 10-15 minutes while you make the coating.
  2. To make the chocolate coating, clean out your food processor work bowl and add the chocolate coating ingredients, starting with 2 Tbsp coconut milk.  Puree until the coconut and seeds are all ground up; add more coconut milk, as necessary, until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency that you can mold around the filling.
  3. Remove the tray from the freezer and roll each piece of frozen coconut cream in the chocolate coating. [This is pretty messy; you will need to use your fingers to mold the chocolate all the way around the filling.] Place the finished truffle bars back on the tray and freeze for a half an hour to firm up the coating before you eat them.

Happy New Year to all, Jewish or not! You deserve a reawakening every second!

xo, S