Kale Chips with Almond Butter & Miso

½ cup almond butter
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for greasing
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon white miso
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt (taste - may need more)
1 ½ pounds curly kale, leaves left whole and stems discarded

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a blender or food processor, puree all the ingredients except the kale.

Grease 3 large rimmed baking sheets with olive oil and divide the kale leaves among them. Drizzle the almond-butter mixture over the kale and rub each leave to season evenly.  Arrange the kale on the sheets in an even layer and bake for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, until the leaves are crisp. Let cool, then carefully lift the kale chips off the baking sheets with a spatula and serve.

Notes:  You can leave the white miso out but may need to add a bit more sea salt. Make sure to use nutritional yeast and not baking or brewer’s yeast.  Nutritional yeast can be found a health food stores.  It’s full of B vitamins and gives things a cheesy flavor.  It’s delicious in this recipe so don’t leave it out!  The kale chips can be stored in tight glass or plastic containers for 2-3 days – if they last that long!  You may make these in a dehydrator as well.  Start by spreading the kale chips on teflex sheets.  After about 5 hours, remove the teflex sheets and allow them to continue drying on the mesh screens for an additional 8 hours or until they are crisp and the sauce has completely dried.

Recipe from: Food & Wine magazine, March 2012

Hearty Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large bunch Swiss Chard or Kale (or a combo of the two greens)
         Note: the greens should be well rinsed, de-stemmed, and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste


Heat olive oil in large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir occasionally until golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Add chopped greens in batches, adding more as each batch wilts.  Keep pan covered between batches. When all the greens are wilted, stir in raisins, lemon juice and extra olive oil, if desired.  Season with salt and pepper.  Lastly, add the pine nuts and serve immediately.

Check out the cookbook: Greens Glorious Greens! By Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers for more delicious recipes.

Green Chili & Cheese Cornbread

½ cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar (Rapadura or Sucanat will work)
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream, yogurt or crème fraiche
¼ cup diced canned green chilies
¼ cup (packed) grated jack cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together into a bowl the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the cornmeal. Crumble in the brown sugar.  Mix these dry ingredients together, with a fork, until they are well blended.  Make a well in the center.

Beat together the egg and the sour cream or yogurt. Pour this mixture into the well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Mix with a wooden spoon. The batter should readily blend with a few swift strokes.  Add the green chilies and the cheese.  Mix until uniform.

Spread into a buttered 8” square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched.

A big pot of hot chili sounds good about now and this cornbread recipe is a perfect complement!  I have not tried to make it gluten-free, but I would guess that you could easily substitute brown rice flour for the whole-wheat flour if you want to give it a try!

This recipe is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook by Mollie Katzen. 

Sautéed Green Beans with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ cup hulled pumpkin seeds
1 ½ lbs. fresh green beans
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt
¼ cup chopped fresh dill

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in coriander, then add the pumpkin seeds and cook until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.

Pour the pumpkin seed mixture over the beans. Add the lemon juice and ¾ teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Add the dill and toss again.

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau and Ralph Stieber.  Recipe found on EveryDay with Rachael Ray. http://www.rachaelraymag.com/

Chard Baked With Parmesan Cheese

Serves 6

3 pounds chard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Wash the chard well and cut off the stems.  Trim the stems and cut them into 2-inch lengths. Cut the leaves crosswise into 2-inch strips.

Blanch the stems lightly in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes. Add the leaves and blanch for about 1 ½ minutes longer. Drain the chard well and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Brown the butter in a sauté pan. Pour the browned butter over the chard and toss well. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the chard. Bake 10 minutes or so, until the parmesan is bubbling and pale golden brown. Serve hot.

Recipe from The Greens Book by Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille

Cauliflower Gratin with Tomatoes and Feta

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded & diced or
               1 15-once can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
Salt & fresh pepper, to taste
1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
Juice of ½ lemon
2 to 4 ounces crumbled feta
Finely chopped parsley Preheat the broiler and lightly oil a 2-quart gratin dish.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and cinnamon and cook until the onion is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cook for 7 minutes more, then add the honey and capers and season with salt and pepper. Slide the mixture into the dish.

Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Set it on the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and add the feta. Place 5 to 6 inches under the broiler until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  Garnish with the parsley and serve.

If you are assembling the gratin ahead of time, cover and bake it at 400 degrees until bubbling, about 20 minutes, then brown under the broiler.

Recipe from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts

24 small brussels sprouts (use sprouts that are small in size and tightly closed)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
small handful of toasted nuts, chopped

Wash the brussels sprouts well.  Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves.  Cut in half from stem to top and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle them with olive oil and toss gently to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Don’t overheat or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly.  Place them in the pan flat side down in a single layer, sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sea salt, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should be lightly browned.  Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they are tender throughout. If not, cover and cook a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on all sides. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, a dusting of grated cheese and chopped nuts.  Serve immediately.

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks www.101cookbooks.com

Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 ½” pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Pour onto a cookie sheet or a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Roast vegetables for 15 minutes or until just tender.

You can toss this combination with pasta or a grain (such as brown rice or quinoa) for a quick meal.  Asparagus are in season right now so be sure to look for them at your local farmers market!

Recipe from http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/