KALE CHIPS – if you haven’t had them, you have to try them.. I know, I know, they may look disgusting and unappetizing to some. So much so that I almost didn’t make them because i thought “how could something that looks so unappetizing be good! But … if you make them properly they are scrumptious. You won’t want to share them. Read More at BonAppetit.com
Repost from Fairfield Green Food Guide: Lacinato Kale, a/k/a dinosaur or black kale, turns into “chips” when dressed with olive oil and salt and roasted in a low oven. A member of my CSA sent around a recipe for Tuscan kale chips that had run in Bon Appetit magazine and recommended making them for an unusual yet crispy and satifsying alternative to the usual sauteed or braised kale. I took a quick look at the recipe, and upon discovering that it was by Dan Barber, the chef at Blue Hill, I knew it had to be special. He’s all about fresh, local foods that are minimally manipulated yet incredibly delicious. And I had just been to a tour of Stone Barns and gotten a taste of his food at lunch. The lure was irresistible.
Tuscan Kale Chips – makes 24
The tall, crisped “chips” look striking when bunched in a tumbler, and they’re terrific with cocktails. Roasting the leaves coaxes out a nutty, briny flavor that’s kind of addictive
Ingredients 12 large Tuscan kale leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation - Rinse, dry, cut lengthwise in half, center ribs and stems removed Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets so they roast evenly. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool..
Technically, this is the easiest recipe to make, yet it yields an end product that belies its simplicity.
Tuscan Kale Chips waiting to be eaten.
The roasted whole kale leaves, dressed with olive oil and salt, are a beauty to behold, fun to eat, and taste like nothing you’ve had before. The work is in the prep – removing the leaves from them stem. Get your largest kitchen knife and sharpen or hone it before running it down each side of the center rib to remove the leaves. My only advice on the roasting is that the recipe calls for a 30 minute cooking time and I consistenly cook them for only 20 in a convection oven. So set your timer for 20 minutes and if they feel light and crispy and you can smell them, they’re done. The leaves will turn amber and taste bitter if overcooked.
After they cook, pick one up with your fingers, crunch off a piece and enjoy the burst of nutty, salty flavor. Serve them with dinner, snack on them, or pack them in a lunch box. I promise you’ll enjoy them and make them again and again. Maybe you’ll even grow some kale next year! It’s the crop that keeps on giving since you can harvest the leaves from the bottom up and continue to harvest as new leaves emerge from the top.
Interesting variations I haven’t tried yet include sprinkling the kale chips with Parmesan cheese as they finish cooking and dressing them with sesame oil and soy sauce for an Asian rendition. Here’s a link to the original recipe. Store at room temperature and I don’t recommend reheating; they’re too easy to ruin.
Lacinato Kale, planted square foot gardening style, with a bunny-proof wire cage. The one crop, other than lettuce, that did well in my backyard garden this summer was Lacinato kale, the very kind the recipe called for. Having lost my entire crop to the bunnies last year, I had my husband build a special wire cage to sit on top of the raised bed to keep them out! So I headed in the backyard, harvested some of my Tuscan Kale (aka dinosaur or black kale), and got to work.
Heat oven to 325°F. You’ll need eight 4-oz ramekins or custard cups and a roasting pan large enough to hold them.
In a medium saucepan, heat milk just until simmering. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk yolks to blend, then gradually whisk in hot milk. Whisk in lemon zest and juice, then butter until butter melts. In a small bowl, whisk sugar and flour until blended. Whisk into lemon mixture just until smooth.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Gently whisk half the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Whisk in remaining whites until blended. [click to continue…]
I was recently doing some research online about Medifast.
I actually did the Medifast program a couple of years ago and lost 15 pounds. It took me about 2 months to do that, and I did cheat quite a bit. I’m certain if I had stuck to the exact program, I most likely would have lost 10-12 pounds each month which would have put me at my goal weight in 3 SHORT months. I just HATED most of the Medifast food, and so I decided to research and see what was out there.
I found something online called Saturday Morning Diet a/k/a www.joanbars.com. I watched a few videos of a delightful woman “Joan” and her hubby Bill as they talk about the “Joan Bars,” Medifast and dieting in general. The picture to the left was snagged off the one of their videos on YouTube where you can watch as Joan is making her bars. “Adorable!”
So what is the Joan Bar? It’s a replacement for those expensive meal replacement bars you can get from Medifast. (Love that!) I used Joan’s recipe and you can see my (and her) completed bars below.
HOW TO GET THE RECIPE?
#1st way “Quick” – Enter you email in the subscribe area (upper right hand corner) and I will send you the password to this page which contains the recipe and other information. Out of respect to Joan and Bill, their recipe is password protected. I normally carry a mobile device so I most likely will receive your email very quickly (unless of course I’m sleeping). I am on Eastern Standard Time in NY.
#2nd way “Slower” - If you have time right now you can get the recipe from watching Joan’s video below. It’s under 10 minutes long and Joan mentions all of the ingredients. If you subscribe to Joan’s blog you can gain access to the recipe that way as well.
Below are the photos of my finished bars. They were soooo easy to make and YUMMY to eat.
Note: For my bars though I did not use cranberries, nor raisins. I used a new product which is a cross between a raisin and a plum. It’s called Plum Amazins by Sunsweet. Nutritional makeup was virtually the same.
A While ago: I did something similar to what Joan and Bill have done, only I make my own “Medifast Homemade Drink”. You can learn more about this DELICIOUS, INEXPENSIVE, EASY and nutritious MEDIFAST DRINK here. tp://www.angelachan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Jingpic1.png
Why bother with the banana and such a small amount of fruit.
Even using just 1/6th of a banana gives this drink a satisfying “mouth feel”.
The frozen berries (if you don’t have to use fresh ones) add a touch of sweetness and a lovely color
The fiber powder helps with, well, you know!
The ice is so refreshing as we move into warmer months or after a good workout.
The color is so lovely . . . a soft shade of pink.
Disclaimer: These are alternatives I have come up with, and they work for me.
Use these recipes at your own risk.
Medifast is in no way affiliated with this site. .
I’ve been enjoying a study with Ann Graham Lotz. The book is entitled Just Give Me Jesus and it is wonderful.
Today I’m reading about Jesus attempts to get some much needed alone time with his disciples. They were enjoying some countryside scenery, rest and relaxation when suddenly THOUSANDS of people showed up in a place where they thought they would be alone.
