Foods I Like

Lately I've been into three specific foods: brussels sprouts, kale and quinoa. I've talked about brussels sprouts before so I thought I'd give the other two some time in the spotlight.

1. Kale is a relatively new discovery to me but only recently have I been brave enough to experiment with. And truthfully I've only done one thing with it. Kale chips. There are all sorts of recipes for kale chips on the interwebs, but I tried and loved Smitten Kitchen's version and have made them approximately four times in the past two weeks. For reals.

Baked Kale Chips - via Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from a bunch of inspiring places

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale (I used Lacinato or “Dinosaur” Kale but I understand that the curlier stuff works, too, possibly even better)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I needed two because mine are tiny; I also lined mine with parchment for easy clean-up but there’s no reason that you must). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

2. Quinoa has been in my kitchen repertoire for a while now, but the other day I mixed it in with another tried and true combo and loved the result. Basic quinoa is one part quinoa to two parts water. I do 6 oz. of the little mini can of Spicy Hot V8 juice, 10 oz. water, and toss in some spices like chili powder, TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute (a no-salt mix of garlic, onion, lots of other things -- amazing!), and red pepper flakes. It gives the grain some extra oomph. While the quinoa is cooking I slice and pan-cook polenta circles and sauté onions, peppers, broccoli, jalapeños, and ________ (any other veggies we have). Top the polenta cakes with the amped up quinoa and veggies, and then top those with sliced avocado and a smidge of sharp cheddar. Avocado is key here! I wish I had a picture for you but it was too delicious to stay on my plate for long...

In other news, the sellers wouldn't make the repairs we wanted so we voided the contract on Sunday afternoon and are continuing our search. I'm really hoping relationship rules don't apply to house hunting because we scheduled a showing for a new house on Monday. Rebound? :)