Strawberry Apple Kale Ginger Juice

On top of my fridge is a collection of appliances that we rarely use. Among them is a juicer. It was free and Keith begged me to take it, saying "I'll use it!"


Six months (and half an inch of dust) later, I'm now learning how to use it since I'm not allowed to get rid of it. I am currently on a soft food diet because I just got my wisdom teeth out, so it seemed like a good time to try juicing out.


This juice recipe has sweetness from the strawberries, the crisp tart taste of the apples, and the zing from the ginger, but none of the kale flavor!





Strawberry Apple Kale Ginger Juice

5 large Pink Lady (or Granny Smith) apples
6 strawberries
6 kale leaves
2 inch piece of ginger


Cut the apples in half, and then into quarters. Top the strawberries and peel the ginger. Put everything into your juicer, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Today started out bright, sunny, and warm. It was a nice little preview of spring, and it got me in a spring cleaning mode. I didn't sit down from 9:30am - 6:30pm, and I feel that I really accomplished a lot today.


One of the things I did was to try out a few hummus recipes and whole wheat pitas. I was unable to find tahini, and I am not able to eat lemon, so the hummus is not entirely authentic... But they taste great anyway!

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans, drained
6-8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (depending on preference)
3 basil leaves, finely chopped
1-4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Follow directions below.





Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(inspired by Back to Her Roots)

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
2-3 roasted red peppers (fresh, or jarred and oil-packed)
1-3 garlic cloves, mined (depending on preference)
1 handful fresh parsley (approx 3 tbsp)
1-4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste


Follow the directions below.




Put all of the ingredients but the olive oil, salt and pepper into a food processor. Mix until smooth, adding the olive oil while mixing until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.



Tips:

Peel the garbanzo beans for smoother hummus. To do this, pinch a bean between your fingers. The skin should pop right off.

For better taste, substitute 1 tbsp of the oil the tomatoes or peppers came packed in for 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

When I originally introduced myself, I promised cooking fiascoes. I'm happy to report that I have no had any major disasters since I started this blog. Until I tried to make a frittata.


Why was I trying to make one? Well, I bought kale for the first time over the weekend. The beautiful little bouquet of organic, purple-tinted leaves has been sitting in the bottom of my fridge for three days, crying out for love while I steadfastly ignored it.


So I did what any sane person would do. I Googled. And apparently, frittatas and kale are soul mates whose destinies were written in the stars...


Ahem.


The problem came from the pan I was using. It isn't oven proof. "No problem," I thought optimistically. "I will just flip it like a big omelete!" Forgetting, of course, that I am incapable of flipping a simple 2-egg omelete on a good day.


When flipping failed, I tried cooking it covered on low to get the middle and top done. Still failed. I ended up with a burnt bottom and runny top. In the end, I flipped the monster onto a greased cookie sheet and finished it off in the oven. Not as pretty, but it got the job done.






I am posting the recipe and instructions anyway, because the frittata itself actually tasted extremely good! (According to Keith it "tastes amazing with a shit-ton of ketchup," but you can ignore him. That's what I do.)

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata
(inspired by Eggs on Sunday)

Olive oil
2 red potatoes
1/2 of a sweet potato
1/2 of a large yellow onion
2 cups chopped kale stalks removed
1 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme (or other dried herb)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste



Generously coat the bottom of a large oven-proof pan with olive oil and set on medium heat. When heated, add sweet and red potatoes, and onions. Add mushrooms and garlic after 10-15 more minutes (before potatoes get too soft). Cook until the mushrooms start to brown, add the kale and cook until it wilts. At this point the potatoes should be soft, but not mushy. Cook longer if needed.


While you are cooking the vegetables, mix 8 eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk vigorously so that the eggs are light and fluffy.


Season the vegetable mixture with salt, pepper, and thyme. Sample your veggie of choice. Adjust seasonings as needed. When you are satisfied, add the eggs straight into the skillet. Use a spatula to flatten the top layer (it helps if you have an even layer in the pan before pouring the eggs in). Preheat your oven's broiler setting.


Cook the eggs until the edges and bottom are set (the top will still be runny). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place in the oven directly under the broiler. Take the pan out when the top is just beginning to brown and the eggs are done.

Roasted Red Pepper Pizza Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Pizza Sauce
(adapted from Vegetarian Times)


1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained
(OR use 2 fresh red peppers, cut in half and roasted on a grill)
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained (retain 1 tbsp of oil)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon water


In a food processor or blender, puree red peppers, tomatoes, oil, garlic, and water. Add more water by the teaspoon until you reach your desired sauce thickness. Add in oregano, basil, and black pepper; blend until well-mixed. Makes about 2 cups.


Use for homemade pizza! I used a pre-made crust here. I plan on posting a pizza dough recipe someday.

Root Vegetable Fries with Gremolata

Do you know someone who hates sweet potatoes? I did. His name is Keith and he was an avid sweet potato hater when he woke up yesterday morning.


This recipe changed that.


I started making this knowing that he hates them. And not understanding why. They are exactly as they are described: sweet potatoes. Sweet. Potatoes. Potatoes that are sweet. What's not to love?!


He thought they were carrots, and the first thing he bit into when he was picking at the cooling french fries was a sweet potato. The reaction?


"Oh my god, what did I just eat? MARY! IS THIS A SWEET POTATO?!"
"Yes. What do you think?"
".... I like it. But don't get any ideas!"



Well. It's too late for that now!





Root Vegetable Fries with Gremolata
(from Yoga Journal)

2 lbs of root veggies of your choice
(ideas: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabagas parsnips, yams)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh sage ( OR 1 teaspoon dried)
Salt to taste


Gremolata

2 tablespoons parsley
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon lemon zest





Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).


Peel all of the vegetables and cut into fry-sized pieces. I used one half of each of the following: sweet potato, parsnip, rutabaga. I also used one large red potato and one large carrot (not peeled).


Put all of your fries into a large bowl. Add olive oil, sage, and salt; mix until the fries are coated evenly. Go easy on the salt - the herbs and garlic are so strong that these fries have great flavor without much salt! And you can always add some later, if you want to.





Spread the fries on a large cookie sheet for baking. Cook for 20 minutes, stir, and cook for about 20 more (for a total of about 40 minutes; mine took 45-50, but my oven is lame). The fries should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.


While the fries are cooking, mix the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic to make gremolata. When fries are finished, toss with the gremolata mix and serve. No need for ketchup on these fries! They taste too good for that.


(I did not use lemon zest and this recipe was still amazing. I am trying to find information on whether lemon zest contains citric acid - I do not think it does from what I have found so far, but I would rather not chance it!)