I’ve owed you guys this recipe for ages now, but thanks to a reminder from reader Karen, I’m actually posting it!

Here it is – my recipe for Marinated Kale! It’s so easy (no cooking!), tasty and healthful – give it a go!

What does it taste like? Well, kale to me, in general, is sort of like spinach except with a much heartier texture. Spinach is tender and bruises easily while kale holds up nicely (which is why a lot of recipes ask you to “massage” the kale – it tenderizes without bruising). Once marinated, the kale will soften up a bit, but it will still have a bite to it, texture-wise. The flavor mostly comes from the sauce ingredients, which end up being salty yet sweet with the lovely flavor of sesame oil ever prevalent and bits of fresh garlic and ginger popping up here and there.

Anywho, I LOVE to make a big batch of this to start a week. It’s an easy side veggie to take to work – just pack some into a tupperware – no re-heating necessary. You just need a fork! Makes a great vegetable serving.

On to the recipe…

First up – some visuals:

Be sure to triple wash your kale – it’s usually pretty gritty when you get it home from the store. I usually tear my kale into smaller pieces with my hands while I’m doing the washing part, but you can also chop it with a knife.

Other key ingredients: Tamari, Sesame Oil.

Whisk up sauce.

Add sauce to kale and massage – preferably with your hands. Why? Well, it seems like you can get away with using less sauce if you just rub it in a little. I believe most people massage their kale to tenderize it, but I just like to ensure my kale is well-coated without being in a puddle of sauce.

Add sesame seeds. Done-zo!

***

Marinated Kale Recipe

Raw, Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale (curly leaves, not dinosaur), triple-washed, cut or ripped into small 1-2 inch pieces (1 inch pieces will be easier to eat later)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp tamari (use wheat-free if you’re going GF)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (you can omit this but it’s so much more flavorful with it!)
• 1 tsp minced ginger (same note as for garlic)
• 1-3 tbsp sesame seeds depending on how much you like them.

Directions:

1. Place prepped kale into a large bowl.
2. In a separate small to medium bowl, whisk together sesame oil and tamari till emulsified/combined nicely. Whisk in garlic and ginger.
3. Pour sauce over kale and massage sauce into the kale (this will help ensure all pieces of kale are covered.
4. Add sesame seeds to the kale (if you’re not sure if you’d rather go 1 or 3 tbsp, I suggest adding 1 and mixing up and checking coverage. You can always add more sesame seeds but you can’t take them back out…not easily at least).
5. Store in an air-tight container. NOTE: You may wish to make your kale the night before you want to eat it so it has time for the flavors to combine.
6. Enjoy!

After all the adventure earlier today, I decided to try out a kitchen experiment

Homemade Vegan Ice Cream

Vegan ice cream!

I was inspired to try Mama Pea’s Cookies & Cream vegan ice cream – click here for recipe.

I have an ice cream machine that requires the bowl to be frozen pre-ice-cream-making, so I got that prepped and placed in the freezer earlier this week.

So, today I simply had to gather my ingredients and mix some stuff together. Gosh, ice cream is easy!

Xantham Gum

I think hubby nearly passed out when I asked him to get the Xantham Gum and he saw it was $12.99! I know that we only need a little bit at a time, but $13 is a lot at one time.

I considered omitting the xanthan gum, but I read online that it was best to use it (unless you had an allergy or something) because it helps ice cream stay creamy instead of getting icy.

I also learned (from my google search) that Xanthan Gum is a thickener commonly used in sauces and dressings and gluten free baking. You may have even noticed on the ingredient list of products you buy, if you read them.

Bottom line, I decided that we needed it, and now we have enough to make batches and batches and batches of ice cream!

My ice cream machine was a cinch to put together and then I just had to turn it on and start adding my ice cream mixture.

The machine ran for roughly 20 minutes before I checked it for consistency. It looked like it was close to being done (it seemed pretty well thickened to me at least) and I considered adding the cup of crushed chocolate cookies at this point…till I realized my 1 quart ice cream maker was TOO FULL! Doh!

So, I just let the machine run an extra 5 minutes, then turned the machine off and poured it into a mixing bowl. I mixed the ice cream and cookie pieces by hand.

Totally got to lick the spatula…to check the flavor of course!

I placed my ice cream in the freezer to thicken up while I worked on some other stuff around the house.

Shopping Spree

Check out my latest shopping spree goodies! My new breakfast bowls! Ok, they’re “cups” but I got them more for eating purposes than drinking.

I bought these glasses from Crate + Barrel today for breakfasts and snacks.

I strategically selected each of these glasses for size, shape and usability.

The smaller mug will be for my mini ice cream and yogurt parfait snacks. At 4 ounces, this means it will be the perfect 1/2 cup snack size.

The larger cups are going to be for full-sized breakfast parfaits or if I’m especially craving a large portion of ice cream, etc. At 9 ounces, this cup is really better for a cup-ish worth of yogurt and granola and fruit, or even a smoothie, but we’ll see.

I also picked up these snazzy mini spoons. They’ll be perfect for eating from my small glassware or as condiment spoons when we’re entertaining. I love the pattern on the silver spoon.

I also got this bowl for morning oatmeal. No size reasoning on this one, I just liked the size and shape.

Lunchtime Eats

While my ice cream thickened up, I whipped up a quick lunch: breaded halibut, steamed broccoli and toasted Whole Grain Goodness with a wee bit of real butter.

I picked up this Honest Ade – Pomegranate Blue from the race earlier. (What? Other spectators were getting it too!) It had a great flavor and I liked how it was “just a tad sweet.”

After lunch I dove straight into my homemade vegan ice cream!

Decorated with 2 cookies.

Loved it! The recipe was super easy and the flavor was great. Thanks Mama Pea!

Reader question – Have you tried coconut milk ice cream before (homemade or store-bought)? What did you think?

Yay! The weekend is here! Anyone doing anything fun?

I finally finished those fabulous blueberries this morning when I made hubby and I blueberry-banana oatmeal. Nom! Soooo tasty!

My lunch eats were a bit on the random side due to lack of groceries and my inability to take a break from work to go grocery shopping.

For lunch #1, I had an AB+J+Chia Sammie on Dakota with some green peas. Have you tried chia seeds on your PB+J yet? If not…you should! It’s fab!

For lunch #2, I had a quick soba noodle stir fry with fresh garlic, green beans, and sesame seeds. I love a good noodle bowl!

I did a play on those vegan mini tarts, but this time with some modifications.

I used the same crust recipe as before, but this time I used this handy-dandy mini tart tool, which helped form the cups.

Last time I made these mini tarts, I just added fruit and a gel-y topping. But, I’ve always wanted to add a sort of pastry cream filling. So, I made one today using tofu.

I decided to sample a tart before I took them over to our friend’s place tonight…just in case my experiment was a total fail.

Take a tart.

Add cream filling and fruit and enjoy!

Ok, I left off the shiny topping for my sample….it wasn’t ready yet. I still had to go to Zumba class and THEN finish dessert.

Sooo…I went off for another fabulous hour of zumba tonight, and yes…that makes 6 straight days of zumba. phew!

I came back home and assembled dessert and then headed out to meet some friends.

Our friends were having a bit of a cook-off.

While our chefs worked, I snacked on tortilla chips, Stacys pita chips, salsa, and raw veggies (broccoli and baby carrots).

Burger Slider #1 – a lovely grilled burger with cole slaw and I believe pimento cheese.

Burger Slider #2 – another love grilled burger, this time made with monterrey jack cheese, spinach, tomatoes and a sweet Hawaiian sauce.

They were both delicious! Can I call a tie?!

My vegan fruit tarts were big hit and I don’t think anyone was even vegan! I was worried they were a fail, but thank goodness they turned out ok!

I’ll be posting the recipe tomorrow. Gotta get some zees for now. G’night all!

What’s your favorite type of burger/slider? Any particular toppings, sauces, seasonings?

(Hubby and I may actually do sliders at our housewarming next weekend!!)

I LOVED reading everyone’s “I Can’t Believe I Used to Eat That!” foods. I think I was guilty of most of the same. lol

Here are some examples:

• Diet Sodas
• Chicken fingers (with a soup terrine of honey mustard!)
• Fast Food
• Hot Dogs
• Ramen
• Spagettios
• Livermush
• Snickers Ice cream
• Fake parmesan

We’re much better off nowadays, right?! *high five*

I was thinking today, the opposite of “I Can’t Believe I Used to Eat That!” foods would be “I Can’t Believe I LIKE Eating This Now!” foods. Sure you used to love your diet Dr. Pepper, but did you ever think you’d LOVE brussels sprouts?! If you had told me 10 years ago that today I’d really look forward to eating a big plate of brussels sprouts, or kale chips, or tempeh, I probably would have laughed in your face. But here I am, and I’m eating healthy foods and finding them delicious!

I’m surprised I now like:

• vegetables in general (I really do love them now but could care less for them when I was a kiddo)
• tofu
• tempeh (didn’t even know what this was until a couple years ago)
• kale chips
• spelt flour
• quinoa
• vegan and vegetarian entrees (I used to think I had to have meat in a meal for it to be complete – now I just want a protein)
• non-dairy milks (almond, soy, hemp)
• chia seeds
• goji berries
• veggie juices

What are your “I Can’t Believe I Like Eating This Now!” foods?

I started today with a big bowl of banana oats in my gorgey light turquoise handmade bowl.

The bowl also contained chia seeds, almond milk, coconut flakes, flaxseed meal and White Chocolate Dreams.

I used my last 2 farm-fresh eggs (from my first carton – I have a new one already!) to make lunch today.

On the menu: Toasted Wraps with Sloppy Scrambled (aka Hubby Scrambled) Eggs.

Where might the name come from? Well, one of the first things hubby ever cooked for me was scrambled eggs. They were easy and safe. I like scrambled eggs. I have fond memories of making scrambled eggs with my family. My parents would carefully crack eggs into a large bowl, add salt and pepper, and a dab of milk, then whisk everything together till the yolks and whites were well-mixed. Imagine my surprise when I saw hubby cracking the eggs directly into the pan! The horror! How would the yolks and whites incorporate properly? Turns out they wouldn’t…but I kind of liked it that way. There was something to that mix of yellow and white in separate, distinguishable colors and textures. I really enjoyed it.

These days, I switch between scrambling my eggs in a bowl or directly in the pan. I think each style has its own pros and cons, but the Hubby Scramble definitely means easier clean-up with one less dish to wash. (probably why I lean towards his method when I’m feeling lazy…heehee).

Sloppy Scramble How-To:

Step 1. Crack the eggs into a prepped pan (I spray non-stick in the pan) – don’t worry if the yolks break.

Step 2. Lightly stir the eggs so the whites and yolks are evenly distributed but not well-mixed.

Step 3. Continue cooking as you would regular scrambled eggs, flipping etc to ensure the eggs are cooked through.

Today I also used the same pan to saute some baby spinach.

I spread the egg onto two small WW tortillas, then added spinach, feta, and a wee bit of tomato juice. I think sun-dried tomato pesto or tomato paste would have been better, but I had the juice leftover from Sunday’s brisket so it seemed like a good idea. It turned out to be a bit watery…oops!

I wiped out the saute pan and used it to toast my wraps. I love that lightly crispy outside.

Beautiful colors inside! Tasty too! I loved the tender/crispy tortilla/wrap outside with the warm eggs and spinach. I think a cheese that melted better may have been more up my alley, but it’s nice to change up my flavors…I almost always do a more cheddar-type cheese with my eggs.

Nice and crispy and tasty dipped in ketchup.

***
This must have been a longer week than I thought. I ended up falling asleep on the couch for about an hour. I usually don’t nap unless I’m really stressed or sick/getting sick. I hope it’s not the latter!

My impromptu nap + an impromptu thunderstorm outside got me craving comfort food. I turned to some of mom’s soup stashed away in the freezer – Beef + Bean. I freshened up my bowl with some parsley from my herb garden. The soup was hot and cozy and hit the spot with brothy bites of tender beef and beans. So delish!

Plus a piece of buttered WW toast on the side. I love great bread with my soup. It’s so superior to crackers!

I decided dessert would be a good idea, too. Keeping with my comfort food theme, I thought a lovely berry crisp would be perfection.

I chopped up the last of my organic strawberries for tonight’s dessert. They were not as ripe as the others I’ve already eaten and weren’t looking their freshest. I figured baking them would help make them taste their best.

I busted out some Organic Tapioca starch to try out in place of corn starch.

Ingredients.

Fresh out of the oven. Gosh it smelled like heaven!

I enjoyed a big piece whilst catching the end of Part 1 of the Real Housewives of NY reunion. I can’t believe they have 3 parts! It must be juicy!

Mixed Berry Crisp/Crumble

Note: I like a lot of crumbly topping so I went a little heavy on the toppings. Serves 2. (vegan) (can be gluten free too if you ensure the oats and spelt are GF)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used fresh strawberries and frozen blueberries)
• 1/2 tsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup oats (I used rolled oats)
• 1/4 cup spelt flour (or use whatever flour you have)
• heaping 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup EarthBalance (or butter)
• dash cinnamon (or 1/4 tsp)
• pinch salt

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and prep a small baking dish (mine was 4 1/2″ x 7″) with non-stick spray.
• In a medium bowl, mix berries, tapioca starch, and sugar. Pour into baking dish.
• In another medium bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Use fingers to mix EarthBalance into the dry ingredients. Pour the topping over the fruit and use fingers to spread evenly.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is just browning and the sides are starting to bubble.
• Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

Remember to tell me your “I Can’t Believe I Like Eating This Now!” foods.

Can’t wait to see what you guys have to say about this one!

I made something cool this morning…

Berry Breakfast quinoa! Nomalicious and so nutritious, too! Not to mention this is vegan and gluten-free!

I was excited about both trying my quinoa in a sweet dish and trying my new Tempt vanilla hemp milk that I got on my massive grocery shopping trip last Sunday . I’ve heard such good things about hemp milk but have hesitated to try it because it sounds weird and it’s expensive.

Whenever I try something new, I like to make sure to taste it solo so I can really taste the flavor of the ingredient. I poured a mini cup of the hemp milk this morning while I was making breakfast so I could sample this new (to me) non-dairy milk. Turns out it’s not weird at all! If you like other non-dairy milks, you’ll probably like hemp milk.

All you need to make Breakfast Quinoa is cooked quinoa. While quinoa is generally considered quick and easy, 20 minutes to cook quinoa is not “quick” for me in the morning. That’s why I reserved some cooked quinoa from my food prep last night. Makes life easy.

I like to mixin fruits to my breakfast cereals whenever possible. Tonight I used mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries) leftover from those yummy mini vegan/GF tarts I made on Sunday. Breakfast is such a good way to use up leftovers, no?!

Cook quinoa in a water and milk mixture. Add berries. Add sweetener. Easy-peesy!

Mixed berry breakfast quinoa – yum! Perfect with hot Fresh Market Spring Blend coffee.

As it turns out, quinoa is not nearly as sweet as rolled oats, so even though I used vanilla milk (already sweet) and even though I normally try to get my sweeteners from fruit instead of adding sugar, etc., I did need to add extra sweetener to todays breakfast. I made the cereal without any added sweeteners, but ended up stirring some organic cane sugar in after sampling the first couple bites.

I still prefer my oatmeal since oats seem to be creamier and have a nice chewy texture, but for the powerhouse of nutrition that is quinoa, this is worth adding to the rotation now and again.

Quick + Easy Hot Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Makes 2 small servings or 1 large

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2/3 cup sweetened vanilla hemp milk (you can sub other milks, but if it’s not sweetened, you may need to add extra sweetener to taste)
• 1/3 cup blueberries, rinsed
• 2-4 strawberries, rinsed, tops cut off, sliced
• ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal

Directions:

1. Combine quinoa and milk in a small pot over medium low heat. Simmer till thickened up to your liking. Try to not let the mixture boil, at least not much.
2. Add berries to pot and cook to heat through (you can add them earlier, but I prefer to add them closer to the end of cooking).
3. Serve in a bowl and top with ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal.

NOTE: You can get creative with your mixins and sub almost anything for the fruit – dates, bananas, apples, etc. Add nuts and seeds as you like…just like you’d do with oatmeal!

Have you tried quinoa for breakfast? What did you think?