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!

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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!

Happy Friday!

My day is always brightened with my cozy coffee. Soooo warming and awakening.

Hubby picked up bagels for our Bagel Day Friday. I haven’t been celebrating my bagel day as much as my Starbucks day – mostly because I’m trying to eat as much whole grain as possible and the local bagel shops don’t exactly make whole grain bagels. Why have a bleached-white bagel when I can have lovely whole grain toast?

But sometimes you just want a bagel, ya know? We had ours with sloppy scrambled eggs. And my bagel of choice today was rosemary olive oil.

I finally re-stocked on yerba mate tea at Trader Joe’s. Thank goodnes…I’ve been missing this stuff.

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I finally harvested some of the swiss chard that’s been growing in my garden for awhile now. I can’t believe how tall it’s gotten!

Look at those bright stalks!

I took off a few bright and beautiful stalks.

Plus a couple of my tri-colored beans – purple, yellow, green! (uhh – think I need to plant a couple more green bean plants though) lol

I whipped up a quick mac and cheese lunch using the Boursin cheese leftover from that fancy-schmancy dinner I made the other night.

Boursin Mac and Cheese Non-Recipe

I was a little unsure how this would turn out as it was completely experimental. I boiled water for the pasta (about or under half a box of penne), then cooked the pasta (with salt) in the pot for 9 minutes, then added the swiss chard (cleaned and chopped) for the last 3, then green beans for the last 2.

For the sauce, I melted butter in a pan (about 1 tbsp), then added about 2 tbsp of flour and cooked for a minute. Then I whisked in about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of milk. Once that was combined, I added the rest of the Boursin (about half a container), which I whisked to combine. I was a little terrified the sauce was going to be a complete bust, but it turned out ok. phew!

I added the cooked pasta and veggies to the sauce mixed. Done and done.

You could probably sub out different veggies…or even forego the veggies totally (though I would at least have some on the side to complete your meal).

Anywho, it turned out really great! I loved the garlic-y mac and cheese with the tender chard. Yum!

Plus lightly-buttered nine grain toast.

Bailey says “hey!” guys!

Anywho, remember how I was all worried about my cheese sauce. Guess what came on TV later? Barefoot Contessa! And she made a cheese sauce for croque monsieur using nearly the same steps I did! With a different cheese though. Hey, maybe I’m not so bad at this making-up-recipes thing.

Snack = 1/2 coffee cake scuffin

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I had a really stressful day at work today. Add that to some additional stress and drama going on in my personal life and I wasn’t really feeling a work out today. I went back and forth between whether or not to go to class. I felt really zapped of energy. Yet, at the same time, I knew that I would feel better after a workout.

Well, I decided to go!

As I was driving to class, Just Dance by Lady Gaga came on.

The chorus struck a chord with me. She said: “Just dance. Gonna be ok.” And I thought, you know what…zumba class tonight (dancing) is just what I need. I knew I made the right decision going for my workout. See, in zumba, I can let go and forget all my worries and for one lovely hour, I can do as Lady Gaga says – just dance. Without fail, I can go into zumba with the crummiest attitude or feeling totally down and by the end of class I feel …happy.

So…I went to class. I danced. And I know it’s all gonna be ok.

Very glad I went to class!

Post-class, I had just-under-one-scoop of Vega Whole Health Optimizer in vanilla chai mixed with water. My current fave post-workout protein.

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I had to rush home to shower and change to make it to a show.

I had my other half of the coffee cake scuffin on my way.

Can you guess the show from this photo?

It’s Annie! I went to see the show with friends to support my friend’s daughter who was in the show.

Gosh just hearing the first few notes of the opening song made me feel so sentimental. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was a kiddo!

The sun’ll come up…toooomorroooooowwwwww!

I got Dove’s autograph for when she’s famous.

Me and Dove – future movie star!

After the show we all headed out to grab a quick dinner. I was disappointed Panera closed at 9pm because I was feeling one of their yummy soups, but Dean and Deluca came through.

I had a random assortment of food for my “dinner” – tomato basil soup and pita chips with hummus. I only finished about half of everything.

Cheers!

What do you do to cheer yourself up after you’ve had a bad day or if you’re in a bad mood?

Thank goodness for being able to WFH. I took the opportunity to stay home today.

I love how WFH lets me enjoy HOT meals!

Oven-reheated Applesauce (Cranberry) Oat muffins.

Plus a fried cage free egg.

The return of Fresh Market Breakfast Blend! Hubby got more the other day…hoorah!

I also get to enjoy all the hot tea I can stand. Yerba Mate first up.

Dinner was thanks to the freezer,

my herb garden, and my farmer’s market find from the weekend.

Organic Sunshine burger, plus mayo and fresh dill from my garden.

I wanted to make a yogurt or tahini sauce, but since I had neither, I worked with what I had on hand – canola mayo.

Yay greens!

More hot tea – mate vana + rooibos caramel.

Sleepy puppy!

I got to use my mini handmade bowl! Galaxy Granola + vanilla rice milk.

I broke into those new bar samples I got the other day by Lighter Living. First flavor of choice – CHOCOLATE!

Pretty good ingredient list though Mr. Pollan wouldn’t agree. Way more than 5 ingredients and a 5th grader wouldn’t know a lot of them. Ups for organic and natural ingredients – and dates are #1! That may possibly make them a good pre-workout option.

I really liked the bar. It had a nice brownie-like texture and taste. In fact, the bar reminded me a lot of the PURE bars, which I also enjoy. I liked how the yogurt coating wasn’t over-the-top thick or sweet unlike some bars. This one was a nice compliment instead of stealing the show.

If the others are as good as this one, you may be seeing these bars in my OpenSky shop soon!

Post work, I did a quick DIY zumba top shirt by de-constructing a tank top I already had.

The finished result. Psst…I followed this video tutorial – very easy!

I’m currently stalking the ZIN forum for old, used tanks that I can play with. I can’t stop cutting my tops! I. need. MORE!

One+ fabulous dance fitness workout! I’m pooped, but looking forward to more tomorrow already!

I came home and cooked dinner in my PJs. Hubby was a great helper tonight. He had everything prepped by the time I got home!

Mmm…pasta.

Dinner was fab – served with focaccia (had 2 pieces) but something was missing – a veggie side! No salad, no sauteed veggies…nothing. Doh! I seriously need to get my arse to the grocery store! We have no fruits or veggies left! Some frozen veggies but ZERO frozen fruits. Gah!

I had a mini Vega health optimizer shake with vanilla rice milk as a quick fix / band-aid. I don’t think anything can totally substitute real veggies, but this is probably the closest I could come without going to the grocery store.

Do you feel your meal is incomplete if something is missing? I used to think a meal wasn’t complete without meat but now I think it’s not complete with a veggie! You?

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?

Happy Monday friends!

I was running later than I would have liked today, so I made breakfast quick so I could spend time prepping lunch: coffee, Power Toast (spelt bread, Barney Butter, pepitas, hemp seeds, and ground flaxseed).

I can’t remember at the moment if I told you but I sort of twisted my ankle last night leaving the dinner party. I stepped on a curb wrong and though it didn’t hurt immediately, I knew I needed to take it easy.

So, though I really wanted to go for my usual double-header workout tonight, I decided to play it safe by:

• wearing flats to work
• skipping my workout
• and trying to eat anti-inflammatory foods
• RICE would probably be a good idea, but since I don’t have a laptop, the Elevation part is going to be a challenge. I should probably try some ice next

Stupid ankle. I googled sprained ankles and I don’t think it’s anything serious (I was barely a level 1 on the article of 3 levels of sprained ankles I found), but I also believe that you should try to take things easy so you don’t make a non-situation turn into a problem. Better to be overly cautious IMO.

Speaking of anti-inflammatory foods, here are the top foods I googled:

• ginger
• garlic
• green tea
• turmeric
• blueberries
• cherries
• curciferous vegetables
• salads – dark green lettuce, spinach, tomatoes
• salmon
• grass fed beef and other animal foods
• olive oil
• kelp – also kombu, wakame, nori, arame
• papaya
• sweet potato

Kath had a great post today on anti-inflammatory foods if you want some more tips.

Today’s eats were very snacky…I really kind of grazed all day.

For Starbucks Monday, I grabbed a tall vanilla soy latte.

For lunch, I brought a big green salad of organic veggies: baby spinach, romaine, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette.

I also brought a small sweet potato with some Earth Balance and brown sugar in another container.

A couple knife-pokes and a trip to the microwave later and you have…

Sweet potato with brown sugar!

I also had some honey lemon green tea (a sample from my cube-mate’s new tea) – with sugar.

1000 Layer Cracker (from Tj’s)

One of those organic minneolas from yesterday’s grocery trip.

Cherry Pie Larabar towards the end of the day.

For a post-work snack, I had a 3/4 cup scoop of my Vega Vanilla Chai Whole Health Optimizer…I figured maybe the boost of nutrition would help my ankle?

I also had some Galaxy Granola with blueberries and vanilla almond milk.

While I waited for my friends to call about our girls’ dinner out, I prepped some food for lunch tomorrow. I experimented with a new recipe.

Organic black beans, all nice and rinsed.

I placed mine on a paper-towel lined plate to help them dry off.

Quiona, frozen organic sweet corn, black beans.

Organic lime zest.

Organic limes.

The zest looked so pretty in the olive oil.

All mixed up and ready to dress.

Ta-dah!!! The finished product. Even hubby liked it. This Southwestern Quinoa salad would make a great vegetarian or vegan meal or side dish. Perfect to take to work or a pot luck or cookout.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry, uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeds, minced
• 3 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• heavy dash garlic powder
• dash cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa. Rinse quinoa and combine with water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and simmer on low till water absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. I used a non-stick pan so it wouldn’t stick to the bottom. Reserve 1 cup of quinoa (I reserved 1 cup so I could use it in another recipe. It would probably be fine to just add all the quinoa to this recipe if you didn’t have another way to use the reserved quinoa, but I encourage you to try it as a breakfast hot cereal – check out tomorrow’s post for details on how to morph it). Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl (preferably with a lid) place cooled, cooked quinoa, beans, bell pepper, corn, jalapeno, and cilantro and mix gently to combine.
3. In a small bowl combine lime zest, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne papper. Whisk to combine (like you would for a dressing).
4. Pour dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, to allow flavors to combine.
6. Enjoy!

By the time I was done prepping lunch, it was time to meet my friends, Kat and Megan, for dinner. I brought them a sample and they approved.

I was pretty boring tonight and had a couple bites of Kat’s edamame, a small salad with ginger dressing, and miso soup.

Plus, I had a Cali roll and asparagus roll. I thought about getting a big veggie stir fry since lots of veggies seem anti-inflammatory, but then I got the sushi for the sea veggies instead. I also ate all of my pickled ginger tonight!

No dessert for me tonight, but boy do I wish I had a couple of these to nosh on!

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Check out my article on Easy Ways to Go Green for Earth Day 2010.

I have a yummy breakfast planned with quinoa! Can’t wait!

What’s your favorite way to eat quinoa?