Broccoli Kale Fennel Soup

It's RAINING. In California! Which means it's finally time for some comfort food. Or at least the kale-infused California version.

This soup is delicious and looks beautiful too (much more beautiful in person.) Plus its one more way to prepare kale for which I'm always on the hunt.

So turn on the oven (poor/California man's heater) and curl up with a bowl of this healthy and delicious soup. You won't even have to unbutton your pants which makes it a much more "comfortable" option.

Ingredients:
1 small – medium head of broccoli
2 medium heads of fennel
2 – 3 heads of garlic
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
few heavy pinches sea salt
few heavy pinches ground black pepper
3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for an hour (no worries if you don't have time to soak)
3 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
chopped fennel leaves to garnish
lemon zest to garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees + line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and cut the broccoli and fennel into medium sized florets/slices. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheet, with the cloves of garlic (leave the skin on) and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes. flip the veggies and toss the kale leaves on top. Roast for about another 5 – 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cloves of garlic cool a bit and then pop them out of their skins.
Combine the raw cashews, filtered water, lemon juice and another heavy pinch of sea salt and black pepper in your blender. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the roasted broccoli, fennel, garlic + kale and blend until smooth again.*
To serve top with a dash of olive oil, chopped fennel leaves, lemon zest + black pepper.
*If your blender doesn’t have a soup setting you might want to heat the soup on the stove prior to plating and serving.

Quinoa Enchilada Bake

I'll eat just about anything with melted cheese on top. Add to that chicken, quinoa, onion and green chile and and this is one of the most scrumptous dishes I've had the pleasure of eating lately.

It's also fairly quick and easy, especially if you boil the chicken in advance. (about 15-20 minutes, then shred it with two forks.)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa, white or red
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 can (15 oz) black beans
3 tbsp canned chopped green chiles
1 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (from 19 oz can)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
Heat over to 350 degrees
Spray 8 inch square ceramic baking dish
Heat a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion; cook 5 minutes or until onion is soft
Reduce heat to low. Add quinoa, chicken, black beans, green chiles, and the enchilada sauce; stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Stir in cheddar cheese. Transfer quinoa mixture to prepared baking dish. Top evenly with pepper Mozzarella cheese.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes
Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage in Spicy Tomato Sauce

One of the highlights of the holiday season as a child was my Aunt Dolores's cabbage rolls. I never really thought about what was in them and didn't care. All that mattered is that they were delicious!
However, when I was in high school I went on a vegetarian kick and my mom informed me that I could no longer eat them because they had meat in them. What?! It's the only time I remember thinking "this whole vegetarian thing is bs." (Though I did stick it out for a few more years!)

These rolls are not the quickest or easiest thing to prepare so you may want to save them for a special occasion. The original recipe includes instructions for homemade tomato sauce but, trust me, you won't have time. If you do insist upon making your own feel free to google the recipe as I don't want to stress everyone else out!

They keep and reheat well so feel free to make the whole recipe even if you're cooking for one or two.


Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage
12 oz ground chuck
12 oz ground pork
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp hot paprika
3 cups spicy tomato sauce

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage head and cook until outer leaves are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel outer layers of leaves and drain. Return remaining cabbage to water, and repeat until all leaves are cooked and removed. Pat each leaf dry with a kitchen towel. Select 12 large light green leaves.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using 2 forks, gently stir together beef, pork, rice, onion, parsley, paprika and 1 tbsp salt.
Working with one leaf at a time, slightly trim thick part of rib with a paring knife, leaving leaf intact. Arrange about 1/2 cup filling (less for smaller leaves) in center of each leaf. Fold stem end of cabbage over filling. Fold in sides of cabbage. Carefully roll cabbage over to form a package, overlapping ends to seal. Transfer each, seam side down, to a large, shallow baking dish.
Spread sauce over stuffed cabbage leaves. Cover with parchment-lined foil and bake until cooked through and cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.

Persimmon and Cinnamon Oatmeal

"What are persimmons?" ask my friends, particularly those from Southern California. Gasp! I grew up eating them right off the tree (along with pomegranates, apricots, tangerines, walnuts etc.) This was one of benefits of living in the agriculture heartland of central California:)

Eating it like an apple may be a little intense for someone who's never tried one though I have gotten several friends hooked on the dried persimmon slices sold at Trader Joes (or made in my food dehydrator). This oatmeal recipe is another great way to ease into persimmons and it couldn't be easier. Prep and cooking took all of about ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 medium fuyu persimmons, sliced or chopped
1-2 Tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup Oats ( quick or old fashioned uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
For Oats: In 3-quart saucepan, bring water and salt to boil. Stir in the oats, then reduce heat to low heat, then cook for about 5 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed. For the quick oats, cook for about 1  minute.
In frying pan, add butter. Let butter melt, then add persimmons and cinnamon. Continues sauteeing persimmons for about 10 -15 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and stir in honey.
Dish out oatmeal in bowl, top with sauteed persimmons.

Lentil Salad with Garlic Balsamic

You wouldn't think this is a "hearty" meal just by looking at it. Afterall, it's a salad. But lentils are surprisingly filling and chock full of protein with a whopping 26% of their calories attributed to it. This makes them a great protein source for vegans, vegetarians and anyone who observes "meatless monday."

Lentils are also full of fiber and complex carbohydrates which give you energy. But unlike with starchy sources of fiber like bread, pasta and pizza the energy is slow releasing and won't lead to an insulin spike. However, perhaps the best thing about lentils is they have virtually no fat and very low calories (230 per cup as in this recipe) so they're great if you're watching your weight.

If you ask Dave for his favorite part of this recipe he will say garlic, garlic and garlic. The dressing absolutely makes the salad and I'm keeping it on hand for future recipes. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup dry brown lentils
3 roma tomatoes
2-3 oz. spinach
1/4 cup chives (or shallot or green onion)
2 Tbsp. capers

{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced


 

Directions
Cook lentils according to package directions, leaving firm, not mushy.
While lentils are cooking, make the dressing: in a small bowl combine all ingredients and whisk.
Roughly chop the spinach and chives, and dice tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.
When lentils are done cooking, drain, and immediately add to large bowl with spinach and tomatoes. The heat from the lentils will slightly wilt the spinach.
Add the dressing and capers and stir to combine.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Earlier this week Dave and I did something that's very out of character for us....we woke up early but decided to skip the gym to sit on the back patio and sip coffee. It was a very peaceful, retirement-esq moment. And only about 30 years ahead of schedule ;)

Guess what Dave's cup said?

Because we rarely slow down long enough to even put milk in the coffee the Keurig brews into our to-go mugs I decided to take advantage of the moment and make a couple all natural, chemical free pumpkin spice lattes.

Totally delicious and guilt free and worth the few minutes of prep required. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (single serving)
3 Tbs pumpkin puree
1/2 - 1 cup unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
1 shot espresso
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey

Preparing for old age

Directions:
Turn on stove to low heat. In a sauce pan mix your almond milk and pumpkin together with a whisk. Once your pumpkin is melted your milk should turn a brown-orange color. Add in remaining ingredients and whisk for a few more seconds (or toss in a blender if you want it extra frothy.)
Pour into your espresso and top with cinnamon, nutmeg and/or pumpkin spice

Zucchini Cups

I have no idea where my zucchini obsession originated from but, when looking at labels for past blogs, I realize I have more zucchini recipes than anything else!

I guess it's because it's so versatile (I have made zucchini boats, zucchini noodles, zucchini frittatas and even zucchini pizza crust to name a few of my recipes) and also super healthy! Because zucchini has such a high water content, it's very low in calories (one medium raw zucchini with its skin on contains just 31 calories and 0 grams of fat) and contains 56 percent of your daily recommended value of vitamin C, 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

Zucchini cups is one thing I hadn't tried so I was eager to do so. (They're just so cute!) However, you can also use this recipe to make zucchini boats like those in the above link.

This recipe is grain free unless you choose to add farro which actually gives the stuffing an interesting texture.
If you choose to add it, boil 1 cup of farro in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Let cool, then add to the meat mixture just before stuffing the zucchini cups.

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)
3 large zucchini
2 tsp + 2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 T finely minced garlic
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 large heirloom tomatoes
2 cups mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut zucchini into 2 inch slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller or holow out a cup in each zucchini slice leaving just over 1/4 of zucchini flesh. Finely chop flesh.
Cut the top off of each of the tomatoes and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Chop the remaining tomato and add to the chopped zucchini. 
Chop onion and combine with chopped zucchini and tomatoes. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan and saute vegetables for 3-4 minutes until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute more being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove the mixture to a bowl
Add 2 tsp more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground beer or turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium until the meat is browned. Stir cooked vegetabels and garlic into the meat. Add the juice from the tomatoes and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture, then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon then mounding it a little over the top of the zucchini.
Bake zucchini for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10 more minutes until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and slightly browned.