Quick Morning Greens

Greens for breakfast? You're kidding, right?

Mornings can be super hectic around here. Sometimes I don't have the time to sit down and eat. Studies show that we need to eat breakfast, that it gives our metabolisms a jump start, and gives our bodies the power to get through our daily tasks.

We are also told that we need to eat more vegetables, namely leafy green vegetables.

Well without further ado, here is a super fast and super easy recipe for a delicious, nutritious smoothie that you can whip up in seconds and grab on the go. You can sip it in morning traffic on your way to work. Delight in it while doing the dishes and straightening up the house. Feel those dark, leafy greens working their magic!




Super Smoothie

1-2 bananas
1 frozen banana
1/3 cup of water
2 huge handfuls of greens, such as spinach, romaine, kale, collard greens, or whatever you have on hand
a dash of honey, if you feel it isn't sweet enough already


Directions:
In a blender, puree the ripe banana with the water. Once smooth, add the leafy greens. Once that's all mixed in, pulse your frozen banana in the mixture until creamy. Taste. Add honey, if you like. Pour and sip. Mmmmmm....breakfast!

*You can also add some protein, such as a scoop of hemp protein powder or 4 ounces of silken tofu, however greens actually do contain protein, so it isn't necessary. While the numbers aren't as high as those found in animal sources, your body is better able to absorb it completely, and your blood pH becomes more alkaline, which helps your immune system.

Smashed potatoes...no CAULIFLOWER!

Don't let the ease of this recipe trick you...it's quite tasty!! It goes well as a side dish when mashed potatoes would be the norm.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons "Fox Point" from Penzeys Spices*
1 Tablespoon of butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle a shake of salt in it. Add chopped cauliflower and cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain. Add Fox Point and butter or oil and smash it up with a fork, potato smasher thing, or use a hand mixer (which I hardly find necessary when the cauliflower is nice and soft). Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.


*Fox Point is a blend of salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion and green peppercorns. If you don't have any on hand, you can use powdered versions of these spices, or simply cut up some chives and mince some garlic and add it in.

Chili-flower

Spring is trying really hard to settle in Minnesota. The birds are singing, the snow has melted, and there are days when one can venture outdoors without a heavy coat, or in true Minnesotan-style, with no coat at all. Who needs it when the sun is out and the temperature is above freezing?

I wanted to sneak this recipe in for the last few cold days that pop up unexpectedly. It is a warm, satisfying dish. So warm that my husband had to open the windows yesterday when we were eating it! I call it "chili-flower" because instead of meat, I opted to use the SuperFood cauliflower.


Ingredients:

Drizzle of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper (whatever color you like, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 head of cauliflower*, cut in tiny, tiny pieces
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
a sprinkle of salt and pepper
splash of white vinegar
cayenne pepper to taste (I use 2 teaspoons)
2 cans red kidney beans, drained
2 cans pinto beans, drained
1 huge can of tomato sauce (29 oz)
1 huge can of diced tomatoes

Directions:

Drizzle olive oil in a big stock pot on medium heat. Add peppers and onions and saute until shimmery (about 5 minutes). Add cauliflower and sprinkle chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper on top of the veggies and add a splash (about 1 Tablespoon) white vinegar. Mix it up and let cook while you open all those cans.

Rinse off beans and add them to the pot. Immediately add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring to a slight boil and then simmer as long as you like. (You can eat it after 30-45 minutes, or you can let it simmer for a couple of hours. The flavor gets stronger the longer it simmers.) Garnish with green onions and avocado and serve with crackers, corn bread or toast. Absolutely delicious and oh, so good for you!


*I use cauliflower as a "filler", since I opted out of meat. So I chop, chop, chop it up into tiny pieces that resemble what browned meat would look like. I'm not trying to trick myself into believing it is meat, because it doesn't taste anything like it. The fun thing about cauliflower is that it really picks up whatever spices you add, so it fills out the dish nicely while filling your body with vital nutrients. How great is that? The leftover half of cauliflower I typically use as a version of "mashed potatoes" because I just LOVE it and have become addicted...

Here's THAT recipe --> Smashed potatoes, no, CAULIFLOWER!

As far as the spices go, I don't really measure those. Once I have added the cauliflower, I sprinkle enough chili powder over it to cover it up in red (without stirring it) and then I sprinkle about half that amount of cumin on top.

One more note: you can add more vegetables to this dish if you are feeling adventurous or if you have lots of veggies on hand. Zucchini, squash, and carrots all work well. You can also change up the beans. I use pinto beans because I adore their buttery taste, but you can add black beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, or whatever you like.

This Dish Needs a Name!

The other night, my girlfriend had a fun dinner party and served cabbage rolls. They were amazingly delicious. She had filled them with turkey, rice and the usual things that I have found in cabbage rolls. It got me thinking...I'd like to make a cabbage roll that is completely vegan, and I'd like to switch out the typical Italian taste and go for something a bit more Thai inspired. Would it work? I wasn't sure, I hadn't heard of anything like it before (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist). I peeked in my fridge and looked in my cupboards to see what I had on hand (I was much too tired to go out shopping) and here is what I came up with...Please understand that I am not the best at measuring, so these are "guessstimates". I don't think you can go wrong, and feel free to adjust the flavors to your liking. Me, I like food to be a little fierce, to go "Pa-POW!" So if this is too intense, go ahead and add a little less garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes...

Title goes here... (Can you help me give this dish a name?)

1 head of cabbage
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 inches of fresh ginger, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 leek, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 handfuls of deluxe mixed nuts, finely chopped (I just threw them in the food processor and pulsed a bit)
1 handful of arame, soaked in water for 10 minutes, then drained
1 cup cooked rice (measured after cooking)
1 cup cooked red lentils (measured before cooking)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
Juice from 1/2 lemon
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon "Better than Bullion" mushroom bullion
2 cups of water
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon of Sate, from Penzeys Spices
(Sate contains salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, tumeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayennne red pepper and lemon grass)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

To start, cook the red lentils in the water with the mushroom broth. While this is cooking, mince the garlic and ginger, or if you are feeling lazy, throw it in a food processor. Chop the onion, celery and leek.

Drizzle the olive oil in a large pan and heat to medium. Toss in the garlic, ginger, onion, celery and leek and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is shimmery.

Add in the soy sauce, mirin, red pepper flakes, arame, mixed nuts and lemon juice and saute for another 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cooked lentils and remove from heat.

To get the cabbage leaves off the head without ripping them, boil a large pot of water and remove the core of the cabbage. Toss the cabbage into the pot for 10 seconds, remove from the water, and gently peel the leaves off. Repeat as necessary until you have all of the leaves you need. Heap a spoonful of the good stuff from the skillet into each leaf, roll up, and place in a 13X9 baking pan.

In a small pot, whisk the coconut milk and Sate together, and warm thoroughly. (If you want to take more time in the oven, skip this step. I was starving and didn't want to wait.) Pour over cabbage rolls and cover. Bake for 45 minutes.

A couple of notes:
I used Sate because my girlfriend suggested to add curry with the coconut milk, and I didn't have any curry on hand. So I would imagine curry would work equally well.

The red lentils cooked into a mushy paste, which I liked, however you can use the green or brown lentils instead, and I would imagine they would be a little firmer and hold their shape, which may also be nice.

A bit about Quinoa (keen-wah)

Here is the last day of my television debut. The entire week I had one minute to give a short presentation about the stuff I had made and then the judges would give it a taste, vote and then someone would be kicked off. The ax never fell on my neck until the final day, which you can see here, but before it did, I got the chance to cook live on the show with the hosts, John and Elizabeth. We had a fabulous time stirring up what I hope can be the new Minnesota Hot Dish. So easy to make, and so good for you, add it to your go-to recipes today!

twincitieslive.com - Kitchen Star: Quick-n-Easy Quinoa

Oh, and I only spoke briefly about this during the segment, but I encourage you to make this recipe your own! See what you have in the fridge, notice what you are craving, and put it in. Maybe not Jello-pops, but certainly you can combine different things. Here's a quick list of some possibilities:
olives
garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans
chicken, fish or other meat (although you do already have enough protein in this dish without it)
fresh herbs, like basil, cilantro, rosemary, sage, thyme
lemon or lime juice
sundried tomatoes
red pepper flakes
bell peppers
tomatoes
jalapenos
spices such as cumin, garlic, cayenne, chinese 5 star, ginger
leafy greens (these are especially delicious)
bean sprouts
water chestnuts
corn, peas, carrots
nuts and seeds
cucumbers
different cheeses such as feta, parmesan, blue cheese, or whatever you like

You see? The list can go on and on. You could put some ginger, soy sauce, bok choy, water chestnuts and almonds for an oriental taste. You could add coconut milk, green onion, peanuts and ginger for a Thai taste, or go for basil, tomato, cucumber and onion for an Italian taste. Whatever you choose, it makes a warm, satisfying hot dish in the winter and a light, easy meal in the summer, and it is delicious hot or cold. You don't even have to stick with savory; you could turn this in to a sweet dish by adding apples, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, coconut flakes, yogurt, whatever! So get in your kitchen...you are 15 minutes away from a FEAST!