Kale Me Maybe Round-Up: July/August Part 2

As I mentioned last week, since I have been actively posting on Instagram,  I am going to be updating my blog weekly with roundup of what I have been cooking.

I also just had the idea of including relevant food policy and health news on these weekly posts as well, so we can all stay up to date on relevant nutrition research and policy changes.

A big story this week was CVS's decision to stop selling tobacco in their pharmacy. To me, this is a huge step in the healthcare world, as it seems completely ironic that a place that is supposed to cure you from sickness would sell a product known to cause illness and death.

Another story I found interesting came from research at Tufts University that found that your brain can be trained to prefer healthy food over unhealthy food. While I can vouch from experience, it's nice to have scientific research that backs this up. You can read more about the study here.

Now onto the recipes:

Kale Salad with Soft-Boiled Egg and Cracked Pepper

Place an egg in water in a small pot. Heat until water is boiling, then turn off the heat and let egg sit in the water for 6 minutes. Then rinse egg with cool water to stop cooking. While your egg is boiling, massage kale with olive oil between your hands. Finely chop two garlic cloves until it is almost made into a paste. Toss kale with garlic, squeezed lemon and Parmesan cheese, and top with the soft boiled egg and cracked black pepper.

Roasted Vegetables

You can use any vegetable of choice, but pictured here are red and purple potatoes, corn, green beans and white onion. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes and top with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Quinoa and Cucumber Salad 

Spiralize half a large cucumber using Blade A. Toss with white beans, sundried tomatoes, quinoa, artichoke hearts and green onion. To make dressing, blend a scoop of Dijon mustard, half a chopped shallot and a splash of white vinegar and olive oil.

Poached Egg on a Rosemary Hash

Rosemary hash: caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, wilted arugula and sundried tomatoes topped with dried rosemary. To learn how to poach an egg, check out Mark Bittman's suggestions here. 

Green Smoothie Breakfast Bowl

Blend strawberries, kale, frozen banana, and almond milk. To get the tie-dye effect, blend one batch with more strawberries and swirl two mixtures together. Top with chopped walnuts, shredded coconut and strawberries.

"Detox" Salad Bowl

Ingredients: Massaged kale, shredded or spiralized carrots, cherry tomatoes, green onion, avocado, assorted micro greens, quinoa and lemon. 

Mocha Frappuccino

Blend one cup of coffee with a frozen banana, vanilla almond milk and a large scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder. Top with cacoa nibs. 

 Superfood Salad with Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

Arugula topped with cooked sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, avocado, assorted microgreens and chia seeds. To make dressing, mix the juice of a lemon with olive oil, white vinegar, and dried thyme. 

Shakshouka

Heat sauce over medium heat with some fresh arugula, and crack two eggs directly into the sauce. Sprinkle with red chili flakes, cumin and parsley, and then cover. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until egg is cooked but yolk is still loose. Optional: eat with Greek yogurt. 

Spiced Vegetable Frittata

Saute kale, two garlic cloves, half a medium chopped onion, chopped mushrooms and halved cherry tomatoes until onions are translucent and kale is wilted. While vegetables are cooking, scramble two eggs with thyme, oregano and paprika. When vegetables are cooked, spread them on the pan evenly and cover with egg mixture. Keep on low to medium heat until eggs are cooked, and top with Parmesan cheese. 

Warm Kale and Sweet Potato Salad with Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Spiralize a sweet potato using Blade B. Cook sweet potatoes with chopped onion in a pan with olive oil on medium heat until onions are browned and sweet potato becomes soft and crisp on the edges. Toss with massaged kale, chickpeas and hemp seeds. To make dressing, mix finely chopped garlic or garlic paste with Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. 

Zucchini "Fettuccine" with "Creamy" Sundried Tomato Sauce

Spiralize two zucchinis using Blade C. Cook in a pan on medium heat with olive oil until zucchini is soft. To make sauce, blend a handful of sundried tomatoes with a big scoop of Greek yogurt, chopped garlic (one to two cloves), olive oil and a splash of white vinegar. Pour over zucchini on low heat and toss. 

Garlic Beet Noodles with Wilted Beet Greens

Spiralize three beets, and save the greens. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. While beets are cooking, toss beet greens with chopped shallots and garlic. Toss all ingredients together and top with cracked black pepper and olive oil.

Crispy Sweet Potato and Onion Hash topped with a Fried Egg and Crispy Kale

Spiralize sweet potatoes and white onion using Blade A. Place on a large baking sheet along with kale. Drizzle with olive oil and cook at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, fry an egg with olive oil in a small pan until whites are cooked and crispy but yolk is soft to touch. When vegetables are done, place sweet potato and onion on a plate. Top with the fried egg, and crunch the kale in your hands so you are able to sprinkle over the entire dish.