Easy Crunchy Kale Chips

      I have a secret I need to confess to everyone who reads this blog.  I love chips!  I know, I know, chips aren't healthy, they're really oily and fatty and have way more sodium than I should be consuming...but chips are my vice!  Malissa always gives me grief because I can turn away the ice cream, chocolate, candy, or any other type of junk food, but when chips are placed before me, my mouth immediately starts watering.  Fortunately, I have devised a plan to turn that weakness into a strength!  Behold the kale chip!  A healthy, delicious chip that you can eat guilt-free!  (And I think that picture looks cool too).  For all of you who have a weakness of loving chips too much, I have an incredibly easy win-win solution!

Kale Chips

Kale, stemmed and cut into chip-sized pieces
Olive oil
Salt or Seasoning of your choice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine a small amount of olive oil (just enough to lightly coat all your kale), kale, and seasoning in a bowl.  Mix well and spread kale evenly in one layer over a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until they are nice and crispy, but not burnt.  Enjoy!
 

Spicy Tomato Basil Pasta

    Okay people, move over sloppy joes,  this is the new favorite recipe in our house!  Malissa and I have recently discovered a new sauce that we have become completely converted to.  It's called Harissa and it is divine!  Now, you all know how much I love to read labels, so I can tell you that I have read the label of the Harissa sauce thoroughly and there is nothing hidden or bad about its contents.  Every ingredient is healthy and natural.  As we mixed it in with some garlic, basil, cherry tomatoes, and spices, we created a middle-eastern pasta sauce that is out of this world.  If you try one of the recipes I have written this year, make it this one.

Spicy Tomato Basil Pasta

1 Pound spaghetti, cooked (or any pasta)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Pound cherry tomatoes, halved 

3 Garlic cloves, sliced (NOT diced or minced)

3/4 Cup fresh basil, chopped

2 Tablespoons dried oregano

2 Tablespoons dried chives 

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

2 Tablespoons onion salt

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1-3 Tablespoons harissa

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes.  Lower heat to medium low.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Add one tablespoon of oregano, chives, parsley, onion salt, and 1/4 cup of the fresh basil. Simmer another 5 minutes. Add Harissa paste (amount depends on how spicy you want this), salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of fresh basil. Cook another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, another 1/4 cup of fresh basil, and 1 Tablespoon of oregano, chives, parsley, and onion salt. Cook another 5 minutes. Add sauce to pasta and enjoy!
     

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad With Balsamic Dressing

    I have loved pasta salad all my life.  Every time I eat some, I can't help but reminisce about my childhood, eating with my family outside on a warm summer evening.  My craving for pasta salad has not been satisfied for a long time however, as most pasta salads usually come with fatty, sugary dressings, and bleached, unhealthy pastas.  Malissa and I have successfully remedied this inability to enjoy pasta salad with our new healthy, whole grain version.  This meal only takes 15 minutes to make and will create new lasting memories ingrained in your mind forever!

*Veggie Pasta Salad

1 Pound whole wheat pasta (we use fusilli)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 Bell peppers, diced (red, green, or both!)
2 Zucchini, chopped
1 Tablespoon thyme
1/2 Cup fresh basil, cut into small pieces
Salt, to taste

Dressing:
4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of cayenne or chili powder (optional)
Dash of crushed red peppers (optional, for a little spice!)

    Cook pasta according to package directions.  Place in large bowl.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the cherry tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the peppers, zucchini, and thyme.  Cook until *veggies are soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add to pasta bowl, along with the basil.  For the dressing:  Combine all ingredients and stir.  Add to pasta bowl.



*Note:  I call this a veggie pasta salad even though from a scientific point of view, all the main ingredients are actually fruits...however, I think you would agree with me that to claim this as a fruit salad would be ridiculous!  Therefore, I am taking a culinary liberty, and calling these vegetables.

Easy Ratatouille

    

    

    The word Ratatouille always brings my mind back to the beautiful city of Paris, with it’s glamorous tower, renowned breads, and small rodents cooking for food critics.  Yes, the first time I was ever introduced to this dish was when I watched the animated character Anton Ego take a bite, then dramatically drop his pen in slow motion as he savored the delicious taste.  Now, several years later, we are cooking our own ratatouille, and it is good!  Its flavor didn’t cause me to go into shock and have a flashback of my childhood…but it probably would have if I had ever had ratatouille when I was younger! 

    This meal is a great way to get rid of all that squash you have piling up in your refrigerator, and you can cook it as a delectable side, or serve it over rice as a wonderful main course.  Bon Apatite!

Ratatouille

1/4 Cup olive oil
1 1/2 Cups yellow onion, diced
1-2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (The spice works if you don't have fresh)
1 Cup green bell peppers, diced
1 Cup red bell peppers, diced
*3 Cups zucchini squash, diced
1 Cup yellow squash, diced
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Harissa sauce (optional, if you like spiciness)

Directions

Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the thyme, green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash.  Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper, and Harissa (if you want it spicy), and cook for 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either as a side, or on rice as a main course.

*Note- if you like eggplant, you can substitute 2 cups of eggplant and only use 1 cup of zucchini.  Add the eggplant before the peppers, zucchini, and squash and let it cook for five minutes.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins

 
  Once again, we come to that wonderful time of year when all of us are panicking about how we can get rid of the truckload of zucchini we found in our garden.  Perhaps an obstacle you are facing is that the children at your table aren't thrilled about the taste of zucchini!  Time to sneak some of this squash into their lives!  These zucchini muffins are a great side or dessert to add to your meal, and they are very simple to make!  Just make sure your kids don't wander into the kitchen while you're making them, and they'll love these muffins without ever realizing what kind of squash they're digesting!  Enjoy!

Zucchini Muffins

2 Cups whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup flax meal 

A healthy, sweet, and hardy dessert or snack!

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2/3 Cup agave (Add more if you want it really sweet)
3/4/ Cup soymilk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Cups Zucchini, shredded

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners, or spray with non-stick spray.  In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth all the way through. Mix in the zucchini.  Scoop 1/3 cup of the batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it.  Bake on center rack for 23 minutes.  Poke with toothpick to test.  
 
 

Mexican Rice

 

    Growing up, I always loved going to Mexican restaurants because of how delicious the Mexican rice was.  We never ate Mexican rice in my home, and I assumed the reason why was because it must have been very complicated to make, or required some type of "secret ingredient".  Little did I know just how easy Mexican Rice is to make on your own (With just two lines of instructions!).  Now, Malissa and I are always just 20 minutes away from enjoying restaurant quality Mexican rice, which has now become the popular side to many of our favorite homemade Mexican Dishes.

Mexican Rice

2 Cups water

2 Cups rice (regular brown rice does not work!  Use quick brown rice or white)

1 ½ Cups Salsa

2 teaspoons salt

Dash of Chili Powder

In a medium pot or saucepan, bring water to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, add all ingredients, cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.  Easy!

*This recipe works wonderfully as a filler for Tacos!

Chunky Tomato Basil Soup

    I don’t believe that Malissa and I are a minority as people who love to have soup with our sandwiches.  If you are like us, then this tomato basil soup is perfect for you!  Not only can it be enjoyed guilt-free, knowing that it is completely vegan and healthy, but it is also extremely easy to make and works very well as leftovers!  It is rich and creamy, but still has some good chunks in it, giving it a good hardiness.  This meal is also very quick, taking about 15-20 minutes to make.

8 Cups roma tomatoes, diced

2 Eight-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 Six-ounce can tomato paste

2 Cups water

4 teaspoons bouillon (we get veggie “better than bouillon”)

1 Package silken tofu (optional, adds to the creaminess)

10 Basil leaves, finely chopped (or to taste)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Vegan cheese (optional, for garnish)

Place diced tomato pieces in blender or food processor and pulse 2-3 times.  Combine tomatoes, sauce, paste, water, and bouillon in pot and simmer 3-4 minutes.  Blend the tofu until creamy and stir into tomato mixture.  Simmer until it reaches desired thickness.  Remove from heat, stir in basil, salt and pepper.