Potato & Corn Chowder w/ Fresh Sage

I know I haven't posted in awhile. Between the holidays, multiple school programs, launching my business and dealing with some deaths in the family, things have been crazy busy here. The good news is that we are almost done with January and before we know it, it will be time to plant our spring garden. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weather to turn and start playing outside and enjoying a bit of sunshine. The good news about these cold, winter, days where we are stuck inside is that I have lots of time to cook and experiment with new recipes. Tonight I made the most amazing soup and just had to share it with you.

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Potato & Corn Chowder with Fresh Sage

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup diced celery
1 medium Japanese sweet potato (the white kind - chopped)
1 large Russet potatoe (chopped)
4 cups mineral broth (see July post for recipe)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons onion powder
4 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
1 tablespoon sea salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 bag frozen sweet corn
1 cup whole milk

1. Heat large soup pot on medium temperature.
2. Add oil and increase heat to medium high.
3. Add onions and celery.
4. Sauté until lightly caramelized, stirring frequently (about 10 minutes)
5. Add potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add mineral broth and dry thyme.
7. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Add onion powder, sage, salt, pepper and frozen corn.
9. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
10. Temper and add milk, cook until potatoes are tender. (5 minutes)

Halloween, Sugar and Primary Foods

The Hubs and I often disagree on how much sugar and "junk" to allow the kids. I want them to eat as healthfully as possible. I've even been known to tell my kid she can't have any candy at a birthday party. The more I learn, and the more I reflect, and the more I realize he has a point. (Just don't tell him I said that -good thing he doesn't read my blog).

With Halloween fast approaching, I've been thinking a lot about candy and sugar consumption. This is the first year that my oldest daughter will be trick-or-treating with friends and it is unlikely she will forget about the candy after a couple of days, as she has in the past. We've been reading a book called, The Switch Witch (how does one underline on a blog, anyway?) by Charity O'Neill. The premise of the book is similar to the tooth fairy. You leave your candy for the switch witch and while you are asleep the switch witch comes and trades your candy for a gift. It is a nice idea and we'll see how well it goes over this year. However, the more I think about it, the more I'm starting to think it is important that I let my kids indulge in Halloween; sugar included. The thing is, what we put into our body is actually considered secondary nutrition. Our primary nutrition is how we feed our soul. It is what makes us happy. It is why I named my company Not Just Kale. You can eat all the kale you want, but if you don't have things in your life that make you happy and make your soul feel nourished, you still won't be healthy. Think about it. If your marriage or job isn't what you want it to be, are you REALLY happy? I mean, at your core of your being happy? Probably not. If your not really happy, are you at your optimum health? Probably not. So, anyway. I'm getting onto a tangent here. The more I think about Halloween and candy, the more I think it is important that my kids feel included and not deprived on Halloween. So I'm going to let them have candy. Probably more candy than they, or The Hubs, expect. I'll try not to have a nervous break down as they eat, either.

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Chicken Burgers

I had every intention of getting on here tonight and ranting about something that bothered me to my core the past day or two. However, after sitting down to a wonderful meal with my entire family, I don't feel like expending the negative energy. So, for now, I'll choose to make this post all about my favorite topic. Yummy recipes that my kids love. I have to say I almost chickened out (no pun intended) and didn't serve this to my kids. I'm glad I didn't because they gobbled it up and asked that I include this in my usual dinner recipe rotation. Don't let the bitterness of the arugula fool you, this burger is AMAZING. The recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks that focuses on nourishing the cancer patient. All of the recipes are made with whole foods designed to nourish the body.

2 lbs ground DARK MEAT, organic chicken
1 cup+ tightly packed arugula leaves
1 cup+ diced apple, skins removed
1 shallot
1/2t cumin
1/2t sea salt
1/2t ground pepper
Juice from one lemon
Coconut oil to coat the pan

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except oil. I chose to use the food processor to blend the argula, apple and shallot well enough that my kids were not going to be picking out chunks of stuff. Season and shape into patties. Saute in coconut oil until cooked through.

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Winners and Losers

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am always trying out new recipes. Most of them I tweak to make them as healthy as possible. Tonight, I wanted so much to push out my theoretical feathers and strut as I blogged about how I made home made spinach gnocchi. Ummmm, yeah. No such luck. I cooked for 90 minutes. Prepping, rolling and then freezing the gnocchi. Unfortunately, as soon as the "gnocchi" hit the boiling water it pretty much dissolved. My four year old was watching me and asked me if it was soup and would it taste better than it looks. Uhhh, NO. However, there is always a silver lining and the good news is the sweet potato pudding I had made to go along with the gnocchi was so yummy that both girls ate two bowls. The recipe is as follows and will definitely make it onto my Thanksgiving Day table. I don't think anyone would even suspect it is healthy.

3 large sweet potatoes, quartered
1t grated fresh ginger (I forgot to add this)
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
1/8t salt
2T orange juice (I used the juice from 2 oranges)
2T molasses
3/4c yogurt cheese
1/4c pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 and bake potatoes until soft. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skinds and mash until completely smooth (I blended all of the ingredients in my Vitamix). Mash in the remaining ingredients (except pecans) until completely smooth. Decorate the top with pecans and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is lightly browned. If prepared in advance and refrigerated, increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.

A good thing coming to an end?

Every few weeks I try to spend an afternoon cooking and freezing. It makes those chaotic weekday evenings so much easier when I can pull a home made dinner out of the freezer and just warm it up. As it happens, one of my favorite things to do is to find new recipes and experiment. What tastes good? How can I make a recipe healthier? Will the kids actually eat it? Today was one of those wet, crisp, Autumn days that was perfect for doing just that...cooking. Outside of a trip to the gym this morning, and a bit of work while the kiddos were napping, I spent the day either in the kitchen or the grocery store. I made two types of home made granola bars (the jury is still out whether the recipes are blog worthy), my raw brownies (a family favorite, and probably one of the most nutritious items I serve) and home made veggie burgers. My 4 year old was her typical picky self. She asked me twice to read her the ingredients of everything in the granola bars and was skeptical when I assured her that no, the green bits in the granola bar was pumpkin seeds and not spinach (yeah, she's on to me). One passed her initial taste test (yet to be seen whether it comes home uneaten in the lunch box) and she turned the other down, despite approving of all the ingredients. She tasted everything at dinner (which is all we ask) and didn't like any of it so ended up eating the bun, the slice of tomato on the burger and the kiwi. I think a few bites of burger made it into her but only because she was famished. The only real surprise was she didn't like the acorn squash which was drizzled with butter, cinnamon and I even caved and sprinkled with some brown sugar. What I found shocking was the baby (who really isn't a baby anymore considering she will be 2 in a couple months) turned down everything (except the tomato, bun and kiwi) claiming, "I no like it." This is a kid who happily sucks down kale and spirulina smoothies, so I have to say her dissing the sugar sprinkled squash came as a huge surprise, especially considering I KNOW she was hungry. Needless to say, I think I see the writing on the wall....the picky stage is coming. The good news is I've been down this road before and I know that patience, persistance and time will persevere. Not that is makes it any easier. Not even for me.

Kale Chips

Ideally, you would make kale chips in a dehydrator to preserve all the nutrients. That said, you don't need a dehydrator to reap the benefits of kale. For those of you without access to an Excalibur, try putting them on a baking sheet in your oven for an hour at 200 degrees. Check them periodically and adjust the time until they are crisp. If you are using a dehydrator, spread them on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 8 hours. I like to make them in the evening and put them in my dehydrator right before bed so that they are done in the morning when we wake up. My daughter brings these to school in her lunch box and claims that all her friends ask to try them!


2 large bunches of kale

1/2-3/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup tamari or shoyu

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1-2 cloves garlic

juice of one lemon

pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

handful of herbs (I prefer parsley)

Wash kale thoroughly and remove the thickest part of the stem. Tear kale into larger than bite size pieces and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Combine all other ingredients in a blender until smooth. Combine mixture with the kale and massage it in with your hands making sure to thoroughly coat all of the kale with the sauce. Dehydrate/bake according to directions above. BONUS: Whatever doesn't fit onto your trays is a super yummy salad!

Carrot and Oatmeal Cookies

I have to admit, the first time I tried these, I wasn't particularly impressed. Since then, I've tweaked the recipe a bit (and probably gotten used to having carrots in my cookies). Be patient with these. They might just grow on you.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped brazil nuts
1 cup shredded carrots
dash of vanilla bean
1/4 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. I prefer to keep them in the freezer and snack on them frozen.