KALE at its BEST: with Onion, Ginger, and Lime

This may just be THE BEST way you’ll EVER eat kale! J

The flavors of caramelized onion, ginger, and lime combined with the texture and heartiness of kale and sweet potato…OUT OF THIS WORLD!

You really won’t know until you try it…believe me, I was a bit confused seeing lime and ginger together…but you WON’T be disappointed!

Now I want to (and do) squeeze lime juice on (just about) EVERYTHING!!

This recipe is adapted from Anita Sharp, as quoted in the September 2007 Bon Appetit cooking magazine, under the article, “Too Busy to Cook?”

Mustard-Crusted Tofu with Kale and Sweet Potato

1 14-ounce package firm tofu

½ cup whole grain Dijon mustard*

4 tablespoons (total) olive oil, divided

½ medium white onion, sliced

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 bunch kale, chopped*

1 red-skinned sweet potato (any size), peeled, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Cut tofu into eight ½-inch-thick slices.

Arrange on paper towels; drain 5 minutes on each side. Spread both sides of each slice with mustard.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté 1 minute. Add kale, sweet potato, and lime juice.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until potato is tender and kale is wilted, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu; cover and cook until heated through and crisp, about 2 minutes per side (some mustard seeds may fall off tofu).

Arrange kale and sweet potato mixture on plate. Overlap tofu slices atop vegetables and serve.

*You can get it at Trader Joe’s! J

*Or ½ bag of pre-washed and chopped kale from Trader Joe’s.

Warm, Moist, and Comforting: The BEST Pumpkin Bread of the Season!

YES! This recipe DOES have a TON of sugar! I have to try making it with less…

You could try using half whole wheat flour and raw sugar in place of the white…

BUT…It is the BEST pumpkin bread I’ve EVER had! The chocolate chips and walnuts blow it over the top!

This is a modified version of the MOST HIGHLY RATED pumpkin bread on allrecipes.com. It has 5 stars and 4,590 hits! Stats don’t lie!

The only reasons (excuses...) I have to add this almost-sinful recipe to my blog are:

·        It’s fall, which means you have to slightly indulge yourself ;)

·        It has NO DAIRY: the only thing that prevents it from begin vegan is the eggs.

·        A SMALL slice is ultra-satisfying. If you have company over and serve this, it will prevent you from eating the entire thing! J

·        I LOVE it! And it reminds me of my childhood…my mom used to pack extra slices in my school lunches to share with my friends.

Keep in mind too…this recipes makes THREE LOAVES!

But we always pour all the batter into one bundt cake pan and bake it for about an hour and a half, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

These can also be baked in two 12-cup muffin tins for about 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

3 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 15-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares: Happy Blog Anniversary to Myself!

Let’s think back…exactly a YEAR from today…

Where were you on November 5, 2010?

I KNOW WHERE I WAS! Right here, on the computer, publishing my first blog post!

Today, in commemoration and celebration, I have posted a variation of my first recipe, Natures’ Rice-Krispie Squares.

This variation uses peanut butter and chocolate instead of almond butter. YUM!

After you make these, check out the original recipe: http://cookingfromtheground.blogspot.com/2010/11/classic-recipe-redone-natures-way.html

Nature’s Rice-Krispie Squares

7 cups rice puffed cereal

¾ cup dried cranberries, optional

¾ cup chopped walnuts, optional

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup honey

¾ cup peanut butter (or almond or sunflower butter)

Stir together cereal, dried fruit and nuts (if using), chocolate chips, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Put honey and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 1½ minutes. Stir well; then pour over cereal mixture. Stir to coat.

Dampen hands with cold water. Press cereal mixture firmly into 9 by 9-inch baking pan (or two smaller ones), re-wetting hands if necessary to keep mixture from sticking. Freeze 30 minutes.

Cut into 12-18 bars (depending on how large you would like them), and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.