Meet Kerry

I'm a nutrition coach - I help busy women get off sugar and processed junk so they can lose weight, get clear skin and enjoy bounce-out-of-bed energy.

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Entries in Kale (3)

Sunday
Jan292012

Braised Coconut, Kale & Chickpeas with Lemon 

I found this wonderful recipe on thekitchn.com and made it today to bring to work for lunch this week. 


I never thought I'd be the person who brings their lunch to work, but I've gotten it down to a science. I choose a recipe and go shopping for groceries on Friday. On Sunday I cook a dish and then pack it into 4 tupperwares and line them up like little soldiers in the fridge. That's it! Lunch is served. This saves me money, saves me time during the workday, and allows me to enjoy a nutritious meal all week. I like being able to choose organic veggies and control things like the amount of added salt and oil in my meals. 

Oh and I only make 4 servings because I usually work from home on Friday but I like that model anyhow - you might get tired of the same meal 4 days in a row, so you could do a Friday funday and buy lunch that day. 

I made some changes to simplify the kitchn.com recipe, here's my version below:

Braised Coconut Kale & Chickpeas with Lemon

2 tsp oil
1 small yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp grated ginger, from a 3-inch piece
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 pound chopped kale
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 large lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)

 

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to brown.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.
4. Toss in the kale, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful.
5. When all the kale has been stirred in, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the salt, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are warm through. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary.

I cooked up a pot of rice and served the chickpeas dish over rice, put my tupperwares in the fridge, washed the dishes and now I'm enjoying a huge sense of accomplishment! 


Happy Sunday!
Kerry

Tuesday
Nov292011

Kale Chips 

If you like salty crunchy potato chips, you will love kale chips.

Raw kale is kind of tough and serious, but kale chips are flaky and whimsical. It's like the bad cop/ good cop duo of the vegetable world.

They are the type of snack that will leave you shaking your head and saying "WHY haven't I made these before?" Kids love them, boyfriends gobble them up.

They fit my criteria of eating foods that make you feel good before, during AND after you eat them. You'll feel kinda guilty and gross if you eat a bag of potato chips. Not so with kale chips! They are shockingly delicious and oh-so-simple.

Here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 375. Wash a bunch of kale, pull the leaves off the stems, and cut into small pieces. Then line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Take about a tablespoon of olive oil and drizzle it over your kale. Use your hands to rub the oil into the leaves. Then sprinkle some sea salt over the kale. Put it in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the kale is delightfully crispy. Snack away!

Kale Chips1

Kale Chips2

Wednesday
Nov162011

10 Second Kale Salad

A lot of the busy New Yorkers that I encounter don’t cook at all.  I get it — shopping for food and preparing meals is time consuming.  I can see where it would be overwhelming to get started.

However, I’m very happy to share a quick salad that you can pull together in 10 seconds.

Ingredients:

- Kale (pre-washed and chopped from Trader Joes)
- Broccoli spears (pre-washed and cut from Trader Joes)
- Almond slivers
- Dressing (I used my homemade goddess dressing)


I assembled this in 10 seconds flat as I was running out the door this morning. It was a perfect simple side salad to have along with my soup at lunch. Other no-chopping-needed ideas to enhance this salad:

- Edamame
- Chickpeas
- Canned wild salmon
- Sprouts
- Gardenburger
- Scoop of hummus

Keep some pre-chopped greens in the house! This is a great way to get some leafy green vegetables without spending lots of time or needing to do any cooking.