Tomato Sauce Poached Eggs with Basil & Kale

I don’t eat a ton of meat - so Chris doesn’t really either because we eat together. I do however always try to have some sort of protein in our meals. Eggs are a great protein & usually really quick to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Last week I boasted about my first successful poached egg experience. As I was going through my photos* & I found some of these tomato sauce poached eggs that I actually made a month or two ago - sorry I fibbed a bit on the poaching because I in fact had poached before! I feel like poaching eggs in tomato sauce is a bit more forgiving & might be the gateway poaching method you need to get your feet - err eggs (?) - wet.


*I photograph pretty much everything I make - sometimes these photos make the blog & sometimes they just collect on my hard drive.

Kale & Cherry Pepper Mac & Cheese

Well hello from 2014! I realize there has been radio silence from my end since the start of this new year. Honestly, I was debating what my obligatory resolutions would be. I still really don't know but I have a giant list & have definitely been inspired by BexLife's list.  When I figure it out I'll let you know. What's yours?

In any event, the start of the new year makes me want to be a better person - by bettering my relationships & trying new things.  Right before the holidays I was spoiled by some much needed girl time with some of my best friends.  We visited The Celler at Beecher's in NYC (twice for some of us in a week's time) & all agreed that their kale, mama lil's peppers mac & cheese was worthy of multiple repeat orders during the same dinner (!!!). So naturally, I wanted to try to recreate it at home & I think I came pretty close.  It's not baked but rather more of a macaroni with cheese sauce which means less cooking time - yay! Plus, if you're skipping out on carbs this year (or first full week of 2014 at least until you realize that is for the birds) you could probably just make the cheese sauce (although there is a tiny amount of flour in it) & pile it on top of steamed broccoli or spaghetti squash for a low-carb option. Try it yourself & see what you think.

Spinach & Kale Pesto Linguini

So of course we had our spinach & kale pesto (from yesterday's post) with pasta.  It's the obvious choice.  I tossed in some of the fresh baby kale & baby spinach leaves too for some texture.

Spinach & Kale Pesto

Kale is so trendy now & I love it. In particular baby kale.  I found a mixed bag of baby kale & baby spinach at the super market & quickly tossed it in my cart. Instead of steaming the kale & spinach I opted to make them into a delicious pesto that takes minutes to make. Oh and there's no cooking involved.  If you can turn on a food processor you can make a gourmet spread that's worth bragging about.

Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed baby kale & baby spinach
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & halved
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Blend the mixed greens, garlic, cheese & walnuts together in a food processor using the 's' blade.
2. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
3. Run the food processor  again streaming the olive oil a little at a time until it becomes a thick yet spreadable consistency.
4. Add salt & pepper to taste.
5. Serve with pasta, toast or just eat it off a spoon.

Fusion Roasted Chicken & Kale

Since my post was, well, lack there of yesterday I'm dishing out an extra special one with a tasty dinner you can make at home!  I call this dish fusion roasted chicken & kale, mostly because I think it makes it sound more chi-chi but really it's more comfort food than anything.  Using some tasty hawaiian salt, garlic, honey, soy sauce & olive oil (read: a sauce that I stole from my sister-in-law, Dulcie) this speaks fusion-eese to me. 

Read on for my pics & the full recipe!

Disclaimer: Dulcie, I hope I didn't butcher what I remember to be in your sauce recipe too much :) xo

A Green Vegan Smoothie

Watch out green eggs and ham there's a new player in town. His name is kale.

A couple of weekends ago Jennifer (my twin), Kara (one of my besties since elementary school) and I had an unnaturally long conversation about our love for kale. (Yes the green leafy "it" veggie du jour.)  Sauteed with garlic, crisped in the oven, tossed with fresh veggies in a salad - kale is just good no matter how you slice/dice/cook it.

I will eat kale in a box
I will eat kale with a fox.
And I will eat kale in a house.
And I will eat kale with a mouse.
And I will eat kale here and there.
Say! I will eat kale ANYWHERE!

If you've never tried it, you must - look what happened to Sam I am. If you don't cook, give this green vegan smoothie a whirl!

Ingredients:
1 handful of kale
1/2 a ripe mango (cubed)
1 frozen banana
1 cup coconut milk

Make it:
Blend it all together until smooth! Stick a straw in it and enjoy!

Tip#1: Frozen bananas are your smoothie's BFF. Just before your bananas turn completely brown (or even if they already are and fruit flies could be there any minute) peel them, cut them up, zip them up in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer.  You'll never need to add ice or sugar to your smoothies again!

Tip #2: If it's still not sweet enough for you, add some agave or honey.

Tip #3: I may or may not have found out the hard way (and some stitches later) that you should ALWAYS UNPLUG your immersion blender before cleaning the blade.