Kale Gratin

Kale is king these days. I’ve been reading all about things such as crispy fried kale and kale chips and braised kale and of course, kale soup.

All delicious. And it’s healthy too. Calcium. Vitamins A, C and K (sounds like New York subway lines). Also one of those cabbage descendants that may have anti-cancer effects.

I never heard of kale, growing up. The only cabbage we ate was in Aunt Goldie’s special soup and also the sauerkraut we put on top of our hot dogs.

But now, as I said, kale is king. Like other cabbage cousins, it can be acrid so you have to treat it right. If you overcook it, it can smell up the entire kitchen. But if you undercook it it doesn’t taste right.

I buy kale a lot because I like to experiment with recipes, especially with ingredients that weren’t familiar from my childhood.

But Ed has always hated my kale concoctions.

Until this one: Kale Gratin. It looked so appealing to him he actually asked for a piece (I was saving it to be rewarmed for another meal). And then he asked for seconds!

A miracle.

We finished the rest the next day (10 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven).

Enjoy this, kale lovers!

Enjoy this, everyone celebrating Shavuot. It’s the cheese dish I will be serving instead of my usual Spinach Pie this year.

Kale Gratin

1 large bunch kale

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cup half and half cream

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons plain, fresh or dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut off and discard the hard stems from the kale. Discard discolored leaves. Wash the leaves carefully and cut them into 3-4 pieces. Place the leaves in a large saucepan, add about 1 cup water and cover the pan. Cook on medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the leaves are soft and wilted. Press the water out of the leaves. Chop the leaves into small pieces and place in a lightly greased baking dish. In a bowl, beat the eggs and mustard until combined. Stir in the cream and blend ingredients thoroughly. Stir in the Swiss cheese and some salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the kale and stir to distribute the kale evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Cut the butter into small pieces and use them to dot the surface of the gratin. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown. Makes 4-6 servings

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil and Maple

Healthy and delicious all in one dish? 

Some say it can’t be done.

But I have found out differently over the years.

Take sweet potatoes and coconut oil. They’re both “good for you” according to most recent findings. Put them together and what have you got? More than bibbedy bobbedy boo, that’s for sure.

Like this recipe I tried yesterday. These sweet potatoes are lightly sweet — I added just one tablespoon of maple syrup — they don’t need more really. I remember my Mom made candied sweets using an entire stick of butter and about a half box of brown sugar for a large can, including liquid, of cut up sweet potatoes. Yes, it was dee-lish. But also loaded with fat and calories. So if you are looking for a recipe that’s lighter, healthier and with lower fat and calories, try this one.

It’s pretty too, don’t you think?

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil and Maple

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into julienne

2 scallions, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or parsley or use thyme leaves

sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about one minute or until the coconut oil liquefies. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the scallions, garlic and herb on top. Pour the coconut oil-maple mixture over the vegetables and toss the ingredients to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 22-24 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and lightly crispy. Makes 4-6 servings

Healthy and delicious all in one dish? 

Some say it can’t be done.

But I have found out differently over the years.

Take sweet potatoes and coconut oil. They’re both “good for you” according to most recent findings. Put them together and what have you got? More than bibbedy bobbedy boo, that’s for sure.

Like this recipe I tried yesterday. These sweet potatoes are lightly sweet — I added just one tablespoon of maple syrup — they don’t need more really. I remember my Mom made candied sweets using an entire stick of butter and about a half box of brown sugar for a large can, including liquid, of cut up sweet potatoes. Yes, it was dee-lish. But also loaded with fat and calories. So if you are looking for a recipe that’s lighter, healthier and with lower fat and calories, try this one.

It’s pretty too, don’t you think?

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil and Maple

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into julienne

2 scallions, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or parsley or use thyme leaves

sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about one minute or until the coconut oil liquefies. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the scallions, garlic and herb on top. Pour the coconut oil-maple mixture over the vegetables and toss the ingredients to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 22-24 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and lightly crispy. Makes 4-6 servings

Vinegar Pie

Is apple cider vinegar healthy?

Or is that a myth?

Honestly, I’ve always wondered about all those studies that tout this, that or the other thing to try to prove a point. One day we’re supposed to stop drinking coffee because it’s harmful, then another study comes along and says no, coffee is good for you.

Ditto chocolate. And coconut oil.

And other stuff.

Are these really scientific studies or generational shifts, like theories about child-rearing?

I guess, like a lot of life — it depends.

It depends on the study, how many people are study subjects, who is sponsoring the study and so on.

Obviously, findings made in unbiased settings with no corporate sponsors done over a long time with many subjects are worth paying attention to.

So I was happy to read this article which cautions people to beware of the “apple cider vinegar can speed up fat loss, lower your cholesterol and help with diabetes” notions. Apparently, the studies that have been done are way too small and don’t actually prove anything of the kind.

Which is not to say there’s no use for apple cider vinegar. I always have a bottle on hand. It’s a good choice for basic vinaigrette when you don’t want something quite as powerful as Balsamic vinegar or as harsh as wine vinegar. It’s nice as a liquid, in small amounts, to deglaze a pan of sauteed chicken. You can use it to give some extra flavor to caramelized onions.

And so on. Like this recipe for Vinegar Pie. Don’t laugh. It’s true, it may sound weird but adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to custard makes a hugely delicious difference. Like the sweet-and-salty thing with chocolate covered sea salt caramels. The apple cider vinegar cuts the sweet just enough. You actually don’t taste the vinegar.

This is a quick, easy and light-on-the-stomach dessert that’s terrific for summer. Or anytime really. You can add some sliced almonds if you wish.

Vinegar Pie

 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

sliced almonds, optional

whipped cream and/or fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place aluminum foil over the pie crust and weight it down with pie pellets or dry beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove the crust and let it cool. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Mix the eggs, sugar, melted butter, cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Blend ingredients thoroughly and pour the mixture into the prebaked crust. Sprinkle with some sliced almonds if you wish. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until filling is set. Remove the pie, let it cool and serve it garnished with whipped cream and or fresh berries. Makes one 9-inch pie

Hooray for LaLa Lunchbox!!

Kids’ lunch? It’s the talk of the town. And the country. Because what our children eat is important to their growth, to their health and to their future.

One way to help them eat healthier is to let them have some choices. And learn to make good decisions. Feel a part of what’s going on around them.

That’s what Lala Lunchbox is for.

Confession: this is my daughter Gillian’s new App. It launched last week and kids throughout the world from Omaha to Oman are using it already.

First the kid picks a really cute monster avatar (mine is bright orange with jagged teeth). The food choices are in categories including fruit, vegetable, protein and snack (parents can limit what’s available) so children learn about what a balanced lunch has. They plan their lunch choices for a week and that translates into a shopping list for Mom or Dad. 

Another bonus: the decision has been made so you can prepare the actual lunch (maybe even the night before) without the arguing and the rushing in the morning when you are rushing to do everything else in your life.

This App is so simple that even grandmas like me can understand how to use it.

Your youngsters will figure it out in no time.

Go to the LaLa Lunchbox site and sign in.

Get the App directly here.

And use it!

Mother’s Day is coming — this App is a good, inexpensive gift for mothers of young children.

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

I love when science and studies and experts say that some food item I love is healthy. Like in this article that speaks to the benefits of coffee. Apparently coffee can help prevent cognitive decline.

Wow! I am going to be cognitively okay then! 

Because I have been drinking coffee, and LOTS of it, since I was age 5 or so and my aunt Roz and Uncle Mac lived with us for a while. My Mom slept late and Aunt Roz took care of breakfast and got us off to school. But she was newly married and had no clue about kids so she served us coffee. Because that’s what everyone else had for breakfast.

Okay, there was lots of milk and sugar in that coffee.

Still.

Anyway, once you get that coffee habit in the morning it’s hard to break. I set up the coffee maker every night so all I have to do in the morning is turn the on button. On days when I know the exact time I am getting up I set it on automatic.

Cognitive benefits.

I wonder how I would do in Physics these days?

Anyway, when I was a kid there was nothing to go with that coffee. I like a little something with coffee. So, maybe these — not for breakfast. But they’re pretty delicious later in the day.

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

1 pound butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick oats

1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

confectioner’s sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Add the flour, salt, oats, lemon peel and vanilla extract and mix to blend ingredients thoroughly. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Remove small portions of the dough and roll the pieces into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon a film of confectioner’s sugar onto a dish. Press the bottom of a drinking glass into the confectioner’s sugar. Press the balls flat with the sugar-coated bottom of the glass. Repeat until all the cookies are flat (keep coating the glass bottom as needed). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 100

Broccoli with Lemony Bread Crumbs

I’ve been in a broccoli sort of mood lately. Maybe it’s because I read that broccoli stalks are healthy.

So many people I know throw away the stalks. I actually think they are the best part. You have to peel them though, as I mentioned the other day (with instructions on how to do it). 

Besides, it’s a big waste to trash the stalks, isn’t it? One of the things I learned at the China Institute when I took cooking lessons there decades ago, was how adept Chinese home cooks are using parts of products that other people throw away.

Like broccoli stems.

Try this recipe. The bread crumbs give the dish a nice toasty taste and crispy feel.

Broccoli with Lemony Bread Crumbs 

2 stalks broccoli

2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs (any kind)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, cut into thick slices

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Remove about one inch from the bottom stems of the broccoli stalks. Peel the stems and cut the stems and florets into bite-sized pieces. Cook the broccoli in lightly salted simmering water for about 4 minutes or until barely tender. Drain under cold water and set aside. Mix the bread crumbs, mustard and lemon peel and set aside in a small bowl. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wok, stir-fry pan or deep sauté pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so until the garlic begins to brown. Discard the garlic. Add the bread crumb mixture to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, and breaking up the mixture into crumbs, for 2-3 minutes or until the pieces are toasty brown. Dish out and set aside. Pour the remaining tablespoon olive oil into the pan. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes to reheat. Dish out into a serving bowl, sprinkle with the crumb mixture and serve. Makes 4 servings

How to Peel Broccoli

It’s essential to peel broccoli stems.

I learned that a long time ago when I took Chinese cooking courses at the China Institute in New York (with the great teacher, Florence Lin).

I’d eaten broccoli before that of course, but never peeled. My mother never peeled the stalks. The stuff in the frozen packages wasn’t peeled.

But Ms. Lin showed the class how to do it and it was a revelation. Because broccoli can be as tough as a rubber tire.

But not if you peel it!

Ms. Lin’s broccoli was crispy and tender. And so was mine forever after.

Here’s how to do it. Look at the photos. The first one shows a stalk of broccoli with the florets attached.

Take a small sharp knife and remove the florets. Then cut about an inch off the bottom of the stalk and with that cut begin to peel back the thick outer skin (2nd photo). You will see that it peels back almost all by itself. Then, using the knife, peel back the skin on the other parts of the stem, beginning at the cut end at the bottom (photo 3). Cut the stems into bite size pieces and add them to the cut up florets. You’re now ready to cook. Try the recipe I posted yesterday.

Pistachio “Persillade”

Again. One more article on the pros and cons of pistachio nuts. This one about a study to determine whether eating pistachios can help you lose weight.

The conclusion — in this study, anyway — is that these nuts do not figure much into your weight. BUT, they are healthy in that they contain the so-called “good” fats, lots of potassium and vitamins E and B6 and have a beneficial impact on your immune system as well as glucose and triglyceride levels.

One of the facts the article pointed out was that pistachios in the shell act as a sort of hindrance to over-eating because it takes so long to open each one and that supposedly cuts down on the amount you eat.

These people haven’t seen me cracking open pistachio nuts.

I am the world’s expert I think, if only because I have loved pistachios for as long as I can remember, even from my kid days when they were dyed red and my hands always looked as if I had just finished a finger painting.

I am the Superman of pistachio nuts. Faster than a speeding bullet. 

I cook with these nuts too. They are so so good on top of fish and lamb. You know those recipes that call for bread crumbs? I often substitute crushed pistachio nuts and that has worked out just fine.

Like here: use this mixture to press onto rack of lamb (this amount will cover 2); or some lamb chops for broiling or onto salmon for roasting or onto tomato halves for roasting.

Pistachio “Persillade”

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts

1/4 cup plain fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

1 tablespoon chopped shallot, optional

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Combine the Dijon mustard, pistachio nuts, breadcrumbs, olive oil, parsley, lemon peel, shallot and rosemary or thyme. Mix thoroughly and press onto food before roasting or broiling. Makes about 3/4 cup

Easy Sweet Potatoes

I have to congratulate myself.

For two reasons.

First. because my husband came home from a meeting with a client recently (the client is in a health-related industry) with some great news (I am using quotation marks even though I can’t remember the exact words, but they’re close enough):

"Wow, I just read a newsletter at (so-and-so’s) office and it listed all the best, healthiest foods to eat and guess what? We eat all those things!"

No kidding.

I never told Ed we were cutting down on beef, that I was serving smaller portions, that we were going to eat more fish, chicken and turkey. That I would make sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. That I would serve more leafy greens and whole grains, dried apricots, avocados and bananas. And whatever else was on the list.

I just did it.

And he is such a good soul he just went along, never realizing. Of course, this was all very gradual. But somehow he had the idea that our diets were not particularly healthy.

Of course we go off now and then. And make pigs of ourselves. And eat things like franks-in-blankets and chocolate covered raisins and taco chips and sugar-coated jelly half moons.

Not usually though.

But he sometimes mentioned to me that we should should start eating in a healthier way, to which I always said “we actually do.” But you know how people are. People always assume what they have always assumed unless something comes along and changes their minds.

Like that newsletter I mentioned.

So my second reason for congratulating myself is that I still haven’t said “I told you so.”

Here is one of the healthy recipes for sweet potatoes. I always buy organic dark orange “yams” (which are really sweet potatoes). 

Easy Sweets

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 teaspoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice

cinnamon

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a sharp knife and place them in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Cut the potatoes and scoop the flesh into a bowl (you can eat the skins separately). Add the butter and mash the potatoes until fairly smooth. Pour in the juice, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and serve. Makes 2 servings