Spanish Kale

This is what I call Spanish kale, one of my favorite go-to dishes. It comes together really quickly and requires minimal fuss. I’ve written measurements below, but I seldom actually measure anything. I toast a handful of pine nuts, then add a glug of olive oil, generously shake in some smoked paprika and toss in the kale. It’s a wonderful addition to lunch bowls with some grain, protein and hummus, but it goes with so many different things. It’s shown here with some Banza gluten-free mac ‘n cheese (boxed) because I’m slowly learning that sometimes kids need an element of fun added to their plates (it’s only taken me 7 years :). This meal has been a summer lunch favorite at our house, kale and all.

You’ll see when you make this that the kale cooks down very quickly. This recipe is written for one bunch, but our family can easily eat two bunches in one sitting so feel free to scale up. And stock up on kale :)

~~~~~

Spanish Kale

Note: The only two “tricks” to this recipe are to not let the pine nuts burn, and to have your kale chopped and ready before adding the olive oil and smoked paprika. I toss the kale into the pan immediately after the olive oil and smoked paprika and stir right away to cool things down so the olive oil doesn’t smoke and the paprika doesn’t burn. Also, I generally use Lacinato kale here (also called Tuscan, black or dinosaur kale), but it can be made with curly kale with good results.

Handful of raw pine nuts
Glug of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
I bunch Lacinato kale, de-stemmed and sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons
Sea salt to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toss in the pine nuts. Dry toast, stirring every so often, for several minutes until they are darker in color and smell nice and toasty. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add in a glug of olive oil and the smoked paprika, then very quickly toss in the kale and give everything a good stir. Season with sea salt and continue to sauté, stirring continuously, for a minute or so until the kale collapses just a bit and is evenly coated with olive oil and smoked paprika. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve alongside whatever you like and enjoy :)

Serves 2-4

Kids Club Smoothie

Or, as Hammie calls it, “Klids Club.” :)

This simple idea came from the Whole Foods by our house, before they were owned by Amazon. They used to make a free “Kids Club” smoothie which - as far as I can tell - all the kids loved. Mine certainly did, so now we make it at home. You can’t mess it up - there is no proportion of frozen strawberries, orange juice and bananas that won’t taste good. Use what you have and it’ll be great!

My kids like to drink this any old time, but it’s also excellent for cold and flu season as it is hydrating, easy to drink, and very high in vitamin C.

~~~~~

Kids Club Smoothie

Notes: This can easily be scaled up or down. Also, I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could successfully substitute some fresh or frozen pineapple, peaches or nectarines for some of the strawberries.

Special equipment:
Vitamix or other high-powered blender

2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 medium to large banana

Put the strawberries into your blender and pour in the orange juice. If you don’t have a high powered blender it may be helpful to let the strawberries soften in the juice for a few minutes before blending. Add the banana and blend it up until smooth.

Makes 2 large servings (as shown in the picture), or 4 medium servings

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Coconut & Cilantro

This soup is way more than the sum of its parts. The lemon, cilantro and coconut come together to make a Thai-inspired soup that is filling in a very light and satisfying way. Lentils are my favorite and most utilized vegetarian protein and I cannot say enough good things about them. They are high in both fiber and protein, as well as iron. For a very simple complete meal you could serve this soup with some avocado toast - sprinkle the avocado with sea salt and garlic granules.

~~~~~

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Coconut & Cilantro

Notes: Use all orange (as opposed to rainbow) carrots in this recipe for visual appeal. In the same vein, use the traditional white (as opposed to purple) cauliflower. You can swap out yellow squash for the cauliflower as well. Traditional green zucchini gives it more of a muddled look, though. Also, I use lemon here because I always have lemon around, but lime would be great, too. You would probably need more limes as most limes tend to be less juicy than lemons. As always, don’t forget to go through your lentils and remove any pebbles or wheat berries that may be lurking in there!

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium / large carrots, cut in half the long way, then sliced
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped into relatively small pieces to match the carrots
2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
7 cups water
1/2 can coconut milk
Juice of 1-2 lemons, depending on juiciness / taste
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
Sea salt to taste (usually 2-3 teaspoons)

To serve:
More chopped cilantro, if desired
Sriracha-style hot sauce is fantastic with this soup

Heat the coconut oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté a couple minutes more, still stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn. Next add the carrots and cauliflower and sweat all the vegetables for a few minutes more, adding a bit more coconut oil if the pot looks dry. Pour in the lentils and water, turn the heat to high, and bring everything to a gentle boil. Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low (just enough to keep a visible simmer), and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils lose their structure.

Add the coconut milk, lemon, salt and cilantro to finish. Taste and adjust lemon and/or salt as necessary.

Serve with extra cilantro if you like, and hot sauce on the side.

Serves 6-8