Sauteed kale

So after much searching, and drooling over pictures that had nothing to do with kale, I decided to try something simple with my leafy greens. I looked up how to prepare kale, and there were lots of different options.

I started by rinsing the kale for a long while, making sure to go over every leaf to get off the dirt and grit. Nobody wants that!

Then I de-stemmed the leaves by cutting a "V" shape along the rib, removing the stems.

I chopped it all into about 1"x2" pieces, then tossed it into a pan with about 1 1/2 cups water. I put a lid on, and let it come to a boil. I had read that kale can be rather tough, and steaming isn't always enough. I kept a close eye on it, as I didn't want to over cook it. It took about 7 minutes.

I dumped it all into a strainer and let it drip. Meanwhile, I chopped up 3 small cloves of garlic and tossed them into a large saute pan with some olive oil. I stirred this around on medium low for a couple of minutes until the garlic started to brown. I sprinkled in some crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, and then add the drained kale back in.

I suteed this just until everything was well coated and hot. At the last minute I put on some sesame sprinkle instead of salt. Kale really shrinks down! I couldn't believe how little was left in the pan, once it was cooked, compared to what I had started with!

My mother in law had made a fish entree (something baked with cheese and mushrooms. It was good!), and my father in law had made some polenta (not pictured). We filled up our plates, and enjoyed every bite!

That's correct, you heard me right, I enjoyed my kale! There wasn't even the slightest bit of bitterness to it! I didn't over cook it, so it had a bit of tooth, but it wasn't tough at all! I think I just started a love affair with kale! I hope that little farm stand has a good supply, cuz I'll be down there all the time!

Just a Quickie!

Well, it's Monday, and my weekend is over. Hope everyone out there had a good one! Our company is still here, but will be leaving tomorrow morning, pretty early. This means that we'll have to say goodbye to them tonight before leaving for work, as we'll be asleep when they leave. Sad, but it was nice to see B's grandparents, and to have some visiting time.

Last night for dinner I made fruit salad. I know, I know, yes another fruit salad! It's just so refreshing and flavorful! I love summer! This version had watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, bananas, pineapple, white and yellow peach, strawberries and some lemon balm. I ended up sprinkling my serving with lime juice too. I particularly loved the last version with coconut and lime juice, but it was voted down this time.

After dinner B and I watched Greenberg, the new Ben Stiller movie. Odd, a bit slow, but different enough to be entertaining. Then we watched the original version of the Karate Kid. Ummm, yeah. Hilariously bad! I think I remember some of those clothing styles though...head bands were hot! But really, that kid looked like he was about 10, and when he started kissing that chick it was like, eeew! Child pornography! OK, not quite, but it sorta grossed me out! Other than that is was a fun one. Wax on, wax off! Well, fine you got me, I actually liked it!

After the movies we took a short night walk. The stars have been so brilliant lately!

Breakfast today was so filling, I had oatmeal made with vanilla rice milk, and then stirred a spoonful of almond butter into it. So good, but it made me SO full! Because of this I ended up with a smoothie for lunch again. I used up some of last nights fruit salad, some vanilla rice milk, a handful of frozen blueberries and raspberries, and about half a cup of spinach, plus a bit of hemp protein powder. Very yummy!

Dinner tonight is BBQ turkey, scalloped potatoes, and veggie saute. The veggies were my assignment, so I cut up broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, and scapes. I added olive oil, garlic powder, lemon pepper and a splash of balsamic vinagrette. I also added some of that sesame/salt/sea vegetable sprinkle stuff I got at the market last week. Hope it's good!

Well, it's time to eat! Hopefully I'll get a couple of shots of dinner, but the camera isn't always welcome. I'll do what I can. After food it's work time, not sure what i'm baking tonight. Guess I'll find out!

Market Madness

Yesterdays bike ride was so enjoyable that i thought i'd do it again today. I set off, and made it to Magic Lake, but felt like going farther. I ended up at Medicine Beach Market. This little place hasn't been around too long, so i've only been in a couple of times. They are devoted to whole, organic and natural foods. They also have a mini bakery where they make breads and cookies. They also have a tiny produce section where they sell produce from the island when it's available.

I am a sucker for shopping, and i can browse like there's no tomorrow! This cute little store has all sorts of fun finds mixed in with the regular food, and i found myself mesmerized by a collection of bright little paintings by a local artist. In the end i had to buy one, so its a good thing they were so tiny! I piled a few more things into my basket, payed and went outside to re-hydrate and munch on my energy cookie from their cookie counter.

Here's the loot!

The Mash soda was refreshing in a grapefruit flavor, but i found myself wishing i had bought some water instead. It really reminded me of those old Koala drinks, if anyone knows what i'm talking about. The cookie was surprisingly tasty, and didn't taste as healthy as i hope it was. I think it had oats, coconut, poppy seeds, and nut butter in it, but that's just guessing. Does anyone out there have a really good health/energy cookie recipe?

I have been searching for a coin purse, and they had these super cute felted ones, so i nabbed one of those.

I also discovered Sesame Sprinkle, which says it's for all kinds of food, but i bought it specifically for popcorn. It's got sesame seeds, sea vegetables, salt and a couple other things. I can't wait to try it!

I've been wanting to try smoked tofu, so i grabbed a package of that, and was happy to note that this specific brand was from salt spring island, just a very short ferry ride away from home!

See that island on the far right with the big hilly mountain thing? That's Salt Spring Island, and this is the view of it from Pender. Pretty darn close!

Lets see, what else did i get? Oh yeah...uh, i don't know how these got into my basket, cuz i don't buy soda. Oh well, now that i have them i'll just have to save them for a float on the next hot day!

Finally, here's Arnold! Yes, the cute painting i chose off the wall was this little crab. His front arms and claws are so big, and Predator is so fresh in my mind, that his name immediately became Arnold. Isn't he just the cutest little guy?!

I made it home a little slower than yesterday, as my legs were still kinda sore. I found Arnold a home in our room, then went for a little snack. Yup, leftovers again! But man is that stuff good! I had the black bean and corn quinoa salad with a spoonful of hummus and few cubes of my new smoked tofu.

This stuff was mouth wateringly (is that even a word?!) good! I thought it'd have an odd texture, but it was firm, smooth and flavorful. Score! B tried a cube, thought about it, and then couldn't keep his hands out of my bowl! It wasn't cheap, but i'll have to buy this again sometime. It's pretty filling, and seems like it'd go a long way, so it'll be worth it.

Looking back on all the stuff i bought i'm sort of wondering if i fell into a temporary (hopefully) sort of madness. Seriously! Thank goodness i stopped when i did, or i wouldn't have made it up those hills on my bike, that's for sure! When i try the other stuff i'll let you know how it is.

Tuesday nights i have our room to myself because B works, and i don't. Sounds like a good time for bad girly movies! Oh yes! Tonights choice is My Bollywood Bride. Never seen it, don't know much about it, but i LOVED Bride and Prejudice, so i'm hoping for something similar. At least there's nobody here to see me if i have to dance to the Bollywood beats!