Asparagus, kale, crabmeat quiche

Today is trivia, which means dinner at our place. I have some asparagus I've been holding on to from the farmshare, and thought I would make some quiche. I also had some extra kale and a can of crabmeat. (I actually made two quiches, one with and one without crabmeat)

I DID cheat by buying the piecrust at the store instead of making it (I blame staying two hours late at work)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter

1/2 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into two inch pieces

1/2 bunch kale with stems removed cut into 1 inch strips

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh taragon

1 can crabmeat

1 cup grated swiss cheese

sautee the onion and garlic in butter til browned, then add the kale and asparagus, turn heat to medium and cover. Cook asparagus and kale until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste

Put the veggie mixture in a prebaked pie shell. add taragon, crumble canned crabmeat over the mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

In a bowl combine egg and cream. Pour egg mixture over the veggies and bake at 350 for 45-55 min until set.

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale and Orzo

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale and Orzo
Originally uploaded by kel h

so, things like this make me feel like maybe instead of this mental health counseling crap, i should have my own cooking show. I mean, if Sandra Lee, of Kwanzaa Cake fame can have one, why not someone who actually COOKS once in a while?

It would be focused on local and seasonal food and would do things like go to farmers markets and farms, and guests would include local small batch food producers. Part of the goal would be to encourage people to eat more local and seasonal food, and shop at farmers markets or get farmshares.

In the farmshare we have been getting these tiny buttercup squash. I love them because they are so much fun to stuff. We also got some kale, so I thought making Kale with Orzo, and stuffing the squash with that would be fun.

Buttercup Squash stuffed with Kale with Orzo

Cut the squash in half and remove the fibers and seeds from the middle.

Put cut sides down in a baking dish with a quarter inch water and bake for 30-45 min or until soft at 400

While it's baking, make your Orzo and Kale

based on a recipe from AllRecipes (I omitted the tomato this time)

Ingredients:
1/2 box orzo
1 tsp tumeric
1 bunch Kale stems removed and cut into 1 inch strips
1 tomato chopped
1/2 onion chopped
4 garlic cloved minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Boil orzo in salted water with tumeric for 9 minutes

sautee onion and garlic for abt 2 minutes
add kale and tomato and sautee for 10 minutes
drain orzo, add to kale and tomato
add lemon juice and zest, nutmeg and cheese
season with salt and pepper to taste

Fill the cavity of the squash with the Kale and Orzo (it helps to cut a little bit off the side opposite the cut side so they sit flat) and then sprinkle with cheese. Put it under the broiler until the cheese gets brown and melty.

Kale Chips

kale chips
Originally uploaded by kel h

we get a lot of Kale in our CSA share, and I've really enjoyed learning to cook with it. I've made stews, pasta dishes, and now CHIPS! I got the idea from Smitten Kitchen

these are super easy, addictive, and crazy healthy. One serving is only 56 calories, with 250% vitamin A, 150% vitamin C, and and 2.5g protein.

preheat oven with 300
cut out the stems and ribs
cut kale into large pieces
rinse and thouroughly dry kale
toss with 1-2 tbsp olive oil
sprinkle with salt (I added aleppo pepper for some spice) and spread over a baking sheet or two

bake for 10-20 min until kale is crispy and brown around the edges (the curly kale I used took around 10-12 min. It took smitten kitchen 20 min with flat kale)

the biggest tip I can give is to make sure the kale is well dried before you bake it or comes out chewy instead of krispy

Kale and Chickpea Stew

Kale and Chickpea Stew
Originally uploaded by kel h

this is based on a recipe for Lentil and Kale Stew from Jiko....The Cooking Place in my Delicious Disney cookbook. I made this with the Kale from my CSA farmshare, and grape tomatoes and mirepoix I have from Trader Joes. I always seem to have red potatoes around.

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas (I used dried this time. the original recipe calls for lentils)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
(In my case I had a container of prepared mirepoix from trader joes I used instead)
2 garlic cloves grated1 bunch kale washed and thinly sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes halved
3 red potatoes cubed
32 oz chicken stock (in this case fake chicken stock made from "Better Than Boullion", which I love)
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp ground black pepper
Olive Oil and Grated Parmesan for garnish

Directions

Heat olive oil with bay leaf, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Add Kale and simmer for 5 min
Add tomatoes and potatoes
Add cooked chickpeas, stock, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min
Add parsley and pepper. Season to taste.
Top with cheese and olive oil if desired

It's hearty and tasty. The restaurant this recipe is taken from does african cooking as part of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Probably the best vegetarian food in all of Disney World.

This is a picture of my dad, sister and brother in law at Animal Kingdom for my sisters birthday.

The cookbook claims it tastes better the next day. We shall see :P

Kale with Orzo

Got some Kale in my CSA farmshare, and got some Orzo from a friend who was moving.

Kale with Orzo

based on a recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

1/2 box orzo

1 tsp tumeric

1 bunch Kale stems removed and cut into 1 inch strips

1 tomato chopped

1/2 onion chopped

4 garlic cloved minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

zest of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Boil orzo in salted water with tumeric for 9 minutes

sautee onion and garlic for abt 2 minutes

add kale and tomato and sautee for 10 minutes

drain orzo, add to kale and tomato

add lemon juice and zest, nutmeg and cheese

season with salt and pepper to taste

asian style kale and shrimp

asian style kale and shrimp
Originally uploaded by kel h

Ingredients:

3/4 pound (1 large bunch) kale*
2 to 3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 small shallot, minced (I used a garlic scape)
1 to 2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup (2 thin) minced scallions, both white and light green parts
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds*, for garnish
Directions:

Wash the kale thoroughly to remove all grit. Discard the tough ribs, and coarsely chop the kale leaves.

In a large skillet or heavy wok, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, scallions and ginger root and cook for about 1 minute to release the aromas. Add the kale a bunch at a time and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until the leaves have softened a bit but the kale retains its shape. Remove from heat and add the soy sauce. Divide among individual plates, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, if using, and serve hot.

ABOUT COOKED KALE: Some people like their greens on the softer side. For this recipe, author Robyn Webb suggests two techniques to achieve that result:

After the 3 to 4 minutes' cooking time (but before the soy sauce is mixed in), add water, cover and let steam to desired texture. Continue the recipe with the soy sauce step as stated in the recipe directions.

The kale can first be plunged into boiling water and cooked for 3 to 4 minutes, then drained. Proceed with cooking the shallots and then add the kale as stated in the recipe directions.

NOTE: To toast sesame seeds:
Heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat or in a 325-degree oven, shaking the pan frequently, until lightly browned and fragrant, 4 to 8 minutes. Watch carefully; they burn easily.

I cooked some shrimp and tossed them in a bowl with half the kale