Kale, Kale, Kale!

I'm sure you have heard all the rave about kale by now. Kale has many wonderful benefits, particularly its powerful effects in battling and preventing cancer.

Here are a few ways in which my family and I incorporate kale into our diet. As it so happens, all of these recipes are also gluten-free.

Kale chips

I have made kale chips before but wasn't thrilled with the results. After reading a friend's post about kale chips needing to be absolutely dry, I decided to give it a try again....And loved it!

1 bunch of kale
1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp of balsamic vinegar

salt to taste (optional)

I followed these directions (slightly adapted):

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rinse kale and dry well, using a salad spinner or drying by hand with paper towels.

Toss kale in just enough olive oil for a light coating, about 1 Tbsp.

Add balsamic vinegar (and salt, optional) and mix well.

Lay kale in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Check regularly as the kale chips can go from not-quite-done to overdone quickly.

Eat immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container to keep them crisp.

Sauteed Kale

Kale

Soy sauce (I like to use organic gluten-free soy sauce. It has a lighter taste than regular soy sauce.)

Coconut oil

Sliced almonds

Shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

Warm coconut oil in a pan. Place kale in the pan and sprinkle with a "dash" of soy sauce (just enough to taste).

Cook until kale is tender.

Place on a serving dish/bowl and top with sliced almonds and shredded coconut.

Kale Smoothie

Place various fruits and vegetables with kale (of course) into a blender.

Here is a sample recipe that I like:

Bananas

Strawberries
Blueberries
Cooked carrots
Kale
Greek yogurt
Milk
Raw Honey (optional)

Place fruit and vegetables into a blender.

Add greek yogurt (and raw honey, optional) and 4-5 ice cubes.
Add enough milk to blend everything together.
Blend well and serve immediately.

French Fries Craze!

I love french fries, and so do my kids....I mean, who doesn't??

During the past couple of months, I have been looking for recipes for homemade, healthier options for fries to serve to my family.
Here are three of my favorite recipes.
(These are all gluten-free recipes, and I have also included dairy-free/vegan options for each recipe.)

Baked French Fries
(I only made slight changes to the original recipe.)

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut potato into thin wedges and place in large mixing bowl. Coat potatoes with oil and spices. 

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown.

Enjoy! 

Herbed Potato Wedges

(Again, I didn't make many changes to the original recipe.)

2 potatoes

2 tsp of olive oil

1/4 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (Omit this for a dairy-free/vegan option.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut potato into thin wedges and place in large mixing bowl. Coat potatoes with oil and spices.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Fries

A good friend of mine passed this recipe along to me. I made the fries without the dip and loved it! You can also add some spices like salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper if you wish.

Since I didn't make any changes to the original recipe, you can check out the recipe here.