Kale Me Maybe Round-Up: July/August Part 1

Hi Everyone!

Since my Instagram has really been taking off in the past month, I thought I would start posting weekly roundups of my recipes for those who have maybe missed a few. Since I have a lot of catching up to do, this post is going to have double the amount of posts I will normally do, but I am going to make this a weekly thing.

That being said, I'm still going to post full blogs with in-depth nutrition information and detailed recipes. This is just going to be a supplement to my normal posts.

If anyone wants more details on the recipes or has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments, and I would be happy to answer! Feel free to share your favorite dish as well.

@kalememaybe

A Mexican-Inspired Kale Salad with "Creamy" Avocado Lime Cilantro Dressing  

 

Massage kale with olive oil by kneading leaves together with your hands. Toss with black beans, chopped sweet onions, cherry tomatoes and chopped carrots. 

To make dressing, blend half an avocado with a scoop of Greek yogurt, a bunch of cilantro and the juice of two limes.


Spiralized Zucchini "Spaghetti"

Spiralize two zucchinis and cook in a large pan with olive oil until soft. Toss with tomato sauce, sauteed onions, mushrooms and lentils.


Lemon Vegetable Frittata 

Saute chopped onions, garlic, tomatoes, kale, mushrooms and potatoes. Scramble two eggs and pour over vegetables. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked. Sprinkle with rosemary, parsley, paprika and lemon. 

Avocado Pesto Quinoa

Pesto: Blend half an avocado, two cloves of garlic, a handful of arugula, fresh basil leaves and a generous splash of olive oil. Mix into cooked quinoa with chopped cherry tomatoes and green onion. 

Lemon Zucchini "Fettucine" 

Spiralize two zucchinis with the thick blade. Toss in a large pan with olive oil along with garlic, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Top with squeezed lemon and dried parsley. 

Spicy White Bean Skillet

Saute chopped onions, tomatoes and kale in a large pan until onions are browned and translucent and kale is wilted. Add in white cannellini beans and toss with a large scoop of Greek yogurt and your hot sauce of choice (I used Trader Joes Red Chili Pepper Sauce).

Taste the Rainbow Breakfast

Chop two mini purple potatoes and then soften in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Saute chopped potato, onions, garlic and kale in a pan. When vegetables are close to done, make a little space for an egg and crack into your crevice. Cook until whites are done and yolk is runny. Top with cracked black pepper.

Vegan Candy Bar Oatmeal

Cook steel cut oats and mix in two big scoops of unsweetened cocoa powder, a teaspoon of coconut oil, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a splash of pure Grade B maple syrup. Top with unsweetened shredded coconut and 100% pure pure baking cocoa or cacao nibs.

Green Eggs (And No Ham)

Saute arugula, parsley and green onion in pan. Scramble with two eggs and then top with avocado slices and a sprig of cilantro. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and put around plate for garnish and to mix with egg when consumed. 

Avocado Toast with Cherry Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Chili Flakes

Balsamic Kale Salad

Break cauliflower into pieces and roast at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden. Massage kale and toss with cauliflower, sliced red grapes, chopped sweet onions and chopped walnuts. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Fried Duck Egg on a Spiralized Sweet Potato Hash with Crispy Sage

Chop up sweet onions, garlic and a few sage leaves. Saute in olive oil and set aside. Spiralize a sweet potato and cook with olive oil, covered on medium heat for about five minutes. Toss with your previous mixture and set aside on a plate.Then cook a duck egg on medium heat until whites are cooked and yolk is firm but still runny with touch. Top plate with finished egg and garnish with some cracked black pepper.

Coconut Curry Zucchini Noodles

Spiralize two zucchinis. Mix with green curry sauce (I used Trader Joe's) and shredded unsweetened coconut. For an extra kick, eat with Sriracha. 

Balsamic Lentils & Chickpeas with Goat Cheese

Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are browned. Mix with cooked lentils and chickpeas, and pour balsamic vinegar over the mixture on low to medium heat. Cook for a minute or two to absorb flavor, and then top with crumbled goat cheese. 

Any Instagram posts not pictured here will be included in upcoming full-length blog posts!

(Coming soon: Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Meatballs)

Natural Remedies + Fried Egg and Mushroom Hash with Wilted Arugula

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"-Hippocrates

My love for journalism, psychology and food is not a coincidence. It all boils down to my fascination with human life. Food is the means by which we live, psychology is how we as people interpret situations and interact within our lives and journalism chronicles society, relationships and occurrences. And while food still may seem like the odd one out of the equation, what many people don't realize is that food is not only a means for survival, but a way to shape and form the quality of our lives.

I am VERY passionate about the quality of human life. It is what drives me to do everything I do everyday-- to keep my body and mind in a symbiotic balance that allows them to influence each other to feel the best that they can. And while it's drilled into us over and over again to eat well, to maintain our weight, to bring energy and vitality into our daily lives, the impact of food goes so much further than that. Food affects the way we think, our mood, the way we move-- both overall and in a specific moment.

While this may sound like a bunch of new-age baloney, the reason I love this topic so much is because there really is scientific research behind it. I've mentioned it before, but I spent an entire year writing my journalism honors thesis on the connection between food and mood disorders (which you can read a little bit about here). A lot of credible research exists that supports the nutrition and brain connection (I'm talking Harvard studies), but it is so rarely discussed, and it's certainly not taught in medical school, which is truly unfortunate. Because I am aware of it, I am trying to share this knowledge and make it a mainstream topic.

With all this in mind, there are ways to cure everyday ailments in our lives using just the power of food.  With today's antibiotic crisis and over-prescription of medication, it's always best to try the natural route first before jumping straight to an Advil if you have a headache or a Tylenol PM if you can't sleep at night:

For example:

If you are having anxiety---> Try upping your intake of animal protein. The trytophan in meats like turkey and beef (try to get free range and grass-fed for optimal effects) turns into serotonin, which is a calming mood booster. The effects of this are best observed over the long-term.
If you are sad---> Try eating salmon: Salmon is high in heart-healthy omega-3s, which have been proven to boost mood.
If you are having menstrual cramps---> Try eating dark chocolate. Grab a piece of 70 percent cocoa or higher for another serotonin-booster and muscle relaxer.
If you can't sleep---> Try chamomile tea or lavender. Or better yet, chamomile lavender tea! Both are relaxing, natural sleep aids.
If you have a bad cough--->try some honey. It not only soothes and coats the throat, but it also thins mucus and provides your body with some much needed antioxidants, which fight off your sickness.

These are just a few simple examples of how to use food to help with common discomforts. If you ever feel something is wrong, try to get to the root of the problem and not just treat the symptoms. With the internet, there is no excuse not to look up "alternative" methods of treating certain issues.

Now onto the recipe. My favorite meal is brunch, and this dish works perfectly for entertaining, as I don't think it would be difficult to make for a few people unless you really have a distaste for chopping (which I personally find relaxing). I start almost every day with eggs, and if I can incorporate a good load of vegetables along with it, I'm all for it!

Fried Egg and Mushroom Hash with Garlic Wilted Arugula

Ingredients:
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 mini yellow potatoes
 1/4-1/2 cup white mushrooms, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic. finely minced
1 cup of arugula
1 egg
Extra virgin olive oil
Rosemary
Pepper

1. First, chop up all your ingredients. I would suggest doing the potatoes first so you can heat them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes before sauteeing to soften while you chop the rest of your ingredients.

2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over low to medium heat. Add the arugula and garlic to the pan and stir to coat with olive oil, lowering the temperature if necessary so you don't burn the garlic. Cook for one to two minutes until arugula is wilted and coated in garlic and transfer to a plate. You will eventually place the rest of the hash atop this wilted arugula.

3. Add a little bit more olive oil to the pan and let it get warm. Add the onion, mushroom, potatoes and rosemary and cook until mushrooms get soft and onions are translucent and a little brown.  Transfer to plate on top of wilted arugula.

4. Crack your egg on the pan and cook until whites are fully cooked, but the yolk should be runny. If you are having a hard time getting the whites fully cooked, flip egg with a spatula for 30 seconds or so and then transfer to the plate. If you flip it for too long the yolk will begin to cook (but if you like it that way, go for it!)

5. Top your vegetable hash with your egg, sprinkle some pepper on top and enjoy!

Also be sure to check out the Kale Me Maybe official Instagram for more frequent updates and some delicious food porn! @Kalememaybe