Apple Cider braised kale with tomatoes

Alas, this was the very last of the tomatoes from my garden. The frost has nipped more than the pumpkin. I rushed out the other afternoon to get them before the bad weather really moved in, and they’ve been waiting patiently on the windowsill above my kitchen sink.

I had a kale pasta dish the other day at The Old Granite Street Eatery in downtown Reno, and it reminded me that I love and adore kale. I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up a bunch. If you haven’t tried kale, you’re missing something. It has the heft to stand up to long simmered soups without becoming a mushy, slippery mess like spinach can, and kale retains it’s gorgeous dark green color. I’ve had people tell me that kale is too peppery or bite-y. Not if you prepare it this way. The apple cider is the sweet element that my Swedish grandmother always prepared Kale with.

Additionally, besides tasting good, kale is a nutritional powerhouse.

For this you will need:

One half of a bunch of Lacinto or Red Russian Kale - preferably. Otherwise regular Curly Kale (save the other half to saute with pasta ala The Old Granite Street Eatery)

One half of a medium onion (cut into one inch pieces)

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 slice of fresh ginger, minced very finely

4- 5 medium tomatoes cut into chunks

1 cup (plus more if needed) apple cider - unfiltered and unpasteurized if you can get it

4-5 tablespoons olive oil for braising

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

salt to taste

Heat your heavy bottomed dutch oven or cast iron skillet, then add your cooking oil to coat, over medium high flame. Add the kale. Saute for a couple of minutes until the kale just begins to wilt, then add the onions, ginger and garlic, then the tomatoes. Saute another couple minutes.

Add the apple cider and seasonings. Put on a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Don’t let the apple cider liquid boil away. Add more if necessary. You will love that ‘pot liquor’.

Serve as a side dish, or over cooked brown rice or buckwheat for a vegan meal.

Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.

Stonehouse 27 cooking sauces offer tasty health benefits

I couldn’t believe my eyes as I scanned the ingredients list on a jar of Stonehouse 27 Dates & Tamarind cooking sauce… 0% sodium. Whoa! Somebody finally gets it.

From the Stonehouse 27 website:

“At Stonehouse 27, we believe that great cuisine should not contain anything artificial. We also cook with no added salt, use diabetic friendly low glycemic agave nectar instead of refined sugars, and use only canola oil, a heart healthy oil that is lowest in saturated fat among other cooking oils”

And here is the nutrition label:

Click to read more ...

Roasted stem on tomatoes. Oh, la la!

Buying tomatoes at this time of year is depressing enough, but when you actually taste them, the lack of satisfaction circuit is completed.

Sigh.

However, there is a way of making even the lamest tomatoe stand up, shine and shout “here I am, baby!”

Roasting is the key.

Just grab those pupplies, and swipe them with some olive oil that boasts some sea salt, a bit of lemon juice, herbs and just a bit of balsamic vinegar …. roast for about 10 minutes and voila!

They make an awesome presentation on a plate of other goodies.

These are an absolutely no-brainer sidekick to grilled or baked fish, any vegetarian entree or … let your imagination go wild. They could even be the wonderful beginning to a pasta sauce.

Who knew?

maven

Roasted cherry tomatoes make any dish better

My son-in-law to be wanted to make a salad last night for the roast lamb dinner I was creating. Since I had this large container of cherry tomatoes from Costco, I thought “self … why not roast those babies”. When I got them out of the convection speed oven, I told Michael to take one to taste.

OMG!

Sweet. Sweet beyond belief. The essence of tomato.

They went into a green salad, with my new salad dressing of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced fresh garlic, minced Morrocan preserved lemon, freshly minced basil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Major YUM!

Click to read more ...

Orange cauliflower Ras al Hanout

Yes, you read that right. Orange cauliflower. It’s a hybrid with a lot more nutrient value and a nice, mild flavor. I really prefer it to the standard cauliflower. You can buy it at Whole Foods.

Tonight, as part of an African dinner, I sauteed some minced onion and garlic in about 5-6 tablespoons of Moroccan olive oil ( I like Mustaffah’s ) while the cauliflower heads were in the steamer getting all nice and tender. This makes a stunningly beautiful vegetable dish since the orange cauliflower keeps it’s color.

Click to read more ...

Tomato ginger marmalade is summertime in a jar

My primary care doc was making some pretty heavy handed ( sorry, Don ) hints a while back about almost being out of my exceptionally good tomato marmalade. Well, it was just a little too early in the season for great farmers market tomatos.

Now is the time, though … and it’s great. This year I found some really meaty, wonderfully flavored small plum tomatoes. They provide a lot of ‘skin’ for visual interest and texture, without the seeds and juice that can be a problem with larger tomatoes.

Click to read more ...