kale chips with salt and vinegar

Roasted Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Vinegar
(Makes 2-3 servings of kale chips, recipe adapted by Kalyn with inspiration from many other bloggers who also made kale chips.)

one small bunch of kale, about 6 oz.
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T vinegar (I used Spanish sherry vinegar, but any vinegar you like the flavor of will work)
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300F/150C.

Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the kale leaves into same-size pieces. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.) Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry.

Put kale pieces into a large Ziploc bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily.) Add half of the 1 T of olive oil, seal bag, and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces. Add the other half tablespoon of oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged."

Open the Ziploc bag and sprinkle the 1 T sherry vinegar over the kale leaves, then seal bag and shake to spread the vinegar out over all the leaves.

Arrange kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 minutes. I checked every 10 minutes or so and turned some pieces over. I also found I didn't mind if there were a few softer parts on some of the kale leaves, I liked the combination of crisp and softer parts.

When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.

I find that these cook more quickly, perhaps 20 minutes. Perhaps it's the convection oven.
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/03/recipe-for-roasted-kale-chips-with-sea.html?m=1

mushrooms and farro with poached eggs

Ingredients

serves serves 4 , active time 45 minutes, total time 45 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro, rinsed
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sour cream, to taste
• 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons minced chives

Procedures

1. Cook the farro in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Skim off any foam that rises during cooking. Drain, and rinse.
2. In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, creminis, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and a generous grinding of pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid, the onions turn translucent, and the moisture nearly evaporates, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sherry. Allow to bubble steadily until the liquid nearly boils off, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the farro and sour cream. Season with 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice (adding more to taste) and additional salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm while you prepare the eggs.
3. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a hard simmer, add the vinegar, and lower the heat to a gentle bubble. Crack 1 egg into a small ramekin. Swirl a wooden spoon in the water to create a whirlpool, then tip the egg into the swirling water. Immediately repeat with the remaining eggs, nudging the eggs to the side so they don’t clump together. Poach the eggs for exactly 3 minutes, flipping them over during the last minute of cooking. (If you’re a novice, try poaching 1 or 2 at a time.)
4. To serve, divide the farro mixture among four serving plates. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon, blot gently with paper towels, and lay atop each mound of farro. Sprinkle with the chives, and serve immediately.

This was pretty versatile - I used a combination of mushrooms, substituted spring onions for the onion and chives, white wine for the sherry, balsamic vinegar for the lemon, and lebneh for the sour cream. Still excellent.

http://mobile.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/ripes-cremini-farro-hash-with-poached-eggs-recipe.html

fruit nut balls

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/78609/orange-fruit-nut-truffles

cornbread muffins

Notes: I cut the sugar in half from the original recipe, so it leaves more room for other tasty things like jam or honey without a sugar overload.
I had excellent success substituting soymilk for milk and coconut oil for butter. I added an extra tsp or so of honey, but in retrospect, I could have left it out, and it still would have been fine.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (I prefer to use non-stick cooking spray so the muffins get nice and crisp on the edges.)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in the honey and then the milk. Add the milk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Do not overmix; it's okay if there are a few lumps. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup almost full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm.
4. 
   

Based on http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/04/cornbread-muffins.html

broccoli fritters

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/06/broccoli-parmesan-fritters/

peanut butter balls

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup dry milk powder

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
•  
• based on http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/11625/moonbeams

kkakdugi (radish kimchi)

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kkakdugi

Ingredients:Korean radish (or daikon), salt, sugar, fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, green onions, garlic, ginger.

Directions:

1. Peel 4 pounds of Korean radish (ordaikon).
2. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
3. Cut it into ¾ to 1 inch cubes. Put into a large bowl.
4. Add 2 tbs salt, 2 tbs sugar, and mix well.
   *tip: If you like your kkakdugi sweeter, add 1 or more extra tbs of sugar.
5. Set aside for 30 minutes.
6. Drain the juice from the radish into a small bowl.
7. Add 2 tbs minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves garlic), 1 ts minced ginger, 4 stalks of chopped green onions, ¼ cup fish sauce, 2/3 cup hot pepper flakes, and ⅓ cup of the juice from the radish.
   *tip: The amount of hot pepper flakes you use depends on your taste; use ¼ cup hot pepper flakes for a mild version. For a vegetarian version, replace fish sauce with soy sauce.