KALE AND CASHEWS… THE STARS OF MY KITCHEN TODAY

Some actors just keep getting lead roles in movies, and you do not get tired of watching them. This is also happening with food. Kale has been the star of many delicious recipes. It has been the main character in my kitchen lately.  My kids fell in love with kale and the romance continues. My son had a great idea this week, let’s put kale in popcorn. I totally jumped on it. Here is the simple recipe.

KALEY POPCORN (named by my son)

Ingredients:

• Air popped popcorn
• Kale
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons of Butter (we used earth balance)

1. Pop the popcorn kernels- we used a popcorn machine
2. Wash, and dry kale. Take off the stem, drizzle the olive oil and some salt on the kale and place in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy (about 15- 20 minutes)
3. Melt the butter
4. Pour the melted butter on the popcorn, add the kale and some salt to taste.
5. ENJOY!

This is a great snack to enjoy while doing homework. My son could not stop mentioning how delicious it was. It is a great and healthy combination.

Cashews is also making its way into a stellar role. When I found out that cashews taste like cheese, I brought them home. Another way to reduce cheese intake of my love ones (hope they don’t read this).

In addition to cashews I also had an eggplant… what to do? I grabbed my Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen cookbook  . I’m made the Eggplant Parmesan with Mozzarella sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggplants sliced ¼ inch thick
• Sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jar Marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs for sprinkling
• Mozzarella Sauce (recipe below)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1. Cut the eggplants, dry to take away moisture, arrange on a baking sheet and brush with oil. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes until browned on top.
2. Prepare the tomato sauce by heating oil in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add garlic and let cook for 1 minute. Add marinara sauce and brown sugar and cook and stir for a few more minutes.
3. Arrange half of the eggplant slices, overlapping the slices in the pan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs. Layer half of the tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella sauce on top of bread crumbs. Repeat the layers. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Top with fresh basil and serve.

Mozzarella Sauce ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a blender, combine cashews and water. Blend on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, garlic, onion powder, and cornstarch, and blend until smooth.

(if you are not using a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, soak overnight or boil for 10 minutes and drain. For a soft a silky smooth cream.)

Hope you try some of these recipes. These will add variety to your meals at home.