Eat Your Greens

Take THAT nasty Doritos!

So many recipes to post! This past weekend I spent a lot of time making snacks. Here is a spicy take on the classic Cheezy Kale Chip. Most recipes for Kale chips involve soaked, then pureed cashews. I've made that version, it wasn't anything to write home about. Being allergic to cashews, I'm no stranger to finding substitutes. However, why use expensive, heavy nuts when you don't have to? Before discovering the 'raw' version of these chips, I use to coat the kale in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Simple.

My take on the cheezy kale chip is SPICY! I love spicy food, anything with a kick. I figured being cold, wet and tired camping would make these a really special treat.  Ok, if you run screaming from anything suggesting spice, like indian food, mexican sombreros, valentines/santa lingerie, this may not be for you. Just a salty chip kinda person? That's all you have to add: olive oil and salt. The less olive oil the better as it will not dehydrate fully and you may not get the crisp you are jonesing for.

What a Beauty

Kinectic Kale (har har)
2-3 heads Kale (curly, dinosaur, I use tuscan.. anything works)
1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
2-3 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (google it.. so cheeezy)
1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder (so important)
1/4 tsp Cumin
Pinch of Chili powder and cayenne and salt
Water or almond milk as needed to make a paste.. creamy salad dressing consistency) 

Stir it up (lil darlin'! Bob Marley fans?) ! Have chopped Kale in a large bowl. Keep in mind kale will shrink considerably in the dehydrator (yes! you can make these in the oven! See below). Spoon a little of the mixture at a time, stirring in-between. Taste one and alter the spices to your liking. I kind of just throw mine together in a bowl... so the estimates above are, yeah, estimates.

Coated and Ready to Go!

Spread onto mesh sheet, dehydrate for 2 hours or so at 104F. Check often. You want these babies as crispy as a potato chip!
If baking: Spread onto baking sheet, 10-15 minutes @ 350F

Crispy!

Enjoy! I made lots of different veggie chips; posts to come! 

Tonic "Sunkist"

For those of you trying to avoid soda; I've got a great recipe for you. I started drinking Q Tonic with gin over the summer. Then I started making fake n tonics to cut back on alcohol. You can use any citrus fruit (strawberry too, get creative). It doesn't work as well with plain tonic (which by the way has corn syrup in it) but works okay with seltzer, with some agave (or plain sugar) mixed in.

Sunkist
1 cup Ice
1/2 orange (or any citrus fruit, squeezed or juiced)
Tonic water

Ice in the glass, pour/squeeze in the juice, then top off with the tonic! (mix the sugar and juice forst if you aren't using tonic- about 1/2 tsp for a glass). Refreshing, bubbly and delish! Enjoy!

Anti-Aging Dessert and Run of the Muck

My runs the last few days have been hard. My legs have been tired. Yesterday I was feeling myself however and had an awesome run! Most of the snow is gone. There is still a lot of ice; enough that I have to wear yak traks.  

Something I love is Pumpkin! It has anti-aging properties, beta carotene, alpha carotene, Vitamins C and E, Fiber and is a great source of potassium (a must have for muscle recovery!) among others. Oh, and it's fabulously delicious! Dogs love it too.

Get in Shape Pumpkin Parfait

Now, you can use greek yogurt, or whatever you wish. I personally like coconut yogurt the best, however 'real' coco yogurt can be a challenge to find (you can make it!!).
1/4 cup your choice yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup chilled canned or cooked (drained of most liquid) Pumpkin
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tsp Pure Maple Syrup (you can use stevia, agave, sucanat etc but maple tastes best)
1/2-1tsp chopped walnuts, pecans or granola

That's it! layer from top of list to bottom and enjoy!