It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a recipe. So sorry! Rather than try to explain my absence with traumatizing tails of killer wasps and too many days drifting away in a benadryl haze, let’s just say that I’ll be sticking to the city for awhile and move on, shall we? Not sure if you’ve heard the news, but it’s no longer summer. Although there are pumpkins, butternut squash, and lots of wonderful varieties of apples at the farmer’s markets these days, there are still plenty of summer fruits and veggies too.

So what do you do when the weather starts to turn cold, but you still have some remains of summer produce? Soup! Tomato soup, to be precise. It’s the perfect way to use up those mouth watering summer tomatoes, and your need to warm up on a cold fall day.  Tomato soup is deliciously satisfying. Turns out it’s pretty darn easy to make too.  Of course it’s pretty darn easy to buy tomato soup, but why not give it a try from scratch? Heirloom tomatoes aren’t cheap, but they are so much better than your everyday tomato. Growing your own is a good option if you have the space and enough sunshine. I’m lucky enough to have a brother with an amazing talent for growing organic vegetables. On my last visit to his farm, I left with a trunk full of tomatoes. If you don’t have a farmer for a brother, or a backyard full of heirloom tomatoes, you can always get them at your local farmer’s market.

I didn’t follow a recipe for this soup but it turned out really good. Start by sautéing a chopped yellow onion and some fresh basil in olive oil or clarified butter. Let’s stop for a second to discuss clarified butter, also known as ghee. Have you tried it?

I started cooking with ghee a couple months ago and now I’m totally hooked. This particular brand, Mama Sattva, was something that I picked up at a local farmer’s market. The woman who makes it chants while she’s making it to impart positive vibrations into the ghee. I’m not joking. Now, it’s not required that you buy ghee that has extra good vibes put in, but if you have the option, why would you not go for the good vibes? Right? Right.

When the onions have become translucent, add in your chopped tomatoes and cook in medium high heat for about 15 to 30 minutes. If you’re so inclined, you could blanch and peel your tomatoes first. Since I was going to use my Vitamix to emulsify the soup (and I’m super lazy), I skipped this step. If you have a regular blender or a handheld immersion blender, that would work just fine. It might not get rid of all the peels though, so consider peeling your tomatoes if you want smoothy and creamy tomato soup.

Add in vegetable broth, chicken broth, milk, or cream. Season with salt and bring back to a boil.

Top with some fresh arugula, and you’re done! So yummy.

Heirloom Tomato Soup
Any variety of heirloom tomato would be delicious for this recipe; as ripe and juicy as possible.

8-10 tomatoes (if you don’t have a vitamix or other strong blender, blanch and peel tomatoes first)
1 Tbs of ghee or olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
a handful of fresh basil, chopped (if using dried basil, start with 2 tsp, and add more for taste)
1/2 cup of chicken broth or heavy cream

In a large stockpot saute chopped onions over medium heat.  When onions start to be come translucent, add in fresh basil and stir for 1 minute. Add in tomatoes and stir occasionally for approx. 15-20 minutes, until tomatoes start to release their juice and cook down. Add chicken broth or heavy cream and blend with an immersion blender or in a vitamix. Bring soup to a low boil and simmer for approx. 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh arugula and a float of extra virgin olive oil if desired. Serves 6-8.

There is a reason this blog has the word ‘bake’ in its name. I learned to bake before I learned to cook. In fact, some of my earliest and fondest memories involve standing on a little green stool in the kitchen with my grandma, helping her bake delicious treats for our family. My grandmother was half Greek, which meant of course that family was the most important thing in her life, and bringing her family together with food was what she did best. If baking is a genetic trait, then I came by it honestly. My grandmother on the other side was a pastry chef and ran her own catering company. As geography and fate would have it, I didn’t get to spend as much time with her in the kitchen, but I did lovingly inherit some of her most famous recipes. And my mother’s pies are legendary; she even won a blue ribbon or two for them at a county fair once upon a time.

It’s odd then, right? that if I love to bake so much that I have only shared one dessert with you so far. Indeed, it would have been very different story had started I this blog three years ago before I realized I have a gluten intolerance. But since then I lost a lot of inspiration to bake. I went through a bit of a mourning period where I struggled come to term with the fact that some of my most cherished recipes – recipes that I have written in both of my grandmother’s handwriting, recipes that bring back sweet memories of childhood happiness, recipes that I made countless times and thought that I’d continue to make countless more times, recipes that I envisioned passing down to my own kids someday – those recipes were making me sick. It felt like a punch in the gut.

Slowly I’m learning to use gluten-free substitutes and have been experimenting with different flours and recipes. It’s like learning to bake all over again, only this time I don’t have the benefit of family recipes that have been perfected over decades, or my grandmother at my side showing me how to do it. I hope to share these recipes with you when I’ve worked out the kinks and deem them blog-worthy. In the meantime I’ve been enjoying desserts that require no substitution for wheat flour.

Mercifully, chocolate does not contain gluten! These banana chocolate bonbons are so easy I’m not sure if I should say “you’re welcome” or “I’m sorry.” Once you discover how easy it is, there is really nothing stopping you from making it all the time. Except for maybe a sense of self-control. If you have that, especially self-control when it comes to chocolate, then I applaud you and certainly can’t relate.

These little bonbons were born out of the realization that I had guests arriving in a couple of hours, no dessert to serve (gasp!), and about half a can of coconut milk leftover from making dinner. Not wanting to waste the coconut milk, I grabbed some chocolate chips, a few bananas, and a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes and voila! dessert.

Chocolate can be easily melted in the microwave without getting too hot. I’m not usually a fan of using the microwave, but I’m also not a fan of doing dishes and this method saves time and hassle of using a double-boiler to melt the chocolate.

Banana Chocolate Bonbons
These are fun to assemble and would be a great project to make with kids. I used unsweetened coconut flakes, but if you want them sweeter you could used sweetened dessicated coconut. The chocolate covered bananas become bite-sized bonbons after being in the freezer for a couple of hours. If you wanted to skip the freezer step, you could serve the coconut chocolate sauce as a fondue, and dip bananas, strawberries, or whatever else you want in it.

1 c. chocolate chips or melting chocolate
3/4 c. full fat coconut milk
4-6 bananas, chopped into 2 inch pieces
dried coconut flakes (unsweetened or sweetened)

Put chocolate chips and coconut milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds; until the chocolate chips are soft enough to melt when stirred. Slowly stir to incorporate the chocolate and the coconut milk.  If the mixture is too thin, add more chocolate and microwave for 10-25 seconds more, and stir more to incorporate.

Peel and chop bananas in 2 inch chunks. Fill small bowl with coconut flakes. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Using a toothpick, pick up banana, dip in chocolate sauce and roll in coconut flakes  Place on baking sheet and put in freezer for 1-2 hours. After about one hour, the chocolate should be hard and the banana inside will be the consistency of ice cream. If you freeze them for more than 2 hours, the banana gets pretty frozen and has less flavor. If you pull them out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving they banana will soften a bit and have more flavor.

Do you read at the breakfast table? NY Times perhaps? Well, I read cookbooks. It’s my favorite type of breakfast reading (and bedtime reading too).  Sarah Fragoso’s Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook has been my breakfast reading this week.

Every now and then you stumble on something really wonderful that changes your life for the better. For me, learning that I was gluten intolerant has been a blessing. But at first it seemed like a curse. All I could think about was what I couldn’t eat! And with all of my energy going towards thinking of all of the things I couldn’t eat, for the life of me I couldn’t think of what to cook. Then I met Sarah Fragoso, and started following her Everyday Paleo blog. Sarah gave me what I was searching for – a whole bunch of delicious, easy to make recipes that I wouldn’t have to modify and that my husband and I would still love to eat.  I was elated when her first book Everyday Paleo came out. With it’s comprehensive grocery list, 30-day meal plan, and exercise routines it is certainly more than a cookbook. After I started cooking paleo, I realized many of my favorite recipes were either already paleo friendly, like spicy chicken soup or could be easily modified to be gluten-free and still be delicious (hint: you don’t need bread).

I am so excited about Sarah’s latest book, the Everday Paleo Family Cookbook. Once again she’s written much more than a cookbook. It has lots of helpful information and suggestions on how to plan your meals and feed a whole family. This cookbook is for anyone, even those of us who aren’t currently raising kids. You’ll find an explanation of what eating paleo means, helpful food guides, and of course countless delicious recipes that you can make on a budget. Sarah’s love for family and for life in general really comes through in her writing. And Sarah’s genuine desire to help others to live a healthy, happy life is inspiring. Even if you’re not planning on converting 100% to a paleo diet, and even if you don’t have a gluten intolerance, the Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook is a worthwhile addition to your cookbook collection. I love that every recipe has a full page photo and the layout of the ingredient list makes it easy to read and follow.

The first recipe I made from this book was the Slow Chicken Curry, and it was everything I’ve come to love about Everyday Paleo recipes. It was straightforward, contained ingredients I already had in my kitchen, and inspired me to add my own spices and flavor profiles to fit my taste. Most importantly, it was delicious. I served it to guests and before I could even ask what they thought of it, I heard murmurs of  “mmmm….oooh…yummmy.” If you want more creative and easy paleo recipe ideas, pick up a copy of Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook. I promise you won’t regret it.

In addition to the tasty recipe below, you’ll get amazingly delicious dairy-free, grain-free recipes with a super clever table of contents complete with thumbnail photo of each recipe. I can’t wait to make the sausage stuffing, coconut shrimp cocktail, and sweet potato chips. Then there is my new favorite, riced cauliflower. I know what you are thinking – what is riced cauliflower and how can it taste good?! It sounds so odd, but it is SO good and it was the perfect accompaniment to the Slow Chicken Curry.

Slow Chicken Curry
From Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook, by Sarah Fragoso
Serves 5-6.

2 Tbs curry powder
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 carrots, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 celery stalks, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 c. full-fat canned coconut milk (such as Native Forest brand)
1 c. chicken broth

In a small bowl, mix all of the dry spices together. Place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker and pour the spice mixture over the chicken thighs and toss together until coasted with the spices. Sprinkle the minced garlic and add the onions, carrots, and celery. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and chicken broth.  Pour the coconut milk and chicken broth mixture over the top of the chicken and vegetables and cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.

*Note: I used bone-in chicken thighs because that is all I had. I also added 1/2 tsp. of tumeric and 3 short stalks of dried lemongrass. I also reduced the garlic to 1 clove. After it was done cooking, I added a few squeezes of fresh lime juice for some acidity and served it with chopped cilantro. Feel free to modify to your taste. The beauty of the Everyday Paleo recipes is that they are easy to adapt! With your leftover coconut milk, you can make banana chocolate bonbons.

I will let you in on a secret. Well, okay, it’s only a secret if you don’t know me personally. Here it is: I can be fairly critical on myself. It’s not always a good trait. Sure, high standards can push me to keep working harder, to always improve. But sometimes these high standards and self-criticism will stop me from trying things. Take for instance, this blog. I was thinking about starting a food blog for over a year. But I was afraid it wasn’t going to be as good as I wanted it to be. And then, as is usually the case, I got some advice from some very good friends (which is one of the many reasons I love them and keep them around!).

They encouraged me to just start. Jump in. Try my best. Don’t worry if it isn’t exactly perfect right out of the gate, because it won’t be. I may have a steep learning curve to figure out everything I’d like about html coding. I may have to make do with limited sunlight and limited camera equipment that I have for now. I may have to forgive myself for less-than-perfect. But I will learn, and grow, and improve. In the meantime, hopefully I can share some of the recipes that I love to make with a some people who might love to make them too. And maybe someone’s day will be a little better because they are eating strawberry-rhubarb crisp or they found the joy that raw kale can bring if you massage it a little. I know those things make my life a little brighter.

The same lesson can be applied to trying new things in the kitchen. Don’t be afraid of trying something new because you think it might not turn out as good as you hope. It’s okay to be somewhat self-critical and want to improve, but go easy on yourself. This is especially true if you are trying to learn a new way of cooking, such as gluten-free or dairy-free. It can be daunting, scary and frustrating. You may lament your fate and cry large tears of pity for yourself when you realize all of the things you can’t eat again without getting sick. If you’re like me, you’ll live in denial for awhile and keep eating the foods that are making you sick. How can I put this nicely? Um, that’s dumb. Stop it. Start trying some new recipes. Jump in and try your best. Be creative. I promise there are lots of great gluten-free and dairy-free recipes out there. Here’s one – tabouleh!

Tabouleh is traditionally made with wheat bulgur, which is decidedly not gluten-free. When I first realized this, I felt sorry for myself and wanted to cry tears of self pity, thinking I’d never enjoy tabouleh again. Or maybe I’d have to omit the bulgur, and just be left with a parsley salad. Although a parsley salad might be great for your digestion, just didn’t quite sound as appealing or substantial as tabouleh.

But! Then I discovered quinoa. Have you discovered it yet? It’s gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and has all eight essential amino acids, which makes a complete protein. It’s also super easy to make. Give it a try!

Quinoa Tabouleh

This recipe isn’t exactly traditional. But it has the main elements and flavors of traditional tablouleh. I added cucumber for crunch. Tabouleh goes well with with many types of meat, such as grilled chicken.

1 c. cooked quinoa (approx 3/4 c. dried)
2 large bunches of parsley, chopped very fine
1 bunch of mint, chopped very fine
4 green onions, chopped fine
2 small to medium tomatoes, chopped
2 persian cucumbers, chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
juice of 1-2 lemons
1/8 tsp. of cinnamon
salt to taste

Rinse quinoa thoroughly. Quinoa expands when you cook it. Bring 1 1/2 c. of water to boil in a small saucepan. Add 3/4 c of quinoa. Simmer, covered, approx 20 minutes. Quinoa should be fluffy and soft when done. Place spoonfulls of cooked quinoa on a plate to cool. Meanwhile, finely chop parsley, mint, and green onions. Chop tomatoes and cucumbers into small bite-sized pieces. Mix vegetables in a bowl. Add cinnamon and salt to vegetables and mix thoroughly. When quinoa is cool, add to the vegetable mixture and toss gently with a fork. Add lemon juice and toss with a fork again. Just before serving, add oil and mix thoroughly.

Note the tabouleh may be prepared 1-2 hours ahead of time by omitting tomatoes and oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, then add oil and tomatoes before serving. Serves 6 or more.

Many years ago my friend B shared this recipe with me. The truth is, I don’t have the patience to make it the way that B does. It takes him two days. This is a problem. When I get a craving for something, I can’t wait 48 hours to have it. Or, more accurately, 48 hours later I’ll likely have moved on to some other craving. Over the years I’ve adapted the recipe. And by adapted, I mean I tried to find the perfect balance between eating it as soon as possible and giving the soup the time it needs for the various ingredients to meld into a single harmonious spicy rich flavor.

One of those adaptations is using canned tomatoes. You can use fresh roma tomatoes but it takes them quite awhile to cook down. It doesn’t seem to lose any flavor by adding canned diced tomatoes. As it is, this adaptation takes about 8 hours to cook and it can take longer if you leave it in the fridge overnight. It’s hard to fathom how complex, integrated and utterly satisfying the flavors of these few ingredients can get if you give it enough time.

I know what you are thinking – the whole impatience problem can be solved by a crockpot and a long day at work where you are thinking about your to-do list and your job stresses and not thinking about soup. I’ve tried that, but it doesn’t turn out quite the same in a crockpot. And frankly my to-do list and job stress just makes me long for a comforting and satisfying bowl of this spicy chicken soup all the more. Instead, I like to think of this as a Sunday kind of soup. The kind that you start making early and enjoy the aroma coming from kitchen as it simmers slowly all day.

But! You can freeze it. That is, of course, if you don’t become so addicted that you eat it for dinner/lunch/dinner consecutively until all that is left is tiny bits of tomato stuck to the bottom of the pot. I recommend setting aside a couple of servings in the freezer. You will forget it is there until you get sick or have a really crappy long day and the only thing on the planet that will make you feel the tiniest bit better is this soup – but you don’t have the energy to make it because you are sick or (since it is the end of that crappy super long day) you don’t have the time to make it. In that moment, you will remember you have some in the freezer and you will wish you had a time machine to go back and hug your former self for having the foresight to set some aside.

One of the best parts of this soup is adding toppings. I would argue that at the very minimum, you must add lime. “Must” may seem a little strong, but seriously – try it with a squeeze of fresh lime. It changes the flavor in the most delightful way and it just isn’t the same without it. Arguably this soup is also not complete without a large handful of cilantro and avocado on top. I added radishes for the first time the other day and was happy to have the added crunch.

Of course, tortillas or tortilla chips make a nice accompaniment too. Lately my paleo leanings have encouraged me to eat it with a large spoon rather than a tortilla in my hand, but it’s totally up to you.  Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Soup

This spicy chicken soup can feed a large group, and everyone can make it their own by adding toppings of their choice. It is also great to make with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. If you don’t gobble it all up, it freezes really well too. In terms of level of spice, you can add or subtract the fresh peppers to fit your taste. Note that it takes awhile for the full heat of the chili peppers to integrate into the soup. It’s often spicier (and better) the next day after sitting in the fridge over night. If you aren’t following the paleo diet and aren’t concerned about gluten or dairy sensitivities, you can consider adding sour cream or cheese, and serving with fresh tortillas.

1 leftover roasted (or rotisserie) chicken
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalepeno peppers, diced
1/2-1 serrano chili, diced
1 small can of diced anaheim chilis
16-24 ounces of chicken broth
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, combine 16 ounces of chicken broth, onion, tomatoes, and fresh peppers. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes and then add canned peppers (do not drain), chicken pieces, cumin and chili powder. Simmer on low heat covered for 7-8 hrs. If too much liquid boils away, add more chicken broth a little at a time, up to 16 more ounces. After dishing soup into a bowl, add a few squeezes of fresh lime juice and top with desired garnishes such as chopped cilantro, avocado, and radishes. Store in fridge overnight and reheat the next day, bringing to a boil and then simmering for about 30 minutes for optimal flavor. Makes approx 10 servings.

Eating a healthy dinner always makes me feel better. It’s nice to end the day on a healthy note, even if the rest of my meal choices that day won’t put me on the world’s healthiest list. This is the first of what I hope to make a series of paleo dinner inspiration for you. The most common thing I hear from people when they ask me what eating paleo means is: “hmm..that sounds really hard.” And I get that. If you focus on all of the things that you don’t eat, it can seem hard. But if you focus on yummy recipes that inspire you to eat healthier, then it’s not that hard.

This dinner came together quickly and was ready in less than an hour. Super easy! The winning combo of fresh lemon and fresh basil makes it delightfully light and fresh. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but it would be just as tasty with chicken breasts. This is a very easy recipe, and you don’t need many ingredients for the marinade, just one lemon, a handful of basil, a couple cloves of garlic, a couple tablespoons of olive oil and some red pepper flakes.

Marinate the chicken in a ziploc bag for maximum marination power.

Round out your dinner with some steamed chard and a baked sweet potato and you have a deliciously healthy dinner, paleo style!

Lemon Basil Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped (approx 3 Tbs)
1 Tbs red pepper flakes to taste (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes and salt. Add chicken pieces and let marinade for 10-20 minutes. Marinating in a bowl works fine, but a ziploc bag seems to help the marinade work faster and gets the flavor evenly distributed throughout the chicken. Place in an un-greased glass or ceramic baking dish and bake uncovered at 375 F for approx. 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 180 F.

Note, if you’re going to bake sweet potatoes to serve with with the chicken, wash the potatoes and poke all over with a fork.  Put them in the oven before you start making the chicken because they will take longer to cook (approx 1 hr).

It’s time to bake something. How about a fruit crisp? It’s July after all, which means the farmer’s markets and grocery stores are full of mouth-watering summer fruit. And likely your calendar is full of excuses to make dessert: bbqs, picnics, birthday parties. Or maybe you’re like me, and you never need an excuse to make dessert. It’s [insert day of week] hooray, let’s bake! The beauty of a crisp is that it is simple to make, yet terribly difficult to stop eating. Of course, we’ve already established that I have very little self-control when it comes to summer fruit.

This crisp combines sweet strawberries with tart rhubarb. Have you cooked with rhubarb? It’s a really not a fruit at all, but a vegetable (which makes this crisp arguably an acceptable choice for breakfast – it’s made with vegetables!). It is also a really fun word to say. Go ahead, give it a try. Nobody’s listening. Unless of course you are at work, in which case maybe you shouldn’t just start saying “rhuuuubaaarb” aloud. Your co-workers might become concerned.

This recipe was inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal Vegetable, Miracle. It’s a great book that will get you thinking about where your food comes from, and the large impact we have on the planet from what we choose to eat.

Buying local fruit when it’s in season is always a good idea. In addition to being better for the environment, it tastes so much better, and it’s usually cheaper. I almost tripped when I was leaving my favorite local produce market the other day and saw that organic strawberries were only $1.69/lb. Seriously, I stumbled. Then I picked up 2 lbs of strawberries and marched myself right back inside to the checkout counter by way of the vegetable section, where I found rhubarb.

Rhubarb season usually starts in early spring. But this year the rhubarb is going strong all the way into the middle of summer. Clearly, the universe wants us to enjoy rhubarb and strawberries together, otherwise they wouldn’t be ripe (and on sale!) at the same time. So don’t fight it. Go find yourself a basket or two of strawberries and a handful of rhubarb and make this super easy crisp today. It’s sweetened with honey and I even cut the sweetener in half from the original recipe, so don’t have to feel bad about eating the whole thing that second helping.

The honey makes a lovely glaze over the strawberries and rhubarb.

Crisps are easy to make gluten-free. For this topping I used gluten-free oats, almond meal, and chopped almonds for extra crunch. Cinnamon and allspice are a delicious combo with the rhubarb.

I usually use butter, but this time I tried coconut oil. The flavor is good with coconut oil, but it makes it a little crumblier. If you want a chunkier topping, use melted butter instead. If using coconut oil, mix the topping with a pastry cutter.

Sprinkle the topping over the strawberries and rhubarb and pop it in the oven. Your whole house will smell delightful when this is baking.

This crisp is delicious served warm or cold and goes well with a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Vegetable Miracle
Serves 6-8.

Filling
3 c. strawberries, halved
3.5 c. rhubarb, chopped
1/4 c. honey

Wash strawberries and cut in half lengthwise. Wash rhubarb and chop into 1 inch chunks.  Mix thoroughly with honey and put in a 8×8 ungreased baking pan.

Topping
1/2 c. almond meal
1/2 c. gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 c. raw almonds, chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/3 c. coconut oil (or butter)

Mix all topping ingredients except for coconut oil. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry cutter. If using butter, melt first and mix in. Sprinkle topping over berry and rhubarb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. If using coconut oil, you should cover with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes to avoid cooking the topping too fast.

I love kale. You can’t help but feel healthy when you eat it. Kale is a super vegetable full of vitamin A, C and K and it’s a very good source of potassium, iron and antioxidants. After years of being under-appreciated and used predominately as a garnish in deli cases, kale has finally gotten the attention that it deserves. It seems kale is everywhere I turn. I’ve even tried recipes for berry-kale smoothies (hint: throw a leaf or two in any smoothie with a banana and you can’t taste the kale). There are several varieties of kale and they are all pretty scrumptious, but I tend to use lacinato kale, better known as dino kale most often. It has a fun name, and it is perfect in this deliciously simple salad.

Don’t let the simple ingredient list fool you – this salad has a ton of flavor. I’ve converted a few previously non-lovers of kale over to my way of seeing things with this salad. Start with a bunch of fresh kale, one lemon, one shallot, and some feta cheese. You can substitute goat cheese, which is also very yummy or leave the cheese out completely, if you prefer no dairy.

After you’ve washed the kale, remove the stems and tear up the leaves into bite sized pieces. Kale can be pretty tough when it is raw. So to break it down and make it softer and easier to eat, you should massage it a bit. Sounds odd, but it totally works. Once you tear up the kale, put it in a bowl and start squeezing. It’s a  great way to get out all of that pent up aggression from your (super-crowded-always-late-and-stuck-too-long-in-the-tunnels-muni) commute home. Oh wait, that’s just me? Well, me and everyone else that takes public transportation in SF.

Wherever your stress might have come from, let me suggest getting rid of it by squeezing kale. The kale can take it. It doesn’t mind. And when you are done, it will be tender and better to eat. Want proof? Here’s a before-and-after kale squeeze shot; notice how much greener it looks after its massage.

After you’ve torn up and massaged your kale, make the dressing. This lemon olive oil vinaigrette is good on all sorts of salads. Start by mixing 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Meyer lemons are best, but I didn’t have one so I just used a regular lemon. Add approx 1 Tbs of vinegar, to taste. Depending on how big and tart your lemon is, you might need more or less vinegar. I’ve tried apple cider and red wine vinegar and both taste great.

Stir in one minced shallot to the olive oil mixture and add salt to taste. Add the dressing to the kale and mix well. Sprinkle on your feta or goat cheese. And now, if you’re a huge fan of red pepper flakes like me,  sprinkle red pepper flakes quite liberally. I love them so much, I am giving them a close-up.

This salad is even better if you can make it a few hours or even a whole day ahead and keep it chilled in the fridge. The acid from the lemon and vinegar help break down the toughness of the kale and the flavors meld quite wonderfully.

Kale Salad with Lemon Shallot Viniagrette

1 bunch of kale
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon (meyer lemon if possible)
1/2-1 Tbs red wine or apple cider vinegar
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1/2 cup – 1 cup feta or goat cheese

Wash the kale and pat dry with a towel. Remove and discard the stems. Tear leaves into bite sized pieces. Massage the kale by squeezing handfuls for a minute or two until the leaves turn bright green and become tender. Make viniagrette in a separate container such as a small mason jar or cup. Combine  olive oil, fresh squeezed juice and vinegar. Depending on the size of your lemon, you may need anywhere from 1/2 to 1 Tbs of vinegar. Add a bit of vinegar, stir, and taste before adding more. Mince the shallot and add to the olive oil mixture. Stir thoroughly, and add salt to taste. Pour viniagrette over kale and toss until well mixed.

Sprinkle feta or goat cheese and mix gently. Be sure to mix in the dressing evenly and thoroughly before you add the cheese (if you add the cheese before the dressing, it melts and becomes part of the salad dressing). Add red pepper flakes to taste. Chill for several hours or up to 1 day before serving. Serves approx. 6 people.

But what do you do when you just have more watermelon than you can eat? Or worse, you forgot about that watermelon that you bought last week and although it’s not spoiled, it’s surely gotten mealy by now. I have three words for you: watermelon agua fresca. All you need is some watermelon, a couple of limes, and a few ounces of coconut water, and a blender.

Here is a quick way to slice watermelon into perfect bite sized chunks. First, Cut the watermelon in half.

Then, working with one half, put the fruit side down on the cutting board and cut the top end off.

With the blade facing down to the cutting board start slicing large segments of the rind at an angle, following the curve of the melon. Keep cutting until you get rid of all the white parts of the rind.

Cut a couple big slices (about 2 inches thick). Let the slices fall down on the cutting board and stack them on top of each other. Cut the slices into square pieces.  Super easy!

And now you have beautiful, uniform, chunks of watermelon.

We’re just going to throw this in a blender to make agua fresca, so it really doesn’t matter how beautiful the chunks are.  But it was a quick way to cut up a lot of watermelon, and if you have any left over, you can use for a another recipe.  Back to the beverage – put your chunks in a blender and blend on high until it is all liquified.

Add coconut water to thin out the consistency. Be sure to buy pure coconut water without the added sugar, you really don’t need it.  And please remember we’re talking about coconut water here; the kind you will likely find in the refrigerator section of the grocery store – such as Vita Coco or Zico. Not to be confused with thick coconut milk which typically comes in a can – such as Native Forest or Thai Kitchen.  The coconut water won’t add much flavor, which is good because the watermelon is the star of the show here. But it will add a lot of really great electrolytes to help keep you hydrated. Add the coconut water a little at a time, blending between each addition, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Squeeze in fresh lime juice to taste. Blend once more and then let the juice sit for a a couple of minutes. Skim off the foam on the top, and serve over ice with a lime wedge.

I bet this recipe would be good with a splash of vodka, if you’re in to that sort of thing. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

1/2 large watermelon, or 1 whole small watermelon

Coconut water to taste*

Juice of 1-2 limes

Remove watermelon from rind. Chop into chunks and remove seeds. Fill blender pitcher up about 3/4 full of watermelon.  Blend on high speed until smooth.  Add coconut water, a little a time, blending between each addition until desired consistency.  Add in lime juice and blend one final time.  Let sit 5-10 minutes and skim off foam from the top with a spoon.  Pour over ice and add a lime wedge to each glass.  The agua fresca is best served right away.  It will keep in the refrigerator for a day or so.  Just note that the watermelon sediment will float to the bottom, so you’ll want to stir it up before you serve it.

*note this is coconut water, which you’ll find refrigerated in the grocery store.  It’s thin and clear.  Not to be confused with coconut milk, which is white, very thick and usually comes in a can. If you don’t have coconut water you can substitute plain water.

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If you have left over watermelon, I recommend this great recipe for watermelon, feta and mint salad by Joy the Baker. It is fabulous. I modified it slightly by adding fresh squeezed lime juice and omitting the sesame seeds. It’s quite pretty and makes a great salad to take with you to your next bbq or picnic.

Or, you can gobble it all up yourself and don’t share with anyone. I won’t tell.

Bacon makes everything better, right? Nowadays there seems to be no end of the creative recipes with bacon. But we’re gonna start with a classic. I challenge you to find a better combination of three ingredients than fresh crisp lettuce, juicy ripe tomatoes and deliciously salty bacon. Oh, and you want to add avocado? Well that just pushes it over the top into the realm of divine. They key, of course, is to use quality ingredients. So let’s start.

Find yourself a bunch of fresh romaine lettuce, a ripe tomato, and a good looking avocado. Wash lettuce and pat dry.  Cut off the bottom part of the lettuce stem, but keep the leaf in tact. Wash and slice tomato.  Slice avocado.

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large saute pan. I use nitrate-free applewood smoked bacon. Yummm…..isn’t the smell of bacon intoxicating?

Remove from pan and pat off excess oil with a paper towel.

Now we’re ready to assemble. Use the lettuce as the base and layer avocado, bacon, and tomato. Romaine lettuce works well because it has a natural crease and it’s easy to fold up like a taco. Try it and I swear you won’t miss the bread!  I don’t.

Speaking of not missing bread, have you heard all the buzz about “paleo”? If you want to learn more about this way of eating, I suggest you visit Robb Wolf’s website where you will find nutritional information on why its beneficial to avoid grains, dairy, and processed sugar. And if you want to try paleo in earnest, I highly recommend Sarah Fragoso’s blog, Everyday Paleo and her cookbook, which provides an excellent shopping list and 30 day meal plan.

I gravitate towards paleo recipes because they are gluten and lactose free. I’ve been lactose intolerant for awhile, and I recently learned I have a sensitivity to wheat/gluten. Honestly, once you get started, eating paleo isn’t that difficult. Mostly because you start to feel so good, that when you do eat that doughnut or piece of pizza and realize how crappy it makes you feel, it starts to lose its appeal. Sure, there are times when I miss eating almond croissants, but you know what I don’t miss? The migraine headaches, foggy depressed feeling, and swollen joints that I get from eating gluten.

Paleo isn’t a “diet” in the weight-loss sense of the word (although many people tend to lose weight when they cut out sugar and grains). Instead it is s a way of eating, the same way that being a vegetarian or a vegan is.  But of course, with paleo the idea is to mimic what our ancestors in the paleolithic era might have eaten, which means lean meats and veggies, and avoiding grains, processed sugar, and other foods that can cause inflammation. Many of my friends and family members have had amazing health benefits by switching to eating paleo – particularly people who were suffering from arthritis.

While this blog won’t be 100% paleo, you will find several recipes that will fit into your paleo lifestyle, if you’re in to that sort of thing. And if you aren’t, you should still give the paleo recipes a try because they are delicious!

Paleo BLTA

1 lb nitrate-free bacon

3-4 romaine lettuce leaves

1 ripe tomato

1 ripe avocado

Cook bacon over medium heat in a large saute pan.  Flip the bacon occasionally to avoid sticking to the pan, and to ensure even cooking.  While the bacon is cooking, wash lettuce leaves and pat dry.  Cut off bottom part of stem, but keep the leaf in tact.  Wash and slice tomato.  Slice avocado.  When bacon is done cooking (15-25 minutes, depending on desired crispiness), remove from pan and put slices of bacon on a plate lined with several sheets of paper towels.  Use paper towels to pat the bacon, removing excess oil.  Cut bacon slices in half.  To assemble:  use lettuce leaf as a base, and layer avocado slices, bacon, and tomato.  Fold lettuce in half like a taco and enjoy!  Makes approx. 4 lettuce wraps.