Sunday, November 14, 2010

Smoked turkey & kale stew

I found a similar recipe on a bag of kale that got me rolling with a few adaptions. It was a HUGE bag of kale, which did not hinder me. Dan has not been a fan of the leafy, dark greens and will only eat spinach if it is raw, in a salad (which is healthier, so I will give him that). I am generally the one to tackle kale by the arms loads.

Kale is one of the healthiest food around and here are a few reasons why you need to eat more kale...
  • it is full of flavinoids which gives anti-inflammatory qualities and a fab anti-oxidant
  • steaming kale makes it easier for your body to reach the maximum absorbency of nutrients it has to offer
  • kale is a good source of calcium as well as fiber
  • it is chock full of Vitamin K, A, and C
  • visit WHfoods for the scoop
This is how I made my stew today, feel free to adapt it to your tastes. I love it with a crusty, handmade bread and cheese.

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sweet brown rice, dry
2 cups french lentils, dry
4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1 bunch kale or swiss chard, coarsely chopped
1 lb smoked turkey breast, cubed
5 cups broth

saute the onions in 2 T extra virgin olive oil until just tender, add the garlic and stir until coated followed by the sweet potatoes. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes then add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the lentils, rice and smoked meat, cover, reduce heat to med-low, and cook until the grains are tender.
Salt and pepper to taste but remember that smoked turkey will have loads of flavor.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

a few good vegan / vegetarian cookbooks

let me preface this with... I have all but BabyCakes, Veganomicon, and Skinny Bitch.

The Skinny Bitch, Ultimate Everyday Cookbook author wrote Skinny Bitch, about vegan eating. The Veganomicon received great reviews and it chock full of creative recipes to keep vegans interested. BabyCakes...well, you have to love it just for her sassy writing style and yummy recipes for vegans and/or those allergy afflicted, sweet tooth junkies.

That said....

this stack makes an easy start for vegan cooking. A few folks have asked about cookbooks and since I have not written one to suggest to you I stopped at B&N to photograph a few favorites. I do have hundreds of cookbooks but there are those few that show their love with dog-eared and sticky note flags.

My all time favorite cookbook is the original Moosewood. B&N did not have the first Moosewood cookbook, which is the one I suggest you buy. All of the recipes are free hand with beautiful drawings. Moosewood is not vegan but it is vegetarian and you can easily substitute most recipes.

"Vegan With a Vengeance" was one of the first vegan cookbooks I picked up. The recipes are simple and ingredients easy to find...if you have a sweet tooth and won't fuss about sugar, you must pick up her "Vegan Cupcakes Rule the World." Isa gives great tips on what to sub for baking, that makes this vegan baking cookbook a great resource.

"Get it Ripe" is fun and teaches you about the ingredients that you can expect to use which makes it a great resource book on your vegan cookbook shelf. "Vegan Planet" is chock full of options too.

If you are able, buy your books from your local library's used book section....support the local library!