Kale Chips Baked in the Oven

1. I bunch kale with curly edges
2. 2 tbsp olive oil
3. ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (this is optional but will give a nice cheesy flavor and a nutritional boost to the chips (see note below).  You could use parmesan cheese instead)
4. Sea Salt to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Prepare cookie sheets with a layer of parchment paper.

Place the kale leaves in a large bowl.Break off the large stems and wash kale well in the sink.  I usually soak the leaves for a few minutes in a sink full of water and then spin them dry in a salad spinner.Once the kale is dry, use kitchen scissors to snip out any remaining spine.  The spines get very tough when baked.Tear into bite size pieces. 

Toss the kale with the olive oil, nutritional yeast (or parmesan) and salt until all leaves are coated.

Lay the Kale on the prepared cookie sheets in a single layer.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the kale leaves are completely dry and crunchy!

Note:  Nutritional Yeast is a non-active yeast that is high in fibre, protein and Vitamin B12.  For vegetarians this may be their only source of B12.  It is very tasty and versatile

This recipe is from the blog of Anita Breeze

Carla's Beaumonde Dip

This is by far the best veggie dip I've ever had and my family loves it. It came to me from my long-time friend, Carla. It's been in her family for years and I've been making it for over 30 years.

Not only is it a great veggie dip, it's good as a topping for baked potatoes, sandwich spread or with salad dressing, thinned with a little milk

Carla's Beaumonde Dip

2/3 cup Hellman's Real mayonnaise ( DO NOT USE MIRACLE WHIP)
2/3 cup Sour cream

1 Tbsp finely minced onion

1 TBSP Parsley flakes
1 tsp Beaumonde (made by Spice Island)
1 tsp Dill weed
1 tsp Accent
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
5 Drops tobasco sauce

Mix together and let sit for several hours for the flavors to blend.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Zucchini

5 to 7 small zucchini (2 1/2 to 3 cups of 1/8-inch sliced zucchini)

3 to 4 slices bacon

1 cup chopped onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Use small, fresh zucchini that are no more than 1- to 1 1/2-inch in diameter. Wash and dry the zucchini. Slice 1/8-inch thick.

Slice the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. Pour off the excess fat except for 1 1/2 tablespoons. Sauté the chopped onion on low heat until it is translucent. Add the zucchini and stir with the bacon and onion. Cover the skillet and cook 7 minutes over medium low heat until the zucchini is tender. Add salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately.

Variations include adding chopped banana pepper to cook with the onion or adding 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese over the cooked zucchini before serving.

Veggies on the Fire

3 cups yellow squash, sliced
3 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Crazy Salt

Place veggies on heavy-duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle with olive oil and Crazy Salt. Wrap and place on the fire. Cook approximately 5 to 7 minutes on each side.

Grilled Vegetables

grilled veggies

2 red peppers
2 green peppers
2 yellow peppers
6 cubanel peppers
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 bunch broccoli
1 bunch cauliflower
olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
parsley
salt

Clean and cut each vegetable into fourths. Broccoli and cauliflower should be cut and leave some stem with florets. Place the vegetables into zipper plastic baggies. Pour enough olive oil into each baggie to coat the vegetables. Season to your liking with garlic salt, parsley, pepper and salt. Shake baggies until olive oil mixture coats the vegetables. Lay the baggies flat to marinate for one hour before grilling. Remove from baggies and place in a grill basket- over a cookie sheet to allow excess oil to drip off. Cook slowly over medium heat until vegetables are cooked.

Potato Lovers - Check this out

This recipe is from a wonderful food blog - Serious Eats and I highly recommend you visit the site (see a picture of this recipe) - sign up for his newsletter and get the cookbook! I would not steer you wrong.

Click here to be transported there!

Potatoes Girarrosto-Style

- serves 4 to 6 -

Adapted from Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman

Ingredients

4 Idaho potatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, cut in half and sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leave
1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. (Use a convection oven if you've got one; it'll cook the potatoes faster and crispier.)

2. Prick the potatoes with a fork (so they don't blow up), place them on a baking tray, and bake them on the middle rack until a fork goes in easily, about 1 hour. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them rest on the countertop until they're cool enough to work with.

3. When the potatoes are cool, roughly cut them into large chunks with a small knife.

4. Bring the oven back up to 425°F. Pour the olive oil into the bottom of a large roasting pan. (Pick the one that's safe to use on the stovetop too.) Scatter the onions in the pan and layer the potato chunks on top. Bake uncovered on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, turning the contents every 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and caramelize.

5. Remove the pan from the oven (leaving the oven on) and cook over high heat on the stovetop for 2 minutes to caramelize the potatoes and onions, being sure to shake the pan or stir the contents every 30 seconds or so to avoid burning.

6. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, pulling the pan out periodically to shake the potatoes around with a spoon. Bits of potato on the bottom of the pan will brown up so they look almost like hash browns. Scrape these little flavor-and-crispiness bombs off the bottom and mix them in with the rest of the potatoes. When the potatoes are finished baking, they will be golden and crispy, with lots of brown bits.

7. Remove the pan from the oven and return it to the stove over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, butter, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and thyme. Stir, and season very liberally with salt and pepper. The potatoes should be crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside—think Italian hash browns. Cook for a few more minutes so the flavors meld. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Barefoot Contessa

I love Ina... and have rarely made a recipe of hers that I did not like.

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Baked Veggies

Bake in an oven bag for quick clean up -

Very simple vegetable dish seasoned with dry soup powder, and baked until tender and caramelized. Try different dry soup types to vary the flavor. I like onion or mushroom.

Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes
Cook Time: approx. 45 minutes
Ready in: approx. 1 Hour
Makes 4 servings

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets
4 zucchini, thickly sliced
salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
Chicken broth –1/4 cup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Lightly oil a large, shallow baking dish
Boil potatoes for 15 minutes before combining vegetables in prepared baking dish, and lightly salt. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with dry soup mix. (try Ranch dressing or Onion soup)

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until vegetables are tender. You can feel with a fork when they are ready.