Kale Chips

I am quite envious of my mom's garden. She has all sorts of herbs, vegetables, fruits, berries, and pretty much anything else a garden would grow. Every day seems to bring a new harvest. Today that harvest was kale. Lots and lots of kale. With the abundance of the vegetable, and knowing there are only so many kale salads one can eat, she gave me several bushels. Naturally, I made kale chips. 

For those of you curious about this healthy snack, it's very easy to make, quite high in nutrition, and depending on the amount of oil you use, relatively low in fat and calories. And for the flavor, it's really quite satisfying. My only qualm is that the texture reminds me of a crispier nori, the seaweed wrapper used for sushi. If there was some way to make these even the least bit thicker, they would be perfect. But even despite their paper thinness, I would still recommend them to anyone looking for a healthy in between meals snack.

Alternative use: Crumbled kale chips make a great seasoning for anything from popcorn to french fries.

On My Plate Lately...

I wish I ate fresh bread, cakes, and elaborate meals daily as my blogposts may suggest, but in the real world, I usually am just throwing together something quickly or worse, snacking (I know it's bad). To give you a better idea of what my more typical meals look like, I've started snapping some photos of my day to day eats. So here it is, what I've been eating (and drinking), according to Instagram....

Clockwise from top: 

grilled veggies on a warm day :: Japanese sesame salad and Trader Joe's chickenless strips :: fresh summer fruit :: heart-shaped buttermilk biscuits with homemade strawberry jam :: tempeh fried rice :: homemade pumpernickel bread with Tofutti cream cheese :: pad thai with Shirataki tofu noodles :: garden fresh veggies with poppyseed dressing ::  Brussels sprouts stir fry with Tofurkey vegan Italian sausage :: soy chai latte

Oil Free Pumpernickel Bread

When it comes to bread, I do not discriminate. Wonder bread, French bread, rye, sourdough, I really don't think I've come across a type I have refused to eat. And this time, I got a craving for pumpernickel. I know not everyone is a fan of the darker breads, so this post may not be for you. But even in such cases, you can at least enjoy these fun facts about pumpernickel:

-The first mention of "black bread" was in 1450 (i.e., a long long long time ago!)

-The Westphalian pumpernickel requires 16 to 14 hours of baking in a low temperature, steam-filled oven

-North American pumpernickel differs from the the German pumpernickel in that it often contains molasses and cocoa, and sometimes caraway seeds. Also it does not require the alarmingly long baking time (thankfully!)

Fried Rice with Marinated Three Grain Tempeh

As it turns out, after 25 years of life, I do in fact actually like tempeh and Brussels sprouts. I have just yet to have them prepared in a way that was palatable. Keep reading for how I made them in a way that tasted good and you might find two more ingredients to add to your grocery list.