Thursday, April 3, 2014

Kale: There's More To Life Than Waffles

Waffles again, yea, I know, but these were SO good! Topped with cashew cream and strawberries with a side of tempeh "bacon" (slices not pictured, as they really can't sell themselves looking like they do), I was so ecstatic to go out for brunch and be told that the gluten free waffles come standard. Counter Culture was born in a food trailer in 2009 and moved into its home on East Cesar Chavez, where it's been serving raw, vegan and unprocessed foods from scratch ever since. Highly sensitive to diners with allergies, each item on the menu is conveniently labeled. And those Watermelon Lime mimosas they were slinging last weekend... SUBLIME.




OH!
I'm about to do you a favor, but first,
you might need to go to the store and pick up some things.
Here's what you'll need:


Kale & Sweet Potato Scramble
2 giga sweet potatoes, roasted at 400` for an hour, cooled and clumsily cleaved into bite sized pieces
1 massive bag (1 lb.) of washed, DRY, chopped kale, or 3 big bunches loosely chopped/torn
4 cloves of garlic, (about 3 T crushed)
2 tsp coconut oil

Ready?

After chopping/crushing your garlic, let it sit for 10 minutes or so, (I recommended at least 4 cloves, but follow your heart) as this time allows all the pungent and powerful compounds to develop before cooking so no garlic magic is lost. 

Heat half a tablespoon of oil on medium high in a stock pot. Toss in half the bag of kale and move it around with a wooden spoon, allowing the oil to coat the leaves as they wilt. As soon as the kale loses half its volume, toss in the rest of the bag and the remaining tsp coconut oil. This part is open to interpretation and may vary based on the size of your pot. Just get the whole bag in there and move it around until it's glossy and slightly wilted. Add the garlic and combine, stirring until the kale is uniformly limp, but not soft, not allowing any garlic to stick to the bottom. Turn off the heat and gently fold in the sweet potatoes.

Eat it straight, add salt to taste, (though it really is wonderful without) and keep it in the fridge for the week. For a bangin breakfast, fold into scrambled eggs and be the envy of all your friends.
I originally came across this recipe while cooking for an event at Premier Raw Cafe in Austin, where we served this breakfast scramble with marinated mushrooms and a side of fermented sunflower seed. Genius. Jade doesn't like mushrooms, so I make this dish special for her, just to prove that we are friends.



Not into breakfast greens?
Try some overnight quinoa a' la Superfood Siobhan.
Full of flashy buzzwords like "fiber" "protein" and "manganese", you've probably jumped on the quinoa train by now. If you're into steel-cut oats, you'll be all over this bowl, especially if you're into swapping sugar for sweet mashed banana. It's the way I used to feel about a box of donuts, but with slightly fewer calories and less crazy eye (one of gluten's many side effects).


Oh, and before you go, please put this extra kale recipe in your pocket.

Kale & Lentil Salad

Pairs splendidly with these things
1/2 lb. washed, bite-sized, chopped kale
2 (ish) cups cooked lentils (1/2 bag)
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3/4 (ish) cup cilantro leaves, chopped
DRESSING:
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbl honey or 1 tsp agave (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Toss thoroughly, cover and chill. Or serve fresh, go crazy!
This recipe was born in our kitchen a couple years ago: my husband's adaptation of something vaguely similar that we didn't have the right ingredients for. Sometimes we add garlic when we can't remember what goes in it, and surprise! It's always stellar. As usual, the above measurements are merely probable. Fridge friendly for a good week, the kale stays sturdy and crisp to the last bite.

Thanks for stopping by, diners, now go, fill your bowls and your hearts with something nutritious and new-agey. You know you want to.

Wuv,
The DD









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