Kale the hype

There's been hype around kale for a few years now & although it isn't necessarily the nutrient powerhouse everyone thinks it is it's still one of my favorite foods to cook with because its so sturdy & it always pairs with delicate quinoa & yams and I eat quinoa and or yams every day so my fridge is always packed with kale.

Made this with a pot of cooled quinoa, can do it woth leftovers, tastes best chilled. 

I cubed 1 yam & 2 golden beets

Tossed them in oil, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, tumeric and baked it. (we are a tumeric home, the health benefits are unbelievable. Make yourself some Golden Milk.) 

Baked for 30-40 minutes then turned the oven off, covered them with kale and closed the oven. This makes the kale nice & crispy a la kale chips minus the fear of burning

Skinned and fried some almonds in olive oil

Folded it all in together and made a spicy tahini dressing

Spicy chicken chili

I've been on a meat kick lately and all I've been wanting is beef (which is a far cry from my former vegan lifestyle) so I took it as a sign that I might be needing some extra protein in my life, what better than chili? And to kick up the protein factor I used chicken (organic, free-range), 3 different beans, kale and quinoa.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

1.5 cups quinoa

2 cups of kale, shredded

1 can of stewed whole tomatoes 

1 diced onion 

1 diced yellow pepper

1.5 cups diced carrots 

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of white beans 

1 fresh jalapeño, sliced 

1/2 cup of picked jalapeños 

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp h. Sea salt 

1 tsp smoked sea salt 

1 can of organic chicken broth

 1. Boil chicken breasts in salted water and shred before hand

2. In a large pot put 1 tbs of olive oil and sauté peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and carrots for 5 minutes

3. Add chicken, kale, salt, paprika and jalapeños and stir until spices are distributed evenly

4. Pour in chicken broth plus one can's worth of water. Cover and bring to a boil.

5. Once boiling add quinoa and beans, turn to low and let simmer for 2 hours

We topped ours hot sauce, sour cream, lime, fresh and picked jalapeños, green onions and tomatoes 

and served it with a big green salad

*i have a portion problem and can never make a dinner for just two people so with days worth of leftovers we later had:

Chili-stuffed bell peppers and

Chili soup!  (Chili over rice not pictured)