Photo: The Bitten Word

My husband is always requesting chili on rainy Sunday afternoons and in California we’ve had a lot of rainy days this winter!  As a result I’ve made many pots of chili–some good, some not so good…however last weekend my husband told me I’d hit the chili jackpot.  One bite of this recipe and he exclaimed, “Write this one down!  Did you write this recipe down???  Write it down!”  (I’ve been known to create some yummy dishes in the past with no ability to recreate them because….wait for it…I DIDN’T WRITE THEM DOWN.   So, my husband’s concern is legitimate.

With all the upcoming Super Bowl parties this month you may find a use for this recipe in your own home.  Let me offer one suggestion regarding the canned ingredients (tomato and beans).  Try to buy Eden Organic canned goods because the cans are not lined with Bisphenol-A (BPA).  As a general rule I try to keep endocrine disruptors out of my food so I only buy Eden Organic canned goods (most canning companies line cans with BPA as part of their processing).

BPA is a sneaky little chemical, isn’t it?

Super Bowl Chili (serves 4)  Printer-friendly HERE.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium size onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 pound grass-fed, organic beef

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon molasses

1 teaspoon organic peanut butter

2 teaspoons oregano

1 can black beans (pinto is fine, too), undrained

1/2 cup (or more to taste) organic frozen corn

1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

chicken or veggie broth for extra liquid if needed

Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Add black beans (with juice), corn, tomatoes, peanut butter, molasses, salt and spices.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes to let the flavors blend.  Add more liquid if needed.  Taste chili and adapt to your preferences (more liquid, a little more molasses, more salt)…you be the judge.

Top with cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Kale Chips!

(Don’t be scared.)

This is such an easy, nutritious snack…I want to thank my friend Suzanne for reminding me about them on her website last month.  Kula Baby and I made them together awhile ago and then promptly forgot about these yummy chips.  Do you ever do that?  Completely forget a recipe exists for a time?  It’s not my best trait.

This is a great recipe to use with your kids because it’s really easy for children of all ages to help you.  Making them is simple.  Cut kale, pour olive oil, massage the leaves (Kula Baby’s favorite part), sprinkle with salt and bake.  Done.

These chips would make a great appetizer for one of your holiday gatherings.  Pair with hummus or sprinkle them with sesame seeds and goat cheese.  Yum!

Kale Chips (inspired by Gluten Free Lunch Box)

1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into bite sized pieces (we used dinosaur kale)

Olive oil (enough to coat kale but not drench it)

Salt

Garlic Gomasio (sesame seeds, sea salt and garlic) (optional)

Directions:

Wash kale and cut into bite sized pieces.  Drizzle olive oil on kale and use (clean) hands to massage oil into leaves (alright, you can use a spoon if using your hands feels freaky).  Sprinkle leaves with a little salt and sesame seed mixture.  Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy.  You may need to stir them a few times to keep them from burning.

We sprinkled our Kale Chips with organic goat cheese.  Before long Kula Baby began blocking my hand as I attempted to eat more chips off of our “shared” plate.  Kula Baby wanted the Kale Chips all to himself!

It’s no secret that I like to cook.  Cooking is one of my favorite creative outlets (and creating dirty dishes is lots of fun too).  Sounds funny I know…what’s creative about chopping vegetables night after night?  Well sometimes, when I’m feeling extra sassy,… I decide to SHRED vegetables in my food processor instead.  Ta dah!

I’m telling you, I’m super creative.

Some afternoons I find myself inspired to create a new spin on an old dish, as I did today.  I decided I wanted to make lasagna.  I have no idea why because we never eat lasagna.  But in my mind I saw visions of pesto and shredded zucchini and decided Kula Baby needed a nap so I could get cooking.

Hiding vegetables is not something I’ve always thought was important.  I remember thinking years ago (BEFORE having a child):  “Why the hell are parents HIDING VEGETABLES–kids should learn to LOVE vegetables because they are goooood stuff.”

Yes I realize the naive arrogance one can project before having kids.  I get it, I get it.  I’m all for hiding as many vegetables as possible now, hence the SECRET spinach pesto in this lasagna.  Enjoy!

Super Secret Pesto Lasagna

4 small to medium zucchini, shredded in food processor

1 small sweet onion, finely diced or shredded

1 1/2 cup of secret spinach pesto (recipe below)

1/2 pound (or more if you like lots of meat) of cooked ground organic turkey

1 package of rice lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 1/2-2 cup (s) mozzarella cheese –again, choose the amount of cheese you like.

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup of pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Shred zucchini in a food processor and set aside in a bowl.  Take 3/4 cup of pesto and add to shredded zucchini.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place onion in a frying pan on stove and lightly saute for a few minutes (3ish) in a little butter, salt and pepper.  Add the dried basil and mix to combine.

Add the cooked onions to your zucchini mixture.  Stir in pine nuts.  Add parmesan and feta cheese.  Mix it all up.

Put cooked ground turkey into a separate bowl and add the rest of the pesto mixture.  Stir to combine.

In a prepared 9×13 baking dish, spread a little of the zucchini mixture on the bottom.  Add a layer of noodles (uncooked). Spread some turkey over the noodles.  Add a layer of zucchini.  Sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat the process until you use all your fillings.  Top with remaining cheese and bake covered at 375 degrees for 1 hour.  I take the top off the pan for the last 5 minutes to let the cheese brown a little cause I’m crazy like that.

Secret Spinach Pesto

(I will warn you now…I am bad with ingredient amounts when it comes to pesto because I usually wing it myself–I’m pretty sure you can’t mess it up too badly so get adventurous!  Taste your creation at the end and keep adding ingredients until you are happy.)

1/2 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves

1 cup packed basil leaves

1 clove of fresh garlic, chopped

juice of a lemon

1/2 cup (ish) olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pesto directions:

I’m sure there is an art to making pesto, but I just throw everything into the food processor except the olive oil and blend it up.  I drizzle in the oil until I get the right consistency and then I taste it and adjust as needed.  I told y’all I’m not a chef, right?

Whipping up a recipe in the kitchen isn’t as simple as it used to be when it comes to the oils we use for cooking.  You might find yourself wondering if you should use your new bottle of cold-pressed olive oil to stir fry vegetables, or not?  Current nutrition information tells us that the way we use oils for food preparation is very important to our health.  The next time you reach for your favored bottle of oil to prepare dinner, consider substituting one of these healthy oils instead.

Healthy Oils for Cooking:

Coconut Oil (unrefined and organic): Coconut oil is a saturated fat that stays solid at room temperature.  I know what some of you are thinking. ”Isn’t coconut oil BAD for you??”  The answer is no.  Sadly, coconut oil is still repairing its reputation after studies linked refined, hydrogenated coconut oil with poor health outcomes in animals.  I think we all know hydrogenated oils in any form are bad for our health, so it really wasn’t the coconut oil’s fault all those years ago.  Unrefined, organic coconut oil is actually wonderfully healing.  It boasts high levels of lauric acid which aid in immune and brain function.  The reason I use coconut oil for cooking is because it stays stable at high temperatures making it ideal for cooking and baking.  You can find high quality coconut oil at your local health food store.  Make sure it is unrefined and organic.

Ghee or Clarified Butter: This is butter that’s been heated and then stripped of milk solids making it stable for high heat cooking.  Ghee is often tolerated by individuals who are sensitive to dairy.  It makes a nice substitute for butter. Ghee is easily found at any health food store.  It is sometimes in the oil aisle and sometimes in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store.

Butter: Nope, I’m not scared of butter.  Honestly, is anything better than butter in a recipe?  A plain piece of salmon turns gourmet chic with a quick broil in a butter bath.  Mmmmm!  Is butter great to use all the time?  In my dreams it is.  But in reality butter is an ingredient to be used in your kitchen on a rotation, not all the time.  Make sure your butter is high quality, meaning it is organic and free of chemicals, hormones and antibiotics.  Butter tolerates moderate heat temps making it safe for cooking, but make sure you don’t burn butter.  Once it burns, it becomes damaged.

Oils to use in raw form, but NOT for cooking:

Flaxseed Oil: Flaxseed oil offers us brain-building omega-3 fatty acids so we love it, love it, love it!  However, flaxseeds are super duper wimpy when it comes to light, heat or oxygen.  As a result, flaxseed oil must be refrigerated at all times to keep the beneficial qualities intact.  Don’t cook with flaxseed oil, but instead use it in smoothies and mixed with other oils on salads.  It has a strong flavor so make sure to balance it out with other oils when needed.

Olive Oil:  Olive oil is a tough one because we are used to cooking with it however, olive oil does not tolerate high heat very well and easily becomes damaged when used for cooking.  Some people say cooking with olive oil over medium heat is o.k. and some say avoid it at all costs.  I’m going to let you decide.  Medium/low heat should be fine.  Your best bet is to use olive oil on salads and leave high heat cooking for stable oils like ghee, butter and coconut oil.

Nut Oils: There are so many wonderful nut oils—almond, walnut, sesame, pumpkin seed, etc.  Most are best for drizzling over salads, pasta and vegetables galore, but none of them should be used for cooking.  Heat damages the healthy properties in these oils so keep them cool.

Oils to Avoid Altogether:

Hydrogenated Oils: Hydrogenated oils (found in margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortening, processed foods, baked goods, fried foods, etc.) trans fats and damaged fats all create high levels of oxidative stress in the body which leads to free radical damage.  Our bodies have a difficult time processing these fats and they cause more harm than good.  Unfortunately, you can also turn a good fat BAD when you cook with fragile oils (like flaxseed oil) at high heat.  This damages the healthy fats that naturally occur in fragile oil and creates DAMAGED FATS!  The body sees a damaged fat the same way it sees a hydrogenated oil or trans fat.  Trust me, damaged fats don’t look pretty to your body!