Kale – T.W.O.

Tuscan Kale Soup

Published on December 4, 2014November 30, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Tuscan Kale Soup

Ingredients:
– 1 Tablespoon olive oil
– 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
– 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
– 1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth or homemade broth*
– 4-5 cups kale, chopped and packed
– 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted canned tomatoes
– 1 (14.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 – 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 4 minutes.
2. Add broth, kale, tomatoes and carrots and cover. Cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook on low for 30 minutes.
4. Serve hot.

* Homemade broth – we hard boiled a chicken carcass for 45 minutes with bay leaves, celery, sweet onions, garlic cloves, salt pepper and 8 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and cook for up to 3 hours.

Roasted Beet and Berry Burrata Kale Salad

Published on May 19, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

It’s been record breaking weather here in California and T.W.O. was in the mood for a light, delicious, refreshing salad. We combined fruit, vegetables and cheese to make this vegetarian meal. Bikini meal approved!!

Roasted Beet and Berry Burrata Kale Salad

Ingredients:
– 1 bunch lacinato kale
– 3 golden beets
– 1 Persian cucumber
– 1/2 cup raspberries
– 1 burrata ball
– Trader joes soy dressing

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Remove the leafy steams on the beets. Wash and clean the beets. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. (Or place a piece of foil under each beat so the juices don’t get everywhere.
3. Cook for 1 hour, checking the beets every 20 minutes.
4. While the beets are cooking, wash and chop the kale. Place on individual plates.
5. Top with washed berries and sliced cucumbers. Evenly cut up the burrata and add to each salad.
6. Once the beats are done, remove and let cool for 2 minutes. Peel the skins off the beets using a knife. Thinly slice.
7. Add the sliced beets to the outside of the plate for presentation and top with the soy dressing or a dressing of your choice!

Happy Healthy Eating!

Kale Salad

Published on April 3, 2014June 6, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Kale is known as the queen of greens since it has one of the most health benefits than any other vegetable. In one cup of chopped kale, there are 33 calories, 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C and 684% of vitamin K. Impressive, right?! It doesn’t stop there though – – it also is a good source of minerals copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium. This leafy green also lowers the blood cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease.

So with that being said, T.W.O. enjoys making kale salads for lunch to ensure they reach their required daily value of nutrients. Check out this Kale, chickpea, and carrot salad and lemon vinaigrette recipe below.

KALE SALAD

Ingredients:

– 2 bunches lacinato kale
– 1- 15 ounce can chickpeas
– 1 cup fresh lemon juice
– 2 cups shredded carrots
– 2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
– 4 Tablespoons basil olive oil
– 1 teaspoon Organic Blue Agave
– ¼ cup rice vinegar
– 4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
– 1 teapoon garlic powder
– Krazy Salt
– Pepper

Directions:

Wash and rinse the kale. Remove core stems and chop. (T.W.O. didn’t remove the entire core stem – just the thick part near the bottom. We like the little crunch in our salad!) Place in a bowl. Add the chickpeas. Chopped the carrots in thick slices and add to the salad mixture. The thinner the slices, the soggier the carrots will get as the salad marinates…. So thick slices work best!

In a dressing shaker or cup, add the lemon juice, spicy brown mustard, basil olive oil, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, agave and garlic powder. Mix/ Shake well. Add Krazy Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the salad dressing in the salad mixture and place in the refrigerator to marinate. For best results, leave in for about an hour. You can also leave the kale in a sealed container without it going soggy for up to 2 days. Great idea for weekday lunches!

Happy healthy cooking!

Potato, Kale, Garlic and Cheese Pizza + A Birthday

Published on March 28, 2014June 25, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Tonight is a special Friday Night Pizza Night because not only are we baking a new pizza, we are also celebrating a special birthday thats tomorrow! Cheers to our sister-in-law Becky!!!! We know your favorite pizza is Barbeque Chicken Pizza, but we are confident you will like this Potato, Kale, Garlic and Cheese pizza. Happy Friday Night Pizza Night and HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!!!

Potato, Kale, Garlic and Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

– 1 pizza dough
– 1 russet potato
– 2 cups kale, chopped and ribs removed
– 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
– 1 ½ cups fontina cheese, shredded
– ½ red onion, sliced thin
– 2 cloves garlic, diced
– 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
– 1 Tablespoon dried basil leaves
– Salt
– Pepper
– Lawry’s Season Salt

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured and cornmeal surface.
3. Meanwhile, slice washed potato very thin. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle Lawry’s seasoning on the potatoes. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on the surface on the dough, topping with garlic and dried basil leaves.
5. Spread mozzarella and fontina cheeses evenly over dough. Add chopped kale and red onion. Top with potato slices.
6. Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheeses are melted and crust is crisp and lightly browned.

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!

SPECIAL ADDITION – BIRTHDAY CHEERS

Happy Birthday Becky!!
Thanks for being such a great sister-law! We have shared so many moments together- Giants playoff games, Stagecoach concerts, Sonoma wine tasting, beach bike rides, ladder golf matches, holiday family fun and most of all – being bridesmaids for the day that you married our brother! Thank you for being a joy to be around, filling the room with smiles and laughter. We love you so much and cannot wait to share many more memories with you!

Roasted Salmon with Crispy Kale and Coconut Rice

Published on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. has really enjoyed cooking with coconut lately. Coconut not only adds phenomenal flavor, but also has many nutritional benefits. So we decided to combine it with 3 other nutrient-rich ingredients – kale, sweet potatoes and salmon! And wow, this is a great combination. We have no doubt you will enjoy! Put it on this week’s menu – you won’t be disappointed! Our good fiend ‘Tiny Bit Of Joy’ also enjoyed a similar recipe the same night – – – its that good!

Ingredients
• 1cup jasmine rice, uncooked
• 1cup coconut milk, unsweeted
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tablespoons Trader Joe’s sesame soy ginger vinaigrette
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and sliced into strips
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 to ½ pound salmon, sliced into 4 fillets

Place rice in a saucepan with coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the rice is cooking, heat oven to 400° F. Combine the melted coconut oil, soy sauce, vinaigrette and Sriracha. Stir vigorously until mixed well.

Place the sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted coconut oil and sea salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

Place kale and coconut flakes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2/3 of the dressing. Toss until well coated. Place salmon on top of the kale and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing. Bake the salmon and coconut kale mixture during the last 15 minutes of the sweet potato’s baking time, or until cooked through, being careful not to let the kale burn.

Remove sweet potatoes, salmon, and kale from oven. Serve over fluffed rice with an extra drizzle of dressing.

Asian Kale Salad

Published on February 4, 2014February 2, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Are you a fan of Chinese Chicken Salad? Well, you are reading the right recipe! If you aren’t, that’s okay. Try it out anyways; you might be pleasantly surprised. Thanks to a co-worker, T.W.O. was introduced to Lacinato kale. It is also known as Tuscan kale, Tuscan cabbage, or Italian kale. It is lightly a little sweeter and more delicate than your traditional curly kale. The smooth leaves combined with the rice noodles, crunchy almonds and the mandarin oranges makes this salad a perfect meal!

Ingredients

– 1 bunch Lacinato Kale
– 1 cup mandarin oranges
– 2 cups thin rice noodles
– 1 cup carrots, shredded
– ½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
– Lemon Vinaigrette dressing (Recipe HERE)
– ¼ cup Rice Vinegar

Bring pot of water to a bowl. Once it reaches to a boil, remove from heat and add your rice noodles. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are done, drain and add rice vinegar. Set aside.

Chop the kale and put in a big bowl. Add your rice noodles, mandarin oranges, carrots and almonds. Toss in the lemon vinaigrette dressing. Plate and serve! Feel free to add chicken or any other protein to make it a meal!

Cheers to another healthy meal!

Kale, Pomegranate, Apple and Flank Steak Salad

Published on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Need to spice up your salad? Well, T.W.O. has the perfect recipe for you. This salad is filled with nutrients, protein and antioxidants and will be sure to leave you wanting seconds! The baby kale leaves are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette, topped with roasted almonds, pomegranates and sliced apples. Oh and it doesn’t stop there-we need protein right? Yes! How about a lean barbeque flank steak that was marinated in Hawaiian teriyaki sauce? You got it! Check out how to make this salad from scratch.

Ingredients:
– Baby Kale
– 1 cup pomegranate seeds
– ¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped
– 1 Pink Lady apple, sliced and diced
– 2 cups Trader Joes Island Soyaki sauce
– Flank Steak, lean
– 1 Lemon
– 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
– 1 teaspoon olive oil
– 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
– Salt
– Pepper

Marinate the flank steak for a minimum of 2 hours prior to barbequing. About 20 minutes before you are ready to barbeque, take the meat out to bring to room temperature. While the barbeque is heating up, prepare your salad.

In a bowl, mix together the kale, pomegranate, roasted almonds and apples. Set aside.

Put the meat on the barbeque and cook on medium heat. The meat should take about 15 minutes depending on your barbeque.

While the meat is cooking, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, spicy mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the dressing in the salad. It is okay to let the salad dressing marinate the kale. Kale won’t get soggy like most lettuce.

When the meat is done, take it off the barbeque and transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice the meat. Plate the salad and top of it with the flank steak. And that’s it…you have yourself a fresh, hearty salad that will satisfy any audience.