Garlicky Kale with White Beans and Sausage

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Ishita S.| 1 Comment

Somehow when ordering my groceries last weekend,* I got confused and ordered two large bunches of kale. While the obvious solution was a kale chip extravaganza, I decided I wanted a little something heartier on a rainy spring evening.

Kale is actually a member of the Brassica family, along with my beloved Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. But in my head, it’s more akin to leafy greens such as spinach and Swiss chard, which means it’s a natural for getting sauteed with a little onion, some crushed red pepper and a whole lotta garlic. When planning out my meals for the week, that was my idea: to top the garlicky greens with a fried egg and call it a night.

Then curiosity got the best of me. One “kale recipes” Google search led to another (“kale stew”), then “braised kale” then … 20 minutes later, I emerged from under a pile of links and websites and open browser tabs with the realization that if you’re not pairing kale with white beans, salty hard cheese and pork products, you’re really not cooking kale the way you should.

Even though I opted for turkey sausage instead of pork, the result was kind of awesome: spicy, salty, meaty, slightly sweet from the beans, the kale retaining a slight crunch. (That sentence makes no grammatical sense — that‘s how much I liked this stuff.) I’m not sure what to call it, as the end result is somewhere between a saute and a stew — similar to this chard, but since I didn’t add any liquid, it’s not really a braise … ? These are the things that keep me up at night. Yes, I know I’m ridiculous.

Whatever it should be called, this kale could be adapted a million different ways — tossed with pasta for a more complete meal, bacon or pancetta instead of sausage, topped with a fried egg if I’m feeling particularly sinful or toasted breadcrumbs for an added crunch.

All I know is, this is the second kale recipe in a row that I’ve loved. Could it be? Is there a Brassica that I love more than Brussels sprouts? I’m not sure I can wrap my head around the implications of that statement, so I’ll stop for now.

*I have a very weird relationship with Fresh Direct. The packaging is so wasteful, they always mess up my bananas (I’m very particular) and I kind of like to examine what I’ll be eating myself. BUT it’s super convenient for those weekends when I’m away and don’t have time to do groceries for the week, or you know, when it’s pouring out or I don’t want to carry a million heavy things. What’s a girl to do? Continue reading →

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Quinoa Cakes With Lemon, Olives and Feta

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Ishita S.| 1 Comment

One of my favorite parts of growing up is that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. Cake for breakfast? Ain’t no one there to tell you no. Cereal for dinner? Sure, why not? I grew up eating three square meals a day with healthy snacks in the afternoon (boring!), so naturally my oh-so-rebellious self (not.) completely abandoned every single eating rule I was ever taught.

Unfortunately, aforementioned stomach ailments have forced me to at least try to shore up my diet a bit, as has that actual diet I was on (remember that? Me neither). So instead of breaking the “no dessert for breakfast” rule, I’ve started to focus on breaking the “no breakfast food for dinner” rule — a rule that shouldn’t even really exist.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing so satisfying as eating “breakfast” foods later in the day. And since, in my world at least, a runny egg is all I need in order to feel like a rule-shirker, anything from asparagus hash to Spanish migas to stewed lentils works, to say nothing of the baked eggs and omlettes and frittatas that I like to pass off as dinner.

These quinoa cakes are the perfect intersection of breakfast and dinner. They’re bright and herby, thanks to the lemon and dill, salty from the feta and olives, slightly spicy from the red pepper. While they’re a great bed for a fried egg, they’re also a delicious topping for a pile of baby spinach. The recipe comes from Life Tastes Like Food, the blog of a friend I met at the FoodBuzz Festival. Her pictures are gorgeous, so you should definitely check it out! Continue reading →

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Carrots With Feta and Dill

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Ishita S.| 1 Comment

I’ll keep it short and sweet, salty and fresh today, to reflect the flavor of these carrots. While they’re not the greatest thing to ever come out of my kitchen, they’re easy, a welcome addition to a weeknight dinner when you’re not much inclined to do anything other than sit on the couch reading The Hunger Games.*

In reality, Mili and I made these as a part of our Moroccan meal. While the spices we used to flavor the carrots — cinnamon, coriander, cumin and a pinch of cayenne — were similar to the spices we used with the pork chops, the finishing touches were all Greek: feta and dill, a beloved combination in my kitchen. The end result is the best kind of side dish: simple, full of flavor and delicious both when paired with a main dish and on its own.

*After being told for years and months and weeks that I should be reading The Hunger Games, I finally broke down and read all three. I thought the first one was pretty gripping, but by the end, I was kind of reading to finish the series. Somehow, I could not care less about the love story … I think this means I’m growing up and no longer interested in Young Adult novels. Tres sad. Continue reading →

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Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chops

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Ishita S.| Leave a comment

When I studied abroad in Madrid, I had the opportunity to go to Morocco but unfortunately I didn’t take it. The price was too high, the timing wasn’t right and I ended up going to Barcelona instead. While Barcelona was amazing, a part of me is still kicking myself for not going to Morocco.

So instead, I’ll travel there via the cuisine. We’ve recently created a number of Moroccan Food videos at my day job, and though I’ve learned about mechoui, couscous, tagines and more, my favorite video of the bunch was the one on Moroccan spices. Many of the spices — turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, fenugreek — are common in Indian cooking. But Moroccan cooking also involves olives and olive oil, fresh herbs, lemons — hallmarks of Mediterranean food. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.

So when Mili proposed this recipe for a night of cooking and Arrested, I jumped (I was in a crowded Fairway and almost knocked over an orange display, but let’s not talk about that … ). Added bonus: the recipe involved only one dish and less than 10 minutes of cooking, which means there was plenty of time for watching this. Continue reading →

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Spicy Kale Chips

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Ishita S.| 2 Comments

I try to keep it on the down low, but there’s something you all should know about me. My name is Ishita and I am an addict. Potato chips are my downfall, especially when they’re coated in a sodium-laden jalapeño spice mix.

Growing up, we often ate plain potato chips with rice (add a bit of ghee or butter and seriously, it’s the best easiest lunch ever.) but it wasn’t until about a year ago that I became completely obsessed with them. They’re crisp, salty, crunchy crack — I could go through entire bags in a sitting. In fact, for my 23rd birthday, my cousin gave me 4-5 different big bags of different brands of jalapeño chips, and we ate through them in one week. It’s disgusting, I know.

Given my ability to power through them, I’ve searched far and wide for a healthier alternative to the potato chip. Reduced fat options are good, but they’re not quite healthy. Neither is the oft-lauded pita chip, nor those weirdly styrofoam-y veggie crisps. But while recipe hopping on the Interwebs the other day, I found a million kazillion recipes for kale chips, and it appears I have found my answer.

Yes, I know I’m extremely late to the party — these chips were all the food blogger rage more than 2 years ago, and kale has been the new “it” vegetable for a while now. But there’s a reason they were so popular. These chips are crisp and crackly and shatter into a million glorious pieces in your mouth.

I had to indulge my inner spice craving, so I made mine with cayenne and smoky chili powder, but you could go a million ways with these: garlic, Parmesan, salt and vinegar, smoked paprika or cumin, plain sea salt, etc. etc. etc. Really, the only thing that you need to remember is that the kale leaves must be 100% dry before you toss them with the oil, and that you shouldn’t overcrowd the baking tray.

The whole thing takes maybe 30 minutes from start to finish, and the most “laborious” part of that task is ripping up the kale leaves. Any time food delivers maximum results for minimal effort, I’m sold. And I may or may not have eaten the entire bunch of kale. The best part is I don’t even feel bad about it. Continue reading →

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