Kale Chips

I had never tried kale prior to this little snack. My friend Megan had always told me that I NEEDED to try kale chips and that kale was SO good. I was skeptical. I mean, how could a baked vegetable possible be that good. But indeed, she was right. It's a delicious little snack that I believe will become part of my weekly routine. I added garlic salt and cayenne to them for a little kick. Yum.



Ingredients

A bunch of kale
olive oil
salt
garlic granules
cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Clean and tear the kale into chip size pieces. Coat in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and set them on a cookie sheet in an even layer. Bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with garlic granules and cayenne pepper.

Tomatillo Soup

I've been looking up new soup recipes because I love soup and it's a great filler, especially if you're looking to drop a few pounds. I came across this tomatillo soup recipe and decided to try it out with my own little twists. I added shredded chicken to it and some quinoa to make it a bit heartier. Not bad at all! I think next time I will boil the tomatillos in a pot of their own and then blend them, because I didn't really like the chunks of soft tomatillos. But if you're into that, then go for it!














Ingredients

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 can of corn
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
7-10 tomatillos, husked and chopped
2 c water
3 c chicken stock
juice of 2 limes
2 t salt
2 t cumin
1/2 c chopped cilantro (I opted out because I don't like cilantro)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring, and sauté 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Stirring, add jalapenos and sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatillos, chicken stock, water, lime juice, salt, cumin and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cooked quinoa (or rice), and cooked chicken and simmer, 5 minutes. Season to taste. Remove from heat and ladle into soup bowls. Top with avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, or all three! Serve with chips on the side.

(If you'd prefer the blended tomatillo version, before sauteing the onions, garlic and jalapenos, bring the chopped tomatillos, water, and chicken stock to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Let it cool then blend it in a blender and add to the onion, garlic, and jalapeno mixture. Then add the lime, cumin, salt, and cilantro, chicken and quinoa, and let simmer 5 minutes)

Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, so I'm months behind on this blog. But now that I don't really have a full time job, I'll be posting a lot more. Well, hopefully. Planning a wedding has taken up most of my time, but now we're in the final few weeks and most of it is done! Anyways, here is a recipe for yummy peanut butter cookies. I found the recipe on this awesome website called Seven Spoons, I just tweaked it a bit. I added rolled oats for texture and decreased the amount of peanut butter just a bit. They're delicious!














Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup chunky (or creamy) peanut butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed golden or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and honey and beat on high for three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix on medium speed until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, and oats, and stir to just combine. Using a 1 1/4" ice cream scoop dish out mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet (alternatively, use a generous 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie), spacing them about 2 inches apart. Place onto baking sheet and freeze the batter for 10-15 minutes to set up and chill thoroughly.

Dip a fork into warm water and use the tines to press the dough balls lightly; you only want to slightly flatten their shape and leave the imprint of the fork. Freshly dip the fork between pressing each cookie. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 16 minutes, rotating the sheets once during baking. Cool on pan for two minutes, then remove to a baking rack to cool completely.