Fall Lentils

This was my first experience cooking lentils. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while. Well, "a while" is sort of relative. I was standing in the bulk bin isle at the grocery store two weeks ago and realized everything was 10% off. So I started loading up on everything I'd been wanting to cook. And then I saw lentils and though "I should cook with lentils. Wouldn't I be super cool if I made something out of dried lentils?" And yes, thank you, I realize that the word "cool" in that phrase is also relative.

This dish is a little sweet from the sweet potatoes and ginger but it's also spicy from the jalapeno and the garam masala. It also made a giant batch and it was the perfect lunch for the rest of the week.

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen, originally from the New York Times

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or grated, but I always just mince mine)
1.5 tsp garam masala
1.5 tsp curry powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
4-5 cups vegetable broth (I used all 5)
2 lbs sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cup dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lb Swiss chard, center stalks removed and torn into pieces
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, garam masala and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in 4 cups of broth, sweet potatoes and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add up to 1 cup of stock as necessary if lentils look too dry. Stir in chard, salt and pepper and continue cooking until lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes total.

Stir in parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

Creamy Orchiette with Kale and Chard

Apparently I'm on a pasta kick right now. I promise that the next post will not include any sort of pasta! I think... well that's the plan right now. I might have to change that up in case I get a massive macaroni and cheese craving. Which is not at all out of the ordinary.

In other news, John dug out one of his old lenses this weekend. It's been my favorite toy for the past few days. He just keeps hiding all the awesome camera equipment! I'm going to raid his camera bag soon.

OK, back to food. For those of you wondering why I always use chard and kale together, I will answer your question. Because I don't want to keep you up at night. It's just not the type of person I am. The only real reason is that we usually get only about 3-4 stalks of kale in our CSA share for that week and that usually isn't enough to make a real meal for two people. We were growing chard in our backyard (this is the last of it!) so we usually just picked enough of that to make up for the sad amount of kale. That's the mystery my friends. I'm sure you were on the edge of your seat.

But regardless, you should totally make this tonight. It's fantastic.

Creamy Orcchiette with Kale and Chard
4 stalks kale
5-7 stalks rainbow chard
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb Orcchiette

Cook orcchiette according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large saute pan. Cook onions for about 3-4 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add kale and cook down for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the chard and cook down for several minutes until both kale and chard are completely tender. Slowly pour milk and mix with the greens. Sprinkle flour over milk and greens and stir to avoid clumps. Mix in Parmesan cheese and turn heat to a simmer. Cook sauce until thickened and creamy. Add pasta to the pan and mix to evenly cover the sauce and greens.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve! Enjoy!

Greens with Toasted Almonds

Here's the rest of the dinner we made last Saturday night. We got a bunch of Kale and Chard in the CSA last week and I was being decidedly uncreative that night. We had already creamed, braised, and tried it raw. (P.S. raw kale = hard and bitter. I do not recommend.)

That night the big focus of the meal were those tasty potato cakes. I'm still having dreams about those little suckers. So good.

Anyway, after those, I just couldn't get in the mood to think up something stupendous to do with the chard and kale. So, I winged it. And people, the winging was goooooood. I should improvise dinner more often. This might have been my favorite recipe for greens yet!

Greens with Toasted Almonds
You could easily substitute whatever greens you have on hand in this recipes. It's versatile!

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup finely sliced whites from scallions
1 bunch swiss chard, ripped into pieces
1 bunch kale, ripped into pieces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the almonds to toast for 5-6 minutes, tossing occasionally. Don't let them burn! Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, heat about 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the scallion whites and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. In batches, add the kale and cook down. Once all of the kale has been added, start adding the chard. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt and black pepper. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle on the almonds and stir to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs With Kale, Chard, and Olives

What can I say, I'm on a kale kick. It's also in season in Michigan, so it's been in our CSA share every week (new pictures of share #2 tomorrow!!). And it's healthy, so you should eat it! Aside from the fact that when you mix it with a bunch of fatty things it obliterates the bitterness and leaves you with a creamy, tender, healthy side dish! And it just doesn't get much better than that.

This recipe was originally from Thomas Kellar's Ad Hoc at Home and it calls for several things that I didn't have: fennel, fresh thyme and bay leaves. So, I did changed it up. It's what I do. Deal.

Instead of fennel, I used the newest bunch of kale from the CSA and the last of the Swiss chard from the garden. It's what we had, but you can probably use whatever greens you have on hand. Instead of thyme, I used rosemary and in place of the fresh bay leaves, I grabbed a few fresh basil leaves from the garden. I was a little worried about all of my substitutions, but it was great! (If I do say so myself.)

Mmmmm taters and garlic.


Dinner from last night: Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Kale and Chard, Roasted Garlic and New Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman, John's Homemade Bread and wine.

Crispy Braised Chicken with Kale, Swiss Chard, and Olives
Originally seen in Ad Hoc at Home

7 Chicken Thighs
Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Bunch Kale
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
4 Slices of Lemon Peel (Use a Vegetable Peeler)
1 Cup Green Olives
4-5 Sprigs of Rosemary
3-4 Basil Leaves
1 Cup Chicken Broth

Preheat oven to 375. Heat oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Choose one that is large enough to fit all of the chicken in a single layer. Once hot, add chicken thighs, skin side down and cook for 4 minutes. Flip chicken and sear on the other side for 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and place into the oven to keep it warm.

Add the onion to the hot pan and cook for about 1 and 1/2 minutes. Next, add garlic and let cook for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. In batches, add the kale and chard to the pan and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring. Add lemon peel, olives, rosemary and basil to the pan. Stir, then add chicken broth. Once the mixture comes to a boil, return the chicken to the pan, skin side up and nestle it into the greens. Cook for a few minutes, then transfer the entire pan to the oven. Cook until chicken is done, about 20-30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and cook the chicken for 2 minutes to get the skin crispy. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Creamed Kale and Swiss Chard

I've never cooked with Kale. I don't think I've ever seen Kale before it appeared in our CSA box last week. But there it was, begging us to eat it. So, I used a no-fail solution to any dish: cook it in butter and add cream. Yuuummmmm! And guess what?!?! I'm pretty sure all that butter and cream practically obliterates any of the health benefits from eating Kale. But I can still tell myself that It's good for me. And believe me, I will. We ate this with a giant salad, all from the CSA and our garden, and Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin.


Mmm Kale.


Swiss Chard from the garden.


Me choppin' up some tasty onion, Kale and Chard before, Kale and Chard during, Kale and Chard, the end.


Creamed Kale and Swiss Chard
1 Tbs. Butter
1. Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 bunch of Kale, washed and torn into pieces
1 bunch of Swiss Chard, washed and torn into pieces
1/2-1 Cup Whole Milk or Cream
1 Tbsp. Flour
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Heat butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes. After the onion has softened, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to release some of the flavor. In batches, add the kale and chard to the pan and, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and the cream to keep lumps from forming when you mix with the greens. After all the greens have cooked down, pour the cream mixture into the greens and stir. Let the creamed greens cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.