A Delicious Baked Apple Dessert in a Snap

Actually, it's faster than a snap.  This apple dessert recipe took about seven minutes from conception to completion.

After the delicious (really!) kale, lentil and sweet potato soup I made for the main course, I wanted something sweet but not a sugar overload.

We had a bunch of apples in the house, so I pulled this recipe out of my you-know-where.  It turned out to be a winner.

Gina's Delicious Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Will she like it? 

While looking for easy ways to use some vegetables I had on hand, I found a recipe for kale, lentil and sweet potato soup on the blog Eat Live Run.  While her version is great, I have formulated my own adaptation that I think is fabulous.

Gina's Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 10 diced baby carrots, peeled and small diced
• 3/4 large onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic (garlic powder is fine in a pinch)
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, torn
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small 1/4-1/2″ cubes 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
• Mrs. Bragg's Organic Sprinkle Seasoning to taste 
• red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Once hot add the onion, celery, carrot and sweet potato and cook until softened.  Add the garlic and kale and continue cooking until kale wilts.

Transfer vegetables to a soup pot.  Add the lentils, seasoning and stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.

I served this with a warmed baguette and bit of brie.  The sweet potatoes and lentils provide a hint of sweet, the kale provides texture and the red peppers add some heat.  This soup didn't need any salt or pepper.  It's a substantial dish.

But does the kid like it?  That's the million dollar question.

Call her Mikey....she likes it! 

She dug it!  She would pull a piece of onion or kale out of her mouth if it was too large.  Otherwise, she loved it, particularly the lentils and sweet potatoes.

This recipe took about 45 minutes to make, start to finish taking into account my remedial knife skills.  It freezes beautifully.

 

A Great Green Juice From Whole Foods That Will Appeal To All Palates

For those of you who just can't stomach a truly green, grassy juice, I've got something for you.

Whole Foods has become a big player in the pre-bottled, unpasteurized juice game.  They offer everything from green lemonades to watermelon juices and more.   I stumbled across a new green concoction at the Highland Park store that is amazing called Happy Trails.

It is a blend of kale, melon, cucumber, celery and orange juices that is simply delicious.  The primary flavor is fresh-squeezed orange juice with a hint of celery and cucumber.  The kale cuts the overly sweet taste many fresh squeezed orange juices have.

If you're looking to get some liquid greens in your diet, this one is a winner.  Double bonus?  It only costs a wallet friendly $2.89.

Like this?  You might like these:

• One of my favorite homemade green juice recipes.

• Curious about my lifechanging smoothie recipe that blends kale, almond milk and berries.

The Best Green Smoothie Recipe Ever

The amazing green smoothie recipe keeps getting better.

It's a perfect "kitchen sink" recipe because you throw whatever you have on hand in the blender for a fabulous breakfast, snack or quick lunch when paired with a few nuts or some string cheese.

The double bonus: your kids will love it.  My daughter, Jordan, has a spinach smoothie almost every day at breakfast.

My original green smoothie recipe  featured berries, bananas and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.  Easy, delicious and only about 220 calories.

Add two handfuls of spinach to make the smoothie a nutritional game changer.  It packs a powerful antioxidant punch with few additional calories.  The crazy thing is you can't even taste the spinach.

I've started added frozen kale to the mix, too.  It offers the amazing nutritional green boost while thickening the consistency.  The kale does add more of a "green" flavor, though but it's not overwhelming.

Here's the basic base recipe:

• Eight ounces almond milk (again, I love Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla)
• One big handful of berries
• One banana
• Two handfuls of spinach
• Optional: chia seed or flax seeds

Another view

The finished product

You can use any fruit combination with a few greens.  Pictured below is another version with the Almond Breeze, half a mango, half a banana, a few strawberries and two handfuls of frozen kale.  Delicious!

Mango Kale Smoothie

These are so good that they can be served as a frozen dessert treat.  Just use less milk and add more frozen ingredients for a thicker, soft-serve consistency.

*Almond milk is not safe for those with nut allergies and should not be used as a substitute for infant formula or breast milk.

Recipe Review: Cooking Light's Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

If you know me, you know I can't cook. I can make awesome smoothies, excellent toast, rocking oatmeal, a decent salad with the dressing to boot. Other than that, I'm a failure. I once attempted a lowfat key lime pie that my dog wouldn't even try.

To the point: Cooking Light magazine had an interesting Cheesy Chicken Enchilada recipe that I decided to try.  I posted it on Pinterest as soon as I found it but didn't actually read the ingredient list.  It called for flour tortillas.  As a Tex-Mex purist, I don't do flour tortillas in an enchilada.  I substituted Whole Foods blue corn tortillas for the flour, which lowered the calorie count.

Image via CookingLight.com

These were pretty easy to make.  The mixture itself was a breeze.  I bought grilled chicken breast (I seriously don't know how to cook a chicken breast) and just cut them into little pieces.  I sliced the onions, green onions and garlic and the rest of the ingredients. The most tedious part was warming the tortillas in a pan.

I assembled the enchiladas and while they cooked for 20 minutes, I made the suggested salad with greens topped with fresh pre-sliced jicama and mangoes from Whole Foods (my knife skills suck).

After topping the enchiladas with cheese and green onions and heating them an additional six minutes, I served dinner to the husband and sister with a bottle of Waterbrook chardonnay.  This fruitier chardonnay worked wonderfully to cut the creaminess of the cheese.

The end result was jawdropping.  They loved the enchiladas.  They really loved the dinner, lowfat cheese and all.  No one loves my food. Being so used to wonderful, grease-filled enchiladas I am surprised at how good these were.  The uber-light and fruity salad was a perfect complement and the juice was just right.

Having said that, I would have kicked the spices up a notch.  I don't miss full-fat cheese but these definitely could have used perhaps more garlic and onion.  I would also purchase a can of "hot" green chiles, not mild.  Definitely don't do these with flour tortillas like the recipe suggests.  Go with the corn for more texture and more authentic flavor.