2013 February Archive - Simple Everyday Food

spicy kale chips

Posted by :Amy On : February 21, 2013

I went and bought a whole thing of kale for my zuppa Toscana recipe last night, and was left with about half of what I started after I made the soup.

Oh what should I do with the rest of the kale, I asked myself. I couldn’t just throw the vitamin-packed vegetable to waste – I was raised to appreciate everything we were able to afford, and not to throw anything that’s perfectly fine in the garbage.

I guess I can make some kale chips with them. I’ve never even tried kale chips before, let alone make them. I’ve heard of them before, but that’s about the extent of the relationship between kale chips and I. Potato chips, on the other hand…. Yeah, I pretty much love potato chips.

For those that aren’t familiar with kale, here’s a little quick lesson: kale is a relative of broccoli and cauliflower. It is also packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and calcium. It’s a green leafy vegetable. So whenever you see brochures or literature that tell you to eat “green leafy vegetables”, well, eat some kale.

Kale chips are healthier than potato chips. Their nutritional value is higher while still satisfying your craving for something salty and crunchy. Of course you can go to the store and just buy pre-made kale chips. However, if you make them at home, they’re probably healthier (less preservatives), and you can season them however you want – cheese, salt, pepper, vinegar… the possibilities are endless!

After trying it, I’m totally sold. It’s delicious! I think from now on I’ll be making this instead of popcorn on movie nights in our house :)

Ingredients:

A few handfuls of kale – stems removed, torn up in bite-sized pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
A pinch of cayenne pepper – or as spicy as you want
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F
In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Place kale pieces in a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil over it. Toss to coat, making sure that all pieces are evenly coated with the olive oil.
Sprinkle half of the seasoning onto the kale, toss to coat.

On a baking sheet, spread kale out in a single even layer.
Sprinkle the rest of the seasoning over the kale.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway in between.

Enjoy!

Note: as you can see, what seemed like a lot of kale pieces didn’t yield a whole lot of kale chips in the end, so if you plan on sharing yours with other people, make sure you double (or even triple!) the recipe so there’s plenty to go around.

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olive garden-style zuppa toscana

Posted by :Amy On : February 20, 2013

Category: Soups/Stews

Tags:soup

I have to admit, I’m really not a huge fan of Olive Garden.

[Gasp] What?!

Okay, okay… here’s the deal: I don’t like olives, I don’t eat raw onions in my salad, and I don’t really use anything other than ranch or thousand island as my salad dressing, therefore their salad never had that much of an appeal to me. On top of that, every pasta dish I’ve ever gotten left me feeling bloated afterwards.

However, back in the day when I was a poor college student, their unlimited soup, salad, and breadstick deal was probably one of the cheapest all-you-can-eat lunch deals around. And every time I went there for lunch, the only soup I would always get was their zuppa Toscana.

“Would you like to try some of our other soups?” the waiter would ask.

“No, I’ll just have another bowl of the zuppa Toscana again, thanks” was always my reply.

To me, soaking those warm, melt-in-your-mouth garlicky breadsticks into something other than the spicy, creamy soup just didn’t seem right.

It’s perhaps on the list of my favorite soups of all-time. And now that I know how to make it, I’ll probably never have to dine at Olive Garden ever again!

This soup is amazing, and if you like spicy sausage, potatoes, and kale, then this is the soup for you! It’s the perfect warm-me-up soup for the frigid Minnesota weather – filling, satisfying, delicious, spicy, and creamy.

Mmmm mmmm mmm!

I omitted and substituted just a few things to make it a healthier version so I won’t feel as guilty when I devour multiple bowls of this tonight. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound of spicy turkey sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) unsalted chicken broth
4-5 small russet potatoes, cubed (or 2-3 large ones… or if you love potatoes as much as I do, put as much as you want in there)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-2.5 cups kale, stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

In a large pot, brown the sausage. Drain the fat, leaving a little bit on the bottom of the pan for the onions.
Push the sausage toward the edges of the pot, then add the onions in the middle. Sauté the onions in the center under medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, then stir onions with sausage together in the pot. Cook for an additional minute or until onions are translucent.
Add garlic to meat mixture. Sauté for another 30 seconds.
Add the chicken stock and the potatoes to the pot. Add the salt, black and white pepper. Bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender.
Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until kale is no longer crunchy.
Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

Note: if you add the kale when your potatoes are completely done, the potatoes may turn a tad too mushy in the end. I added the kale when my potatoes were almost done, that way the potatoes can finish cooking while you’re simmering the soup.

Enjoy!

[Update from later that night…] I’m definitely going to be putting this soup under my list of “comfort foods”. I’m pretty sure I ended up with a food coma after two bowls of soup. I was satisfied, full, and ready for bed at 9:30p.m.

Recipe adapted from: SteadNPotatoesKindaGurl

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spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino

Posted by :Amy On : February 18, 2013

Category: Pasta

Tags:Pasta

If you saw the title of this post and said, “What?!” No fear, it simply means “spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and chili peppers”.

I have those days where I’m starving for something quick, cheap, homemade, and healthy at the same time, as opposed to quick, expensive, and greasy takeout from some fast-food joint. That being said, this is probably going to be the easiest, simplest dish you’ll ever make. It only requires a few ingredients that most of us probably already have sitting around at home – and you can add extra ingredients to it depending on your mood (and what you have sitting around).

Traditionally, spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is only made with spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Today I felt like changing things up a bit, so I added shrimp and broccoli to mine. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can substitute any kind of pasta you have sitting at home for the spaghetti. Like today, I went to the cupboard and found less than a handful of angel hair pasta left, so I used some campanelle pasta instead.

Just an FYI – if you happen to use fresh garlic, it’ll give your breath a nice garlicky smell after you’re done eating. Maybe have some gum handy, or enjoy the dish with a friend, that way they can’t complain about your garlicky breath :)

Here’s what you’ll need:

8 ounces of spaghetti (or your favorite kind of pasta)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced – if a couple of the cloves you picked are a little puny and sad looking, add another clove or two to the mix
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon black pepper, depending on how spicy you want it
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes – if you’re not a big fan of super spicy foods, you can either omit the chili flakes or just add a few pinches of it

Note: the ingredients above are what goes into a traditional dish. Today I also added 1.5 cups of broccoli florets and about 10-12 large shrimp.

Directions:

If you’re adding shrimp to dish like I did today, place them on a paper towel to absorb the moisture, then season it with salt and pepper. Sauté them in a skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil under medium high heat, about 1 minute per side, until they turn nice and pink.

If you’re also adding broccoli, sauté those under medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil under they’re nice and crisp. Lightly season with salt.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, and chili flakes.

Cook the pasta according to its directions. Drain.
In a large skillet, heat oil under medium heat. Add the minced garlic to the pan. Stir constantly – make sure you don’t burn the garlic. Add the salt, black pepper, and chili flakes. Stir for about 30 seconds.
Add pasta to the skillet, gently toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the olive oil/pepper mixture.
Add shrimp and broccoli to pasta.

Enjoy!

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easy shrimp pad thai

Posted by :Amy On : February 12, 2013

Category: International

Tags:asian, noodles, shrimp

I’ve always had an obsession with Pad Thai. Noodles packed with Asian flavors with a splash of lime juice and crunchy chopped peanuts on top – what’s not to like about it?

I’ve tried many different versions of Pad Thai from different restaurants, but so far the only place in the Twin Cities metro area I regularly get shrimp Pad Thai from is Sawatdee. Yes, it’s just that good (I also recommend their roast duck curry and their sweet green curry as well).

I’ve always wanted a good Pad Thai recipe, but many of the ones I’ve came across often involved about 20 ingredients, half of which I’m sure I’m never going to use again. Needless to say, I was elated when I recently stumbled upon an easy Pad Thai recipe, and I’m glad to say I’ll be making my own Pad Thai from now on!

It’s healthier (and super easy), it’s not going to cost me $20 per plate, the most of the ingredients are things I already have in the pantry, AND who doesn’t love leftovers?!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 box (16 oz) of dried, wide, flat rice noodles
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I used reduced sodium soy sauce to be healthier)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- A couple squirts of Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
5 scallions, green and white parts, separated and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ pound of large, tail-off shrimp
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup chopped peanuts

Note: 16 oz of noodles yields A LOT of noodles in the end. It’s probably enough to feed a family of 4, so if you’re cooking for yourself, feel free to halve the ingredients. Or just make the whole thing and save some for next day’s lunch.

Now, here’s what you’re going to do:

Soak and drain the noodles according to package directions. Use the hottest tap water you can get your hands on. I used a casserole dish and placed the cover over it to trap in all the steam.
While noodles are soaking, I placed my shrimp on some paper towels to soak up all the moisture, and seasoned them with some salt and pepper.
In a bowl, whisk together ingredients for the sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet (I used a wok), heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the shrimp until it turns pink, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer shrimp onto a plate.
Using the same skillet, add the remaining oil and sauté the scallion whites and garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the eggs and cook, constantly scraping the skillet with a spatula until eggs are almost done. Transfer to the plate with the shrimp.

Turning the heat down to medium, add the noodles, scallion greens, and the sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 3 minutes). This is also a good time to break up noodles that have stuck together while they were bathing in the hot water.
Once the noodles are thoroughly cooked, add the eggs and shrimp. Toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Serve with the chopped peanuts.

I personally am not a fan of cilantro, but you can chop about ½ cup of fresh cilantro to top the dish off if desired.