Kale

When I get Korean food in my head it becomes like that annoying song that just won’t leave your brain until you hear it. We leave Cooking Channel on in the background at my job and they have a new Korean food show, so I am probably going to be craving these flavors a lot more often! I saw some Japche noodles on tv while I was at work the other day, and immediately made them when I got home. I wanted to use all the veggies I had on hand instead of buying a ton of stuff, so I got the noodles and headed home hoping there would be some good stuff in the fridge. I had this delicious Jones Dairy Farm sausage and some great veggies that made for a fun twist on the traditional noodle dish.

Mandi got me this really cool handheld smoker for my birthday this year. She passed my secret test where I casually mention I want something nowhere near my birthday while we are watching Top Chef after drinking a few beers and then I expect to get it for my next birthday. I guess she is a keeper! Anyways, despite wanting this thing, I had my reservations about it. I didn’t think it could possibly get smoke flavor into any ingredient with just a quick 15 minutes of “smoke marinade”. I still wanted to try though! After my first attempt, I am still on the fence, but hopeful. This soup had a nice background smoke flavor to it. I ran the smoking gun 4 times while making this soup which seems like a lot to me to get just a “background smoke flavor”, but I think after I get the hang of how to best use it, I can get better results with less smoking action.

Malai kofta is a favorite Indian takeout dish of Mandi and I. I have been wanting to make a version of this for awhile, and I finally had a chance this weekend. I found a classic recipe in an Indian cookbook I have, and swapped out the spinach for some fresh kale. These kale kofta balls came out great and really satisfied our craving for a hearty Indian vegetarian feast.

I made this dish as a Christmas app, but when my computer broke I was unable to post it in time for you guys to use. They can be an anytime of the year app, but the guac and pom seeds just make it look so festive! Like a holly leaf.

These mushrooms were a healthy and easy weeknight dinner and came out wayyy better than I even imagined. In fact, I was having a beer with some friends at a burger place near my apartment and I had to leave to make these just as their burgers were arriving to the table. I was really questioning my sanity, but after one bite of the mushroom I totally forgot about the burgers!

Mandi has been looking for new ways to eat leafy greens and seeds while training with her Roller Derby team. I came up with this quick pesto that we tossed with some potatoes and served on the side of a grilled skirt steak. It wasn’t the healthiest meal ever, but it was a tasty and hearty yet lighter twist on meat and potatoes.

Finally there’s a date! The much awaited 4th season of Arrested Development will be available on Netflix in full on May 26th. To celebrate, I am dedicating a week of recipes to the greatest food moments of the first 3 seasons. Today is one of my all time favorites, Hot Ham Water. In this episode (s3-e9 “S.O.B’s”), Lindsay is trying to be more of a domesticated mother figure to the family, and her first attempt at cooking dinner is a dish she likes to call Hot Ham Water. I took inspiration from this scene to make a flavorful ham broth and load it up with some sauteed ham, collard greens, and udon noodle. Tasty stuff!

Since New Years Day, I’ve lost about 30 pounds. I haven’t done anything drastic. I’ve still cooked and eaten things like Lucky Charms Cheesecake, Hamburger Helper Sushi, and Pierogi Lasagna. I just made it a point to cut out some unnecessary meat, wheat, and dairy, during breakfast and lunch on most days.  I also drank whiskey instead of beer.  It’s a tough life I know.  All week this week, I will be posting some of the super healthy dishes that have gotten me through the past few months and I think have really helped with the weight loss. This smoothie is a 6 day a week routine and really kicks the day off right and keeps me full until lunch.

Last year there was some rumblings that Top Chef might end up on Boston this season. Unfortunately this didn’t turn out to be true, but us Bostonians did get one pretty nice consolation, and her name is Kristen Kish. Kristen is a local chef that has been killing it on the show this season. She ended up getting kicked off a little prematurely, but then fought her way back into the competition by beating people week after week on Last Chance Kitchen. This coming Wednesday is the finale, and Kristen only has one more Chef to beat to win the whole thing. I had a few friends over this past week to watch the previous episode, and we ate a this meal that was inspired by the dish that got Kristen back into the competition.

God this soup is so ugly. The good news is that it is healthy and tastes amazing. But yea, it looks like puke. I came home from work and decided to make an easy and healthy soup with stuff that I had lying around the house, and this was the result. It’s kinda like when you are a kid and you think if you combine all the colors in the crayon box you will make this awesome new color but it just turns out greenish black. Luckily, the flavor was the opposite of ugly.

Hearty winter veggies like celery root and kale make this soup creamy and filling.

A delicious sandwich layered with roasted pork, strawberries, kale, goat cheese, and onion.