Kitchen Witchen

I'm making like a witch in the kitchen! I'm brewing! I'm concocting! Except my eye of newt is a bottle of chipolte pepper seasoning and my frog legs are Brussels sprouts.

I've been trying to branch out of my beans and salsa, salsa and quinoa, chili and soup rut, but the problem is there are certain flavors I love, certain veggies I love and the rest I tend to forget about. Seriously, I need a cilantro/tomato/pepper/onion/eggplant farm. No joke, almost all my veggies come from Allium or Nightshade families. The cruciferous family and I don't really get along. I dislike broccoli. I loathe Brussels sprouts. And I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, but I'll eat it raw with lots of Greek yogurt dip.

So we're missing lots of really good vitamins and minerals, lots of cancer and fat fighting goodness. Which brings me back to witchen in the kitchen.

Kale Chips:
I've read about these babies in all my favorite magazines: Clean Eating, Eating Well, Vegetarian Times and even Urban Farm. But my family has refused all kale offerings in the past. I'll buy these giant bags of kale, cook them up with what I think is good seasoning, yet they sit in the fridge until they rot. Not even the hubby will eat the kale unless I'm there to put some parental peer pressure on him.

However. Kale chips are a hit. It's shocking really. Sophia literally snatched more bites of kale off the cookie sheet like she'd found a hidden stash of Doritos.

Wash, pat dry and de-stem one bunch of kale leaves. (center stem only) Tear the leaves into large bite sized bits, toss in a bowl with 1tbsp of olive oil. Lay them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with favorite spices. (salt and chipolte for me) Then bake on 400 for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. But you've got to watch them and flip if they start to brown!

I love it when my kids like their veggies. Although, note to self. Less salt and less chipolte pepper seasoning in the future.

Brussels Chi
or Brussels Sprouts Kimchi
Now on to Brussels sprouts. Seriously, who likes these? I've tried making them a few different ways, but yuck. Just yuck. But I read about a way to alter the taste just a bit and thought I'd give it a go.

Wash and slice in 1/2, 1 bag of BS. Lightly toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil and broil at 450 for 15 minutes or until tender. Set aside and let cool.

When cooled, mix with 1 jar of spicy kimchi. Voila!

I actually love this. I eat kimchi because I know it's healthy, but the flavor often seems a little wonky to me. But mixing it with the broiled BS mellows out the flavors of both!